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“Oh, get over yourself,” I joke. “I just can’t believe you’re growing up.” I pretend-sniffle while she throws a swimsuit in her suitcase.
“Well, your birthday is also coming up and you’re probably dreading becoming…old,” she says it like she just realized she stepped in gum and it’s hot and sticky as she pulls her foot away from the pavement.
“You know I actually did miss you, brat? Don’t ruin it,” we laugh.
“Anyways, back to my birthday. I’m registered at Target, Amazon, and Bath and Body Works,” she smiles with amusement as we stare at each other for a few moments before both breaking out into mad laughter.
“Sterling! Sara!” I hear Mrs. Chen call from downstairs. It startles me because she’d only just left an hour ago. I wasn’t expecting her to be back so soon.
We both look at each other very confused, I gesture to check my wrist for the time on my fake watch, before we both start running down the steps.
Mrs. Chen stands in the middle of the kitchen, frantically shoving clothes and hygienic necessities into different suitcases spread across the kitchen island. It’s a panicked movement, like she can’t stuff the suitcases fast enough.
How long has she been down here doing this?
“Mom, what’s going on?” Sara asks, looking at her mom with a worried look, noticing the urgency.
“Did you pack your bag?” she asks, not looking up from her own bags.
“Almost. I just have-”
“I need it packed, now!” she shouts, causing both of us to jolt back in shock.
I’ve never heard Sara’s mom raise her tone, ever.
“Mrs. Chen. Is everything okay?” I decide to step in, noticing that Sara is utterly shocked.
“Sterling, I will be writing you a severance check. Tonight will be your last night caring for Sara.” She looks up at me for a brief moment with a look of pain in her eyes that sayssorrybefore returning her attention to everything strewn out across the countertops. I blink, unmoving. Almost as if I’m stuck in the space of her words.
A severance check?
My last night?
Mrs. Chen moves her head up slightly to peer at me from under her lashes and that’s when I see it clearly …. the black eye.
Her right eye is bruised with purple and dark gray colored abrasions and her skin is raised a bit, making her entire cheek look swollen.
“Wait, what? Mom, what’s happening?” Sara’s small voice is laced with confusion and panic as she looks between her mom and me. “What happened to your eye?” Sara’s jaw drops as she stares straight at her mom.
“Mom?” Walking over to her mother, Sara places her hand on top of hers. “What’s happening?” Mrs. Chen looks down to her daughter, and suddenly, she’s crying.
“I’m so sorry, Saralee.” Her mom sobs into her palms. “I tried so hard to be forgiving. Please understand that I tried.”
“What do you mean?”
Sara’s mom looks over at me and gives me an apologetic look before turning back to her daughter.
“Daddy’s been absent a lot. Have you noticed that?” she asks, wiping tears from her face.
Sara nods.
“Saralee, you are beautiful and loved. And nothing will ever change that,” she begins.
“Mom, please.”
The air is stale with confusion and tense with fear. Mr. Chen hasn’t come home with Mrs. Chen in months, I’ve noticed that. But I thought it was just because he’d been busy after date nights or maybe had other things going on at work. But Sara’s mom is obviously about to break some really upsetting news to her daughter, and I take a deep breath as I prepare myself for what she’s about to unload.
“Your father and I have been fighting a lot and tonight he...” Her breath hitches as she tries to compose herself. “He hit me,” she announces as she gently brings her fingers up under her eye to graze the damage. The look on her face when she looks into Sara’s eyes at the admission is one of a failed mom. She thinks this is her fault.
