My neck stiffens. She sounds so nonchalant. In fact, I’m pretty sure I hear laughter in her voice.
“Mom! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for days.”
I sound like a whiny child but I can’t help it. I really needed her and she was nowhere to be found.
“I dropped my phone in the pool and it took a while to get a new one set up. What’s the big deal? Did someone die?”
Yes, because only death warrants a reason to answer your daughter’s phone calls.
“No, no one died. But I lost my job and my student loan payments restarted, so I’m staying with dad.” It’s the cliff notes version of events, but I don’t have the patience or desire to rehash every detail to her. Especially when it’s apparent she hasn’t checked one voicemail I left her.
She’s silent for a stretch. No doubt stunned. “You’re telling me that pinche pendejo fired you?”
I groan. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I guess, technically, I was laid off.”
“Mija, what did I tell you?” And there it is. I was waiting for theI told you so. “I told you getting involved with him was a mistake. When are you going to learn to stop letting a man be the center of your life? Look what happened, he cheated on you, because that’s what men do, they cheat. Even when they seem like they’re not the type, they are. He got rid of you the moment someone shinier caught his eye. I bet he has the new girlfriend sitting at your desk and doing your job.”
I hadn’t thought of Quinn in all of this. My mom is probably right, I was completely replaced in every single way. Still, her words make my chest burn with humiliation. Shedidwarn me about Brandon, several times, and I ignored her. It’s hard to see the flaws in someone when you’re caught up in the excitement of new love, blinded by affection and hope. Not to mention I was incredibly vulnerable. My mom was already on her self-discovery journey, and things with my dad were rocky. I needed someone who made me feel valued and loved, and Brandon seemed to fit that role.
“Can we stop talking about Brandon? I get it, okay. Let’s talk about literally anything else.”
I don’t want to fight with her, but the resentment I work so hard to keep at bay starts to simmer. I need to shift the conversation before I let it boil over.
“Fine,” she sighs, and the tension in my shoulders dissolves. “I’m assuming you’re in Red Mountain now?” Even through the phone, I can detect her disgust. My mom loathes small towns. When she’s not traveling around the world singing on cruise ships—which it feels like all she does these days—she’s in Seattle, enjoying all the perks that come with living in a metropolitan area.
“Just got here.”
“How is he?” Her tone is light and uninterested, but I see right through it.
“Who?”
She breathes a frustrated sigh. “Your dad.”
The worst part about having divorced parents is this—being the go-between, the messenger, the spy. As bad as it sounds, it was easier when my dad and I weren’t talking as often, because then my mom would ease off me a bit.
“He’s Dad. You know how he is.” It’s better for everyone if I don’t divulge too much. The less she knows the better.
“Hmmm. So, have you met her yet?”
I don’t need to ask who “her” is. “No, not yet. I’m sure I will soon.”
“How long are you planning to stay there? Not long, I hope.”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet. At least a couple weeks, maybe a month. The town is cute, though.”
“Marisa,” she says like a warning, her accent adding emphasis to my name.
I switch the phone to speaker and start unpacking my toiletries, needing a reprieve from our conversation. “What?”
“Don’t get distracted and end up stuck there.”
“Obviously, this is temporary. I’m allowed to like the town.”
“You need to stay focused. The last thing you need is to end up meeting some local boy and giving up your future and independence for a simple little life in a simple little town.”
My head flops back, and I close my eyes, willing myself to not snap.
“You’re young, you need to be out there, traveling and having fun. Because believe me, this time in your life will fly by, and one day you’ll wake up and realize your best years are behind you. I don’t want that for you.”
