Who She Is

~72~

^^What Amaya is wearing, but the tank is cropped like the bottom pic! And also what Alyx is wearing!

Alyx's POV

Wednesday flies by, and it's finally Thanksgiving morning. I push the covers off me and rush downstairs. I look in the kitchen for my mom, but I don't see her. A nauseas pit starts to settle in my stomach. She's probably not here. I walk down the hall to her bedroom door and knock on it. No response. I open the door and peek in. She's not in the room, but I see the light escaping out from under the downstairs bathroom door. I close her door back and walk to the bathroom. I hear water running, and the knot in my stomach disappears. I knock on the door.

"In the shower!" she yells over the sound of the water.

"Okay!"

"I need to talk to you when I get out!"

"Okay!" I yell again. Shit. About what? I bet she has to work. What else is there to talk about? I head to the kitchen and pour me a glass of orange juice. I chug half of it in my anxious state. I hate when someone says they need to talk to me. All the possibilities and scenarios that manage to run through my mind.

After five minutes, my mom comes out dressed with her hair up in a towel. She meets me in the kitchen and pours her a glass of coffee. "Happy Thanksgiving," she says, avoiding eye contact.

"Happy Thanksgiving. What did you want to talk to me about?" Just go ahead and spill the beans. I already know what she's going to say anyway.

She lets a sigh out. "Okay, don't be mad at me." I roll my eyes and take another sip of my juice. The knot starts to return, making me feel queasy. I stare down at the counter. "Here's the thing. I do have to work. I actually have to be there at twelve, and I won't be home until eleven tonight... But-"

"Figures," I mumble.

"But," she says louder. "I'm off tomorrow, and I was thinking we could have our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. You could still invite Amaya."

"She's busy tomorrow night."

"Oh. Well, uh, I could cook early. Around twelve or one or something." I don't say anything. She obviously knew I wouldn't be happy. And why would they make her come to work today but not tomorrow? They know she's a single mom with an only child, and now they're making her kid spend the holiday alone again. "Look, I'm sorry, Alyx. I tried. I really did. I even got into an argument with my boss, but I just have to go in. I'm going to make it up to you." She puts her hand on my forearm, but I still don't look at her.

"How? I always get over how much you work because I know you're just trying to support us and take care of me, but I miss you. I just wanted you home for one day. One day out of the whole year! You left in the middle of dinner last year, and I had to eat alone. I've been stressing out all week, worried about if you were going to be here or not. Or if I was going to end up having to cook it myself. Next, you're going to end up missing Christmas this year, and I'm going to have spend that alone, too!"

"Alyx, baby, I'm sorry-"

"It's whatever, it's fine. I'm... I'm just going to go back upstairs. Have fun at work." I jog up the stairs and slam my door behind me. Ughhh! I lay back on the bed, already feeling bad about what I said. Damn it, I'm an asshole. But I just wanted one day. That's all. I know she probably did try, but she could've just called in. I highly doubt they would have fired her.

I grab my phone to text Amaya. 'Good morning, beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving!'

'Well, good morning, handsome. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.'

'Bad news.'

'What's wrong? Did something happen?'

'My mom's got to work. But she's going to cook tomorrow. She said you could still come, but I told her you were busy.'