Delaney sat and put her arm around her mother, providing the expected comfort, the words almost verbatim. “Maybe this is the way my life was supposed to be. And it’s not all bad. I like my job.”
“Oh, please. That job is nothing for you, just a dead end. You need more. You deserve more. I want you to embrace your life, not deal with duty and obligation.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “That’s why I’m going to live with Trudy in Arizona.”
Delaney gaped at her mother, stunned by the second revelation of the conversation. The hits just kept on coming. First, Caroline and the wedding, although she had expected that one. Then the interview and now her mother was moving? Her mother who rarely left the apartment?
“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
Her mother paced the small bedroom. “Your Aunt Trudy is lonely. She lost Ed suddenly and has been feeling down and at loose ends. Houston has too many bad memories for her and, frankly, for me too. You don’t need me. In fact, you’ve spent the past five years taking care of me. A mother should take care of her daughter, not the other way around.” She stopped in front of Delaney and grabbed her hands, forcing Delaney to look at her. “I love you, baby. But you need to move on. I’m ashamed that I’ve trapped you and sucked you down into this black hole with me. It’s time for you to live your life.”
The room spun and Delaney yanked one of her hands from her mother and pressed it against the heaviness in her chest. She bent over, breathing deeply. When had her mother grown up and come to this realization? How had Delaney missed it? What would she do without her mother to take care of?
She slowly regulated her breathing and straightened. Her mother hovered anxiously, clinging to Delaney’s hand like a lifeline.
“I don’t understand how this happened.”
Her mother relaxed fractionally. “Honey, I need to move on with my life. And so do you. Maybe this week you can reconnect with your friends, with Ethan, maybe.”
Delaney bit her lip, feeling at loose ends. That morning, when she left the house, life was normal, if boring and claustrophobic. But she knew who she was, what she was doing. And despite wanting her mother to get out more, what would Delaney do with her completely gone?
She nodded, instead, not sure she could trust her voice. Impulsively, she stood and hugged her mother. “I’m so happy for you. If this is what you want, then I think you should do it. Don’t worry about me.”
Her mother drew back. “I want you to be happy. Maybe move away from here. Or reconcile with Ethan. Something other than working in a dead-end job for that horrible man. What do you want to do?”
Panic swamped her. Her mind drew a blank. She had no idea what she wanted, had never allowed herself the luxury of having dreams. She had been too focused on getting through each day. She took another deep breath. One thing at a time. Get through the wedding, then figure out her next steps.
She hugged her mother again. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. I’ll be fine. What do you say to a mother-daughter day tomorrow? Shopping, lunch? Maybe you’re right. I could use some new clothes for the wedding.”
A broad smile broke out across her mother’s face, reflecting relief and happiness at the idea. “I’d like that. And maybe make a few changes?”
She turned and caught a glimpse of the old picture of her and the group on the island before their senior year in college. Little had changed in five years. Maybe she didn’t have expensive highlights and lowlights, and her skin wasn’t the deep, even tan she’d always sported in the fall. So much had changed for her, yet so little showed. Maybe it was time for her to make a few changes, move beyond her past. She lifted a lock of her long blond hair.
“You’re right. I think it’s time to make a change I should have made a long time ago. Are you in?”
If her mother could turn over a new leaf, so could Delaney. She could start by letting go of the past, by tying up loose ends with her friends, fixing what she’d broken five years before. Maybe, if they could forgive her, she could somehow forgive herself and move on with her life, whatever that meant.
The future would take care of itself. Somehow.