“Are you mad at him?”
Callie considered this for a moment, her brow deeply furrowed. “No. I’m not mad. Honestly, I don’t have the energy to be mad. Besides, it doesn’t sound like it was his fault. Or anyone’s fault. Birth control isn’t a strict science, and Maggie chose not to tell him about the pregnancy… I think we should just be glad that Sasha found her way back to her dad and that we are able to help her now that she doesn’t have anyone.”
Mallory drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly through her mouth before responding. “Yeah, I’m not mad at him either. At least, not about Sasha. Although, he better not have any other secret kids out there...”
Callie chuckled. “I said the same thing. He assured me he didn’t, but I might make him do a little more due diligence. Maybe make a few calls, just to be safe.”
“I think that’s perfectly valid. This family can’t take any more surprises.”
“Ah, I don’t think that’s true,” Callie said. “I’d rather we didn’t have to deal with anything like this again, but even if we did, I think we’d be strong enough to get through it.”
Mallory shot her a look. “Really? Even after how horribly things went today?”
“See, I wouldn’t say that it went horribly.”
“What are you talking about? Were you in the same room I was in?”
“Yes, I was,” she said. “And obviously things were tense. But that was to be expected. I knew no matter what that it was going to be an emotional and awkward conversation. Why do you think I’ve been putting it off for so long? Because I knew it was going to be a huge mess once you kids found out. But all things considered, I think everyone handled themselves well, and it seems like we’re on the path towards working things out.” She leaned against her daughter’s shoulder. “Even you taking off was probably for the best, don’t you think?”
“I—I don’t know.” Mallory shrugged. “I wasn’t really thinking things through, I just needed to get out for a bit.”
“Yes, which you did instead of staying here and potentially saying something you might regret or starting fights with your siblings.”
“Hmm. I hadn’t thought about it that way.” She laughed softly. “I wish I could say that I stormed off on purpose, for everyone’s sake, but I was just thinking about myself.”
“That’s okay.”
Mallory shook her head. “No, it’s not. Because thinking about myself isallI’ve been doing since I returned home.”
Callie gave her a look. “I don’t know that that’s true.”
“But it is,” Mallory countered. “The more I think about how I’ve been acting, the clearer it is to me that I haven’t been a very good daughter lately.” Callie looked like she was about to say something, but Mallory put a hand up to stop her. “Please, just let me get this off my chest. Then if you want to disagree with me, you can.”
Callie’s shoulders sank but she nodded. “Okay, fine.”
“When I first got here and was worried that you were being scammed, it was easy for me to think that all my frustrations came from a place of protecting you and dad. I was worried about you two, obviously... but ultimately, I think a lot of what I was going through was more about me. I didn’t like that this random woman was suddenly sleeping in my old bedroom. She was taking up a lot of you and dad’s attention, and I couldn’t help but compare myself to her. There I was, needing to rely on you guys again, and like always, you welcomed me with open arms.”
“Of course, we’re always here for you.”
“I know, I know, but I shouldn’t need you this much,” Mallory insisted. “What excuse did I even have for having my life fall apart all those times? What excuse did I have to quit a decent job and show up on your doorstep with nothing, even though I barely have any responsibilities? Meanwhile, here’s Sasha, a poor single mom who grew up without a dad and in devastating poverty. She’s the kind of person who deserves your help and support, not me. And instead of just sucking up my jealousy and suspicions, I let them get the better of me. It was selfish.”
“Now, honey, hang on a second.” Callie put her arm around Mallory’s shoulders. “Some of your suspicions were founded. You know that now.”
“Even still”—Mallory cleared her throat; a lump forming in it— “I’ve been putting myself first this whole time. If I had just been able to take a step back and look at the situation through a different lens, I would’ve seen that Sasha was obviously not some criminal mastermind. Even if she was there to scam you and dad, that in and of itself is a sign of a desperate person.
And if I hadn’t been so absorbed with my own feelings earlier today, I might’ve been able to see that you and dad were making decisions based on what would make you both happy. I can’t fault you for that.”
Callie looked at her daughter but said nothing.
“What?” Mallory finally asked, sniffling a little as some tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I’m just… surprised. I really didn’t anticipate you saying any of this.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know.” Mallory wiped her face with the sleeves of her hoodie. “James said something that really stuck with me. It helped having someone else’s perspective.” She looked back at her mom and smiled through her tears. “I understand that you did what was right for you. And I’m grateful that you and dad worked so hard to establish a good friendship, so that we could still feel like a family.”
“That was what was most important to us.”
Mallory nodded. “I know. I know.”
