Ms. McAuley’s lip curls up into a sneer. She finally opens the door fully, offering Eden a good look at her hunched, willowy figure. She always imagined her mother as the embodiment of warmth and sunshine. This lady is anything but.
“You mean Johnny? That son of a bitch wasn’t your father, he was just my boyfriend at the time.”
Eden isn’t sure if she wants to pass out or cry. She feels like she’s five years old again, confused and scared and desperate for answers.
“Why didn’t you pick me up?” she asks, her voice thin and on the verge of breaking. “I waited for you for hours.”
There isn’t a lick of sympathy in Ms. McAuley’s face. Her features are hardened with indifference, wrinkled with her passive cruelty. “I had you when I was sixteen,” she explains, emotionless. “Your real father—the rat bastard—said he’d take responsibility. That he’d be there for us. Filled my head with dreams of a happily ever after. But what does he do the second you were born? The fucker skips town.”
Eden’s chest is painfully tight. She’s torn between feeling sympathetic and angry. “Then what happened?” she urges, dying for the truth no matter how much it’s going to hurt.
“I met Johnny, the guy you thought was your father. I let myself think maybe this time would be different. He took care of us for the most part. He had a steady job, a good head on his shoulders, but that son of a bitch didn’t stick around for very long, either. The day he broke up with me, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to take care of you. I dropped you off at school and…”
“You abandoned me,” Eden realizes aloud. “You didn’t forget about me. Youchoseto leave me.”
Ms. McAuley shrugs. It’s startling how cold and cruel she’s capable of being. “I figured you’d be in better hands with the state than slumming it with me. I could barely take care of myself let alone a child. Besides, it looks like things worked out for you, didn’t it?”
Eden takes a step back, shaking her head in disbelief. She can’t believe all the sleepless nights she wasted wishing to find this woman. She can’t detect a hint of remorse or even a sliver of regret.
They say that daughters are supposed to be reflections of their mothers, but she’s glad that isn’t true in her case. In spite of everything, Eden isn’t cold and calloused. She’s worked hard for everything she has. She’s determined and hard working, she’s kind and she’s loyal. Her mother’s right. Things did work out for Eden. All the hardships she’s had to endure, all the endless waiting…
She came out the better person.
Eden stands there, silent for a long moment as she organizes her thoughts. This isn’t how she wanted things to go, but maybe it’s for the best. She doesn’t see any point fighting for someone who clearly doesn’t want her in the first place. There’s no point choosing a family that left her to fend for herself when she can go back to the car and find comfort in the family she’s found.
She stands a bit taller, holds her head up high. She still wants to cry. Not for herself, but her mother. It’s such a shame the woman will never get to know her. Eden’s fine with it. She has someone very special who will cherish her a million times over.
“Thank you for answering my questions,” she says evenly.
“That’s it? That’s all you wanted?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Wait!” Ms. McAuley eyes the rental car parked by the curb. “Do you have twenty bucks to spare? Gas prices are through the damn roof.”
Her audacity would turn a lot of people off, but Eden doesn’t bristle. Eden pulls out her wallet and pulls out a couple of bills. She counts it out slowly. Instead of giving her twenty, she slips a hundred even into the woman’s hand.
Eden smiles politely. “Consider this a parting gift,” she says softly. “I hope you have a good rest of your life.” She turns on her heels and leaves the way she came, sliding into the passenger seat in a hurry.
Shang watches his girlfriend expectantly. “How’d it go?”
She finally cracks. The flood gates open, and there’s no holding back. Eden cries and cries and cries, a wash of emotions threatening to drown her.
Anger. Disappointment. Bitterness.
Relief.
The entire time Shang hugs her, kisses her, whispers sweet nothings to help her get through it. It takes her a good ten minutes of bawling her heart out before she manages to find some semblance of calm.
Because yes, this fucking sucks, but at least she has something she didn’t have before.
Closure.
“Let’s go home,” Shang murmurs against her cheek.
Eden nods.
Home.
