New Beginnings (MegMani)

15

Megan~

Things were awkward at home. Megan didn't know what to do about Akira, but she was extremely hurt by what she said and decided to give her some space. It had been 2 days since their blow up and Megan hadn't spoken to the girl since. Not that Akira really cared, she wasn't speaking to Megan either. It was just a bit of a sting not hearing her mother attempt to talk to her, but Akira realized what she said probably hurt as that was her sole intention. She didn't even fully mean it, but Megan would never really know that.

Megan was burying herself in work to avoid everything. It wasn't the best coping mechanism but it was all she could do given the circumstances. The woman sighed and paused her work for a minute. She was looking over a case and decided to put it to the side, given that she couldn't really focus with everything else on her mind.

"Knock knock." Megan's colleague, Camille, knocked on her door. "I saw you were working through lunch and picked up something for you." She sat the Sweetgreen bag on Megan's desk.

"Thank you Camille, I appreciate it."

"It's no problem." Camille smiled, "how is everything going? I know it's been a couple of months but have you settled in okay?"

Megan sighed and nodded, "yeah, most things are pretty good actually. I think the only thing that's not so good is my daughter adjusting."

"Ahh I see. A move to a new city can be tough for a teen."

"I didn't realize that until now, but we're working through it."

"Have you tried taking her into town for all of the festivals the city puts on? There's a Christmas one coming up."

"She isn't too fond of doing things like that with me, especially involving the holidays. It was her favorite favorite thing to do with her mother."

"Well, you know I do have a daughter her age. Does she attend Liberty Highschool?"

"Yeah, she hates it there too."

Camille chuckled, "tell you what, Why don't we get together sometime with the girls? Give them a chance to get to know one another. Plus, I have a feeling they can relate to one another in more ways than one."

"How so?"

"Yasmine's father, my husband, passed away 2 years ago. We've been navigating and adjusting to life without him, but I can tell things are still weighing heavily on her. She's not the same person she used to be and, to tell you the truth, I think she drove all of her friends away."

"Guess it's a universal thing huh?"

"Guess so. Is she your first child?"

"First and only. "" Megan sighed, "And I think I'm failing to say the least. I don't know how to do any of this without her mother by my side."

"Failing? Is your baby alive? Food on her table? Clothes on her back? Does she ever need for anything?" Megan shook her head no and Camille smiled, "then you're doing a damn good job as a mother. She's just in her know-it-all teen girl phase right now, but give her a couple of more years to realize how lucky and grateful she is to have you as a parent. My oldest is in college now, graduating next year, and I still receive apologies and I love you phone calls out of the blue for how she acted towards me as a teen. She knows I did everything I could in my power to keep her happy, and yours will know it too."

"I think I really needed to hear that. I just feel guilty for everything. Moving her to a new city, taking her away from her friends and family... It was all so sudden and I didn't take her into consideration."