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I needed to keep my answers short and sweet, and maybe then, she would get the hint that I don’t want to talk about my personal life.
“You also happen to live next door to him.”
“Yep.”
She dried her hands on the drying cloth that was over her shoulder and turned her full body to me. She leaned against the counter staring me down.
“I love that you turned your life around. I was worried you were becoming one of those people when you were hanging around that man.“
“Mhmm.”
My mother lifted her hands in the air in exasperation. “Lillian, I’m trying to have a normal conversation with you, yet you are being so cold and reserved.”
“I don’t want to talk about my personal life with you, mom.”
“And why not?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am your mother. I am meant to know the details of your life. But instead, I have to go around asking about you to other people. You refuse to tell me anything.”
“Have you ever considered why, mom?” This was exactly what I had been trying to avoid. “You judge me openly and make me feel like I am some dirty little reject child.”
She gasped. “I have done no such thing. I only push you so that you can reach your maximum potential. You aren’t living up to the standard you know you are capable of.”
“Wrong, mom. This is the standard that you set for me. You have these insanely high expectations for me that I have no desire to reach because none of them align with who I am.”
“You dressing more sophisticated and less like a whore is a high expectation?”
I looked down at my outfit choice for today. I was wearing a cute white cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. Admittedly, the boob area was a bit much, but I still looked nice, and I felt good about what I was wearing.
“No.” I slammed my hand down onto the counter. “You don’t get to shame me. I look good, and I feel good, and that is all that matters. What you think is irrelevant,mother.”
“You know, this is your problem, Lillian. You can never take constructive criticism. You always think people are out to get you or attack you. That is why you stay where you are in life. You have accomplished nothing of relevance thus far unlike your brother. Look what he has been able to accomplish in his life. You could barely get your GED completed.”
“You are a real bitch, you know that, mom?”
I could see the fury building behind her eyes. It would have been smart to walk out of the kitchen, but now I was itching for a fight, and she had started it.
That was how me and my mother worked. We were like Tom and Jerry, always going at it. Who was Tom and who was Jerry I would leave that up to others to decide. But if anyone ever asked, I was Jerry for sure. The little guy had a certain edge to him that I liked.
She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. I turned around to see what she was staring at.
Standing in the archway were Maddison and Ethan.
“Ethan, Maddison,” her sweet-toned voice was back. “What can I help you with?”
Maddie looked at me asking me with her eyes,Are you okay?
I nodded.
How much of that did they hear?
I braved a look Ethan’s way, but he wasn’t even looking at me. He was staring at Nora. His face was unreadable, so I didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on in his head.
I turned back to my mother. “This was a lovely chat. Now, it’s time for me to drown my sorrows in your trash liquor.”
I walked over to the wine cabinet and pulled out a bottle. I grabbed my empty glass from the counter and made my way out of the kitchen.
I brushed past Ethan who was still looking at my mother. Maddison caught up to me, leaning into me.
“How much of that did you guys hear?”
