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And they agreed to that? What am I thinking? I’m sure she didn’t give them another option other than to agree to her demands.
“Where are your things?” she wonders.
I point to my bag on the floor. “I just brought stuff to stay for the night.”
She glares at me. “You’re staying longer than the night, Hadley. If I have cancer you need to be here. Take me to appointments and help me. I’m your mother. And this whole divorce thing with your father will need a lot of attention. I need you here. I need you to move back here to Chicago and stop this Red Oak foolishness.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Red Oak foolishness?”
“It’s a phase and I’m over it. You will move back here and that’s final.”
“Mom, Brooklyn and I are happy in Red Oak. I can help you with your appointments if you do have cancer, which we don’t know yet, but I can’t just move back to Chicago. Nor do I want to. It’s not a phase, and it’s not foolishness. We don’t want to move back here. She likes her school, we like our home, and…”
“And that boy you’re seeing is there,” she remarks.
“Yes, Cash, themanI’m seeing lives in Red Oak and because I am actually happy living there, I don’t intend to move away.”
“You were always so ungrateful. After all I’ve done for you?”
All she’s done for me? Thrown money at me and thought that’s all she needed to do to be a parent? “I can’t just yank Brooklyn away from her home. Do you not hear me? She’shappythere. Truly happy. Mom, you need to be realistic.”
“I am being realistic. You can’t desert me at a time like this.”
I sigh heavily, deciding it’s an argument for later.
“What time is your doctor calling?”
“Noon. Or maybe one o’clock. I don’t recall.”
“You don’t recall?” I ask.
She snaps at me. “No, Hadley. This is hardly something I’m used to. Having to go around a doctor’s schedule. They said I’d get the call early afternoon so I assume that means by one. I doubt they’ll make me wait.”
“Okay, then I’m going to use the restroom and put my stuff in one of the guest rooms. I’ll be back shortly so I don’t miss the phone call.”
“Use your old room. It’s all set up for you. We have a guest for dinner tonight. If you didn’t bring proper attire, I have set some clothes in your room for you.”
“A guest? Tonight? Mom, don’t you think we need to be focusing on your health? Maybe have a quiet night?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Who’s the guest?”
“A business associate. This dinner has been planned for weeks and I won’t let a silly thing like this get in the way.”
“Cancer is not a silly thing, Mom.”
“Of course it isn’t, but it’s an inconvenience and I won’t allow it to rule my life. Now go get freshened up and be back soon.”
Feeling dismissed, I leave her to do as she asked.
In my old bedroom, I notice the clothes she set out for me are fancier than what should be worn for just any guest to come for dinner.
A black cocktail dress that I can see just by holding it up will show a lot of cleavage and leg. “What the hell?”
I toss the dress down onto the bed and shake my head. There’s no way I’m wearing that.
As I make my way back downstairs, I hear her on the phone and pick up the pace, rushing to her side and taking a seat on the arm of the chair.
