"My mother was... not nice," I start, choosing my words carefully before I sigh, realizing there's no point sugarcoating this. My son deserves the truth. "Okay, no—she wasmean.She didn't like being a mother, and she didn't like being a mother to me. And when she found out I was pregnant with you, she thought I was ruining my life, just like she believed she ruined hers by having me."
Liam's eyes go soft and sad, his mouth parting. "Mama..."
"But Iwantedyou so bad," I say, stressing the words, forcing a smile that trembles despite my effort. "Your father and Iwantedyou. And when you were born... you changed our lives, baby. You were such a wonderful little gift," I laugh, picturing little baby Liam's face. "God, and you were the mostadorablelittle baby."
Liam smiles shyly, his cheeks flushing pink as he looks down at his plate. "Mama..."
I smile sadly, pressing forward before I lose my nerve. "When my mother found out I was pregnant, she tracked me down at Walmart. I was there with your Daddy and Mom-Mom, and she... she slapped me. And she called me a very disgusting name that I won't repeat."
Liam's smile vanishes from his face completely, and he looksso much like his father at this moment that it's almost eerie.
His dark eyes narrow, his fist clenches hard around his fork, and his jaw cracks. The expression on his face is both angry and horrified.
"Shehityou?"
I nod, keeping my voice steady, "She'd smack me, throw things at me, scream at me through my bedroom door. Or she’d ignore me completely, like I didn’t exist. I promised myself I would never do that to my children. I would never allow anyone to ever hurt them."
Liam remains quiet, his eyes filling with unshed tears. I reach out and cup his cheek, my thumb brushing under his eye.
"I wanted to be the best Mama to you and your brother," I say softly, wiping away the tear that finally spills. Liam pulls back and roughly wipes his face with the sleeve of his hoodie, sniffling, trying to hold onto that teenage nonchalance.
He remains quiet for a couple of moments, staring at his half-finished plate of food. No more tears, but he sniffles a couple more times and wipes his nose with his sleeve.
"You are the best, Mama."
"Yeah?" I ask, emotion swelling in my chest.
"Yeah. None of my friends' moms really care about basketball like you do. They don't come to the games or practices. My friends always say I'm lucky. You care. Not just about me and my basketball, though. Like Noah and his art. You don't just pretend. It's... it's nice."
My nose burns, that familiar feeling of imminent tears at his sweet words.
"You're my sons," I shrug, because it truly feels that simple.
It should be that simple for all parents. My son is interested in basketball, so I show up for every game and he can look into the stands and know that someone is cheering for him.
My other son loves art, so I show up to his art shows and when he talks about techniques and artists, I listen.
"No matter what you do," I say firmly, "I will always support you. You and your brother. Just do your best, and I will beproud. Okay?"
Liam nods, taking another big bite of his pancakes, and I bite into my burger. We both eat our food in silence before something occurs to me.
"Where did you find out about divorce?"
Liam's cheeks redden instantly, his expression turning sheepish. My brows raise in response as he answers me, keeping his eyes on his plate.
"There's a girl in my class. Birdie,” he says her name softly. “Her Mama and Daddy got divorced."
"Aw, that's a shame," I say, tilting my head to meet his eyes. "Did she tell you about it?"
Nodding, he shifts in his seat and his face looks pained now. "She said... she said her Daddy cheated on her Mama."
He looks up at me then, eyes wide and sad, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Did... did Daddy cheat on you?"
Instantly, I shake my head, reaching out and laying my hand over his.
"No, baby.No.Daddy didn't cheat on me."
