Sophia
One week later
“Are you really going to just lay on my couch all day and all night?” My mom’s question took me back to when I was fourteen and could sleep in until noon without a problem. It always drove her nuts.
I didn’t even crack open an eye at her obvious annoyance. Instead, I mumbled into the sofa pillow. “It’s not like I have an exciting, fulfilling life to get back to.”
My mom heaved a sigh but shockingly I heard her footsteps retreating. Granted, she’d given me a pretty wide berth since I’d shown up on my parents’ doorstep almost two weeks ago, but I’d never known her to back down. Maybe I had gone through the looking glass, and this was bizarro-Sophia’s reality. That would definitely explain a few things.
The cushion at the bottom of the couch depressed as someone sat near my legs. That medicinal smell that always clung to my mom after work hit me in the face. And I balled up a little more to protect myself from whatever she was gearing up to say.
“Honey.” She sighed, and a hand rubbed against the back of my calves. “I know it’s hard right now, but I hope you know that it will get better.”
Wha… Huh? Who was this person impersonating my mother? I cracked an eyelid open and found a sympathetic frown on ‘my mom’s’ face. Yup, definitely body snatchers. Or was it skin-walkers? Either way someone or somethingwas pretending to be my mom.
And doing a piss poor job of it.
I groaned and burrowed into the couch more. Maybe if I ignored her, this imposter would give up and go away.
Hey, a girl could dream.
“And it’s his loss. He was a fool, and you deserved to be treated better than that.”
My eyes popped open at that last statement. I sat up, pushed my hair out of my eyes, and turned to face my ‘mom.’ “Okay, what is this? Who are you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This isn’t you. Our last conversation was full of all the ways I’ve disappointed you. You all but called me a whore for hooking up with an actor—using what’s between my legs to get ahead. Remember that?”
“I do remember, and I’m sorry.” Mom looked down at her hands. “I just…it’s my job to worry about you. I know I haven’t always done the best with the way I talk to you. I’m working on it.”
I still suspected a pod person. She looked like my mom, but all the stuff coming out of her mouth was weird. I couldn’t let down my guard. That was how they got you. “I don’t know what’s going on with you. My life’s mission, according to you, has been to get married and reproduce—like Eric did. Why aren’t you bemoaning the tragedy and listing all the ways I’ve disappointed you by letting this guy slip through my fingers?”
“Because this guy wasn’t worth even one of your tears if he didn’t realize what an amazing, wonderful woman he’d had.” Mom jumped up from the couch like she couldn’t stand to be around me anymore. She paced agitatedly in front of me. “I know I’ve failed you as a mother the last few years. It was just so hard to see you go out there and repeat all my mistakes.”
“I repeatedyourmistakes? What mistakes?”
Mom huffed a sigh and dropped into the chair facing me. “When I graduated high school, I didn’t rush off to nursing school.”
“You took a gap year?” I frowned, remembering all my mom’s lectures on losing momentum and how nothing good ever came from bumming around the world. I hadn’t wanted a gap year, but it’d been all Eric could talk about his senior year. Not that my parents let him have one.
“Not exactly. More like I took my guitar and ran off to LA in a foolish scheme to become a pop superstar.”
My eyes about popped out of my head. My mom was the levelheaded, no-nonsense rule-maker of the house. I couldn’t picture her on a stage, belting out a pop song with all her heart. I’d heard her sing so many times—she had a gorgeous voice, but in the sings-on-Sunday-during-church or while-doing-dishes kinda way. I’d never imagined she’d had ambitions like mine. She’d never talked about any of this before.
“It was the singular stupidest thing I’d done in my entire life.” Tears sheened her eyes as she shook her head. “I lived with people who…weren’t the nicest. I had all my jewelry stolen by a roommate I’d met through a want ad listing. Sleazy nightclub managers tried to barter sexual favors in exchange for booking me. I spent a year working crappy day jobs and never made a ripple anywhere. The final straw came when I was attacked and almost raped after a gig in West Hollywood. Luckily, one of the bartenders had to take the trash out and stopped the guy before…”
“Mom. I had no idea.”
“Because I never told you.” She shook her head and a tear trickled down her cheek. “I’ve spent the last few years scared out of my mind every time you didn’t answer the phone. I know I should’ve told you about all this a whole lot sooner, but it’s not easy to admit to my smart, talented daughter what a failure I am.”
“You aren’t a failure.” I dove across the space separating us and hugged her tight. “Don’t ever say that.”
“You’re sweet, but it’s true. I failed.”
“Sounds to me like LA failed you. If they couldn’t see what an amazing, talented singer you are, then that’s their loss.”
Mom laughed huskily as I playfully tossed her words back at her. “Touché.”