Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
I didn’t bother knocking when I arrived at my mother’s house. Instead, I used the key I had to get in just in case an emergency came up. I couldn’t think of anything more important than this at the moment.
When I walked in, the place looked like as if it had been ransacked. There were knick knacks and decorations all over the floor. Paintings had been pulled off the wall off. It seemed as if a pack of wild animals had come through.
But the most surprising sight was my mother sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of wine. It clearly wasn’t her first of either, judging from the empty carton at her feet and the bottle at her feet. Her hair was unkempt and was a disorganized nest around her head. Her face was barren of makeup, and she appeared several years older than she actually was. To top it off, she wore a stained track suit. In all my years, I’d never seen her in a state like this. Hell, I didn’t even know she smoked.
Even as I stood there and stared, she didn’t acknowledge my presence. “Mom!”
She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she took a long drag of her cigarette and kept her gaze focused straight ahead.
I started picking up the debris laying around her feet and discarded it in the trash before returning to her side. “Mom.” I plucked the cigarette out of her hand and flicked it into the plate on the table she was apparently using as a makeshift ashtray.
“What’s the matter?”
She didn’t answer right away, and I didn’t think she would, but then she broke into tears. “You blame me for this, don’t you? You think this is all my fault, and I’m going to lose you too. I won’t have anyone.”
My instinct was to take her into my arms and offer her comfort, but I wanted answers. I patted her on the back and waited silently for her to calm down.
However, the longer it went on, her hysteria increased. Her sobs became full on screams. She started to clutch her chest, and her breathing became so erratic she dropped to the floor.
I tried to help her up, but she seemed inconsolable. I wasn’t sure what to make of this. She didn’t even act this way after Kenny died. I finally joined her on the floor and held her. “Mom, if you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to take you to the hospital. This isn’t healthy for you.”
She seemed to heed my words and clung to me. “I’m s-sorry b-but…so d-devastated. Didn’t know. Scammed.”
Though her words were difficult to make out, I assumed she was talking about Dr. Laski. Obviously I couldn’t question her in her current, so I lifted her off the floor and carried her to her room so she could rest. I sat with her for the rest of the night because she was clearly a wreck.
I was scrolling through my phone looking through articles while I stayed with her until she asked for a glass of water. I went to the kitchen and got it for her. When I returned, she was sitting up and taking a few pills.”
“Mom, what are you doing?” I rushed to her side and snatched the bottle out of her hand.
“They’re just some sleeping pills. I need them so I can get to sleep. I wasn’t trying to harm myself if that’s what you were concerned about, although I’m very surprised you cared enough to stick around to see that I’m all right. You always did your own thing. Broke my heart when you went off after college leaving me alone with your brother and sister when I really needed you.”
The last thing I expected was for her hysteria to lead to another guilt trip, but I remained silent. If there was something she needed to get off her chest, I’d let her have her say. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mom, but the life I made for myself that you like to complain about provided you the life of comfort you now seem to enjoy. Maybe I wasn’t always here, but I did the best that I could.”
“Sure you did.” Her tone was heavy with sarcasm.
“Mom, I didn’t come here to argue with you. But I need some answers, the first being why didn’t you know this about Dr. Laski? Is that why you looked so frazzled when I came here today?”
“He had me fooled too, son. I trusted him, and I’d been taking Kenny there for a long time. As far as I knew, he was giving Kenny the best care possible. You have to believe me.”
She was my mother, and I’d personally witnessed how attentive she had always been to Kenny so why wouldn’t I believe her? In this state, however, I realized I wouldn't get any answers from her, so it was up to me to find them myself.