behind the glass

la vie en rose

"What are you doing back here so early?"

Scott's mother was a terrifying woman, in the way that she never failed to intimidate those around her. She wasn't the tallest, hottest, or strongest, but the money and power that she had amassed by becoming the CEO of a major company made up for it.

That was why, when she asked that question, Scott froze in his tracks. It was silent enough in the house that they could both hear Vincent's motorcycle outside as he drove away.

"Well? What is it?" She continued, taking a step closer to Scott. "Did you break up with your boyfriend or something?"

Scott sighed, looking toward the floor.

"No, mom. We weren't having fun, so Vincent gave me a ride home-"

"It's your senior prom; what do you mean you weren't having fun?"

"There were just so many people there, and I-"

"Wait," She stopped him, taking another step closer. "Did you say Vincent? What happened to the boy who picked you up? He seemed so nice."

"I don't want to talk about it." Scott shifted his gaze to the stairs across the living room. "Can I just go to bed?"

"In a moment, Scott, there's- uhh-" She paused for a few seconds. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Scott looked up, meeting his mother's eyes.

"What is it?"

"Will you sit down with me?"

Scott nodded hesitantly before following his mother into the living room, sitting beside her on the sofa.

"Now, I told Claire this story after her prom, and I think it's something that both of you should know," She began.

Claire was Scott's only sister, though he once had a second sister who unfortunately went missing. Scott had always felt inferior to Claire in every way, especially when he was constantly being measured against her, since they went to the same high school.

"I went with your father to my senior prom," She continued, her eyes fixed on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "It was the worst mistake of my life."

Scott's fingers curled around the edge of the couch.

"What happened?"

"For most of the night, it was fun. We were on a double date with two of our friends, and we went to Giorgione Alla Villa for dinner."

Scott turned toward her, replying, "That fancy restaurant on main street? How did you get in?"

"Times were different, Scott. After the dance, all four of us went to the lake. Your father's friend pulled me aside, telling the others that we were looking for firewood or something. It shouldn't have been a convincing lie, but they believed him."

She paused, pressing her lips together before continuing.

"I let that man have power over me, and I never regretted it until much later. After we were done at the lake, it was nearly three or four o'clock, so we went our separate ways, and I went home with your father."

For a moment, Scott only stared, grasping at the fabric of his pants.

After a moment, he asked, "Did he ever find out what happened?"

"No, he never knew," She replied, her hands folded in her lap. "A few weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant with your sister. To this day, I still don't know who her father was... You know, I thought about having a test done, just to have some closure, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."