“I changed my mind.”I hopped up in a rush.“I wanna talk to her.”Everyone was watching me worriedly, but I reached for Aunt Helen’s phone regardless. She handed it over and I left the room to sit on the couch.“Hello?”
“Emery.”My mom’s slurred voice came through the phone. She was drunk.“How are you, sweetie?”
“I’m good,”I said carefully.“How’re you, mom? Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, no, I’m good. I need your phone number. I’m tired of having to go through Helen to talk to you. Can I have your number, sweetie? I wanna get back in contact with you. We should build a relationship.”
“You don’t want that,”I said. I already knew she didn’t mean it.
“Of course I do.Let’s become close like we used to be. Back when I liked you.”
“You don’t want that,”I repeated.“What’re you calling for?”
“To talk to you.”Her voice was growing irritated.“I want your number so I can call you whenever I want.”
“Mom, you’re drunk.”
“No.”
“I can tell when you’re lying and I can tell when you’re drunk. You’re drunk.”I wasn’t trying to have a confrontation, but the damage was done.
“You know what, you little bitch? Yeah, fine. I’m drunk,”her voice rose significantly,“and I take it back, I don’t wanna talk to you. I don’t want anything to do with you. I miss you every once in a while, you know that? But then I talk to you and remember you don’t deserve a mom because you’ve always been an ungrateful brat who got Ray locked up and turned Tommy against me. You made my own brother hate me—”
“I didn’t do anything to make him hate you.”
“You’re the reason Ray is in jail,” she slurred.“Yeah, that’s you. That’sallyou,” her voice was cruel and singsong. “We had to move so much because ofyou, you little fucking snitch—”
“No, we always moved because of you, remember? You being an abusive”—I caught myself before a word I’d regret—“woman,” I forced a different word out, “who neglected me to the point where people noticed—”
“Not sure why I called you. Sometimes I forget I never wanted you. But I always remember when I hear your voice.” She laughed as I fought back tears. “Thanks for reminding me. I guess you are good for something, huh? I can never—”
I hung up and dropped the phone, then stood and went back to the table.“I’m all done,”I saidnonchalantly.
“Are you okay?”Aunt Helen asked.
“Mhm,”my voice broke. I picked up my fork to continue eating but my eyes blurred over. I dropped my fork and left the room as I started to cry.
“I’ll be back.”Ari’s footsteps followed mine.
“It’s Thanksgiving. I can’t do this today.”I plopped on the couch, covering my mouth to quiet the flow of tears.
“It’s not your fault.” Arisat beside me on the couch,rubbing my back in circles.“She has issues, you know that. You can’t put that on yourself.”I was shaking my head while she talked.“Look at me.” She grabbed my cheeks. I did my best not to while she wrestled my head. And then we both started laughing. “There’s nothing wrong with you, okay?I’m sorry I talked you into answering. I should’ve known it was a bad idea. Your parents are pieces of shit, but that has nothing to do with you. They don’t matter. Don’t let anything that woman says get to you. You’re an amazing person and everyone who matters loves you.”
“You think?”I asked. I could hear Sean talking with Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom in the other room, but Dennis was silent. I glanced in their direction but Ari turned my face to back hers.
“Don’t worry.I’m pretty sure he adores you by now,”she said.“Don’t let this ruin your day. Promise?”She held a pinky out and I reluctantly took it.
We each kissed the other end. I finally smiled and wiped my cheeks. She took Aunt Helen’s phone in one hand and my hand in the other, then led the way back to the dining room. She gave the phone to its rightful owner and sat beside Sean.
“Is everything okay?”Uncle Tom asked.
I nodded and went back to my delicious meal. Soon, the conversation with my mom was mostly forgotten. Everyone ate and talked—mostly Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom because they were extremely loud and talkative together—until the food was nearly gone.
“Dessert.”I set my utensils down.“Where’s dessert? I want dessert.”
“First, I have presents for you girls. Sorry I didn’t get you guys anything,”Aunt Helentold Dennis and Sean. “I didn’t know I’d have the honor of meeting my nieces’binds so early.”She went to fetch the presents while Uncle Tom left to put pies in the oven.
“Why are you being so quiet today?”I asked Dennis. He shrugged.
