At Her Best.

Twenty-Seven.

"I'm glad you called, La'Raja. I love that we can do this."

I smiled at Olivia who was beaming back at me. On my quest to become a better woman, I wanted to patch up the one relationship that desperately needed to be mended. I gained a lot of respect for my mother back when I was imprisoned, she showed me a side of her that I've never seen before. Therefore, I was ready to put all our animosity and differences aside and move forward in rebuilding our relationship. Today I planned a picnic for us at a park she used to take me to when I was a kid, and I felt like this was the first step in the right direction.

"Me too mom. I'm glad you accepted my invitation to come." I responded.

"Mom?" Olivia laughed. "Oh, we're using that word again?"

I laughed along with Olivia. "Yeah, it has a nice ring to it."

Olivia glanced over at me. "It sure does. I love when you call me mom. I like the sound of it. Now let's open some of these goodies you brought."

Pushing the picnic basket towards my mother, Olivia began to pick out the items I brought. She smiled even bigger than before when she realized that I brought all her favorite treats. She was extremely ecstatic that I remembered everything she liked, but she was completely overjoyed when she finally pulled out her favorite wine. Popping the bad boy open, we cheered to health, wealth, and our future relationship.

"It's a beautiful day outside, isn't it?" Olivia gushed, taking in our surroundings. "I remember you never wanting to leave this park when you came. You practically made the see saws and swings your second home."

I laughed at the memory and glanced over at the kids who were now occupying the said see saws and swings. Absolutely nobody could get me removed from that playground equipment when I was younger. Coming to this park was one of my best childhood memories with my mother. I was happy we could relive those moments.

"You and your brother would run wild all over here." Olivia continued. "Ah, the good times."

I smirked to myself. I knew it was only a matter of time before my mother found a way to bring my brother's name into this mix. Although we were one dysfunctional ass family growing up, my mother still made it her mission to raise Lorenzo and I to be a close-knit unit. That mission was indeed successful, and my relationship with my brother was one of the few things my mother prided herself on when it came to parenting. It was probably eating at her that things were now the way they were, for I had absolutely no intention on salvaging anything with that bastard I had to call a brother.

I stared at Olivia full in the face. "I know where this is going, so let's just address it. I haven't reached out to Lorenzo, and I have no plans to."

"Well darling, it's not like you can anyways. He's in a coma at the hospital." Olivia sighed, taking a small sip of her wine. "I would never push you to rekindle anything with him, despite how bad I want that. He did some fucked up things to you. It's up to you to decide when you want to forgive him."

"When?" I questioned. "You mean, it's up to me to decide if I want to forgive him. Lorenzo hit below the belt with the bullshit he did. I don't know if I can ever get pass that."

Olivia stretched her hand out to me, and I grabbed it. It felt a little weird holding my mother's hand but I quickly started to like it. She entwined her fingers with mine, just like she used to when I was a little girl. It felt quite nice, for this was just a small reminder that my mother and I were on the same page when it came to bettering our relationship.

"You can't allow Lorenzo to live rent free in your head." Olivia said with a small smile. "That's a little slang I learnt at the children's shelter I've been volunteering at. But the phrase is indeed factual. Raja, harboring feelings against your brother isn't going to help you grow into this woman you want to become. It'll just make you bitter and resentful. And that'll only stall your progression. If you say you want to let go of everything that happened, then let go of all of it. You're not forgiving your brother for him, you're doing it for you. For your growth, for your sanity. So, when you decide to forgive your brother, that'll be up to you."

Hmm, Miss. Olivia just might be coming through with a word. I wasn't ready to look at or furthermore reunite with my brother, but I could appreciate what my mother was saying to me. She was making a whole lot of sense, and her words were making me look at things from a different perspective. I was really glad that I made this effort to reconnect with her. I needed her love and guidance now more than ever.

"And I'm guessing you want me to extend that same courtesy to my father?" I asked slyly.

"Oh, sweetheart." Olivia laughed. "I can't even begin to tell you what to do about that. I have my own feelings about him, but I won't share to cloud your judgment. He's not a terrible person like you think, although that can be hard to believe. He did try to pull some strings when you were in jail. But he fell back when he saw your lawyer and that fine Mason man doing their thing. He told me that you knew he was the mayor and said that he felt like you were going to expose him. That made him think about a lot of shit, and he decided to step down from his post. I guess you got what you wanted after all. But as for you reaching out to him...that my dear is completely up to you."

"Yeah, I don't know about all that." I answered. "I think he should be the one reaching out if anything. He's been nonexistent my entire life. I don't think his presence would make an impact now. But hey, you never know, right? I'm not against speaking to him if that day ever comes. Maybe his explanation for his disappearance in my life might help me heal within. I doubt it but let me be positive."

Olivia nudged me playfully. "That's my girl. Optimism looks good on you."

"Yeah, it feels good." I said. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you. I've gone back to school. Finishing up my degree. I had my first class yesterday, and then I went to look at new apartments."

My mother squealed. "This is so exciting! I'm so proud of you Raja. Honestly. What was it like being back at class?"

"Uh, it was pretty cool. Kinda uncomfortable at first." I admitted. "People stared a bit and I figured they probably recognized me from the Peter scandal. But I shrugged it off and kept it pushing. After a while all the nerves were shed, and I felt like eighteen-year-old Raja again. And I liked it."

Olivia smiled. "This is music to my ears. You keep striving my darling."

I laughed at the way my mom said her last sentence and then smiled. Resting my head on my mother's shoulder, she returned the sentimental gesture with a kiss on my forehead. I never thought I'd see the day where a rekindling with my mother would ever happen. But I was damn happy that it did. My mom and I were actually more similar than I imagined, and I could really see my mom being someone I could look up to and seek advice from in the future. Hmm, my mom. I too liked the sound of that.