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What’s the point of this?
It’s not like this meeting will change the loneliness I’ve felt over the past few years.
Answers, Aurora.
I need to look her in the eye when she tells me…why she left, why she never came back, why it took her so long to get in touch with me.
Not to mention the hassle it took for me to get here. I got this far and I’m not backing out now.
Taking a sharp intake of breath, I press the doorbell, then wait several seconds before the door finally opens.
“Aurora?” a voice says hesitantly. My mouth almost drops open as I stare at the woman standing before me.
She’s not what I expected at all.
Petite, slender, her dark hair swings in a sleek bob, skimming her jawline. Bright green eyes take me in as she smiles tentatively.
“Hi,” I say brokenly. I’d planned to start this differently, but I can’t remember the words I’d prepared.
“Aurora,” she whispers again, then her smile slips slightly before she steps aside. “Won’t you come in?”
If I’d been anticipating a tearful reunion, this isn’t it. But then again, I don’t even know what I was imagining after all these years. I manage a small nod before I enter the condo. I wait for her to shut the door before she faces me again.
“I can’t believe I’m finally seeing you again…” Her voice is still low, and mine is still missing in action, so I nod yet again. There’s nothing familiar about her features at all. My mother, Leila De Luca, is standing in front of me, and she may as well be a complete stranger to me.
I watch the woman who gave birth to me and feel disappointment surge as I realize I don’t feel a thing for her. No connection, no sudden rush of love…
Give it time, Aurora.
I can’t expect a big-screen Hollywood-style moment. I should know life doesn’t work like that. Besides, sharing a genetic bond doesn’t guarantee an instant connection. She’s missed so many vital parts of my life. Well, she missed all of it. Let’s just call it what it is.
I wonder how she feels about that though. Maybe she’s ashamed. Maybe she feels as broken as I do. Maybe I’m being too hard on her.
“Please… won’t you take a seat?” she says as she points at the chairs in the living room. I quietly nod as I make my way to the sofa and sit.
“Thank you,” I mumble. I’d expected our meeting to be awkward, but I didn’t think it would be this rocky. As if reading my mind, she breaks the silence with a sudden burst of speech.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” she blurts. “I know I have done nothing to earn your time… or your trust.” Her smile is forced. She’s clearly feeling the tension in the room. Who wouldn’t?
“It’s okay,” I manage to say as she hovers in front of me, hands twisting in agitation.
“Can I get you a drink? A glass of wine maybe? Or… or I have orange juice?” she asks. I shake my head. Are we really sitting here making small talk? We’ve been estranged for years, these are moments I’ve prayed for, and we’re talking about refreshments. If she’d been around, she’d know I wouldn’t drink wine at this time of the day, and orange juice gives me hives. But of course, she wouldn’t know that. She doesn’t know anything about me at all.
“I’m fine, thank you, Leila… Mom,” I correct myself. “I think it’s best if we get to why I’m here,” I add. “I don’t have much time.”
She freezes but slowly nods as she sits opposite me.
Ask the questions, Aurora!
Ask her where she’s been all these years!
There’s so much I need to know. Things I wanted to ask her since I was a little girl, yet here I sit, staring at her wide-eyed and speechless. I take the bull by the horns and leap straight in at the deep end.
“Why did you abandon me?” I ask abruptly. I watch her swallow hard before she drops her gaze. She thumbs the hem of the top she is wearing, fingers twisting and fidgeting again, and I start to recognize this is a nervous habit.
“I didn’t want to abandon you,” she says.
“That’s a conversation for another time.” I shrug. “I just want to know why.” Her expression seems pained as she keeps fussing with her shirt.
