Distant Memories

Chapter 18

Savvy's POV:
I swirl my straw endlessly in circles in my cup. I'm sitting at Starbucks, where Cynthia and my "mom" agreed to meet. Except she's not here yet. I've been sitting in a chair playing with my drink for at least an hour. Okay, well maybe more like ten minutes, but whatever. God only knows where Cynthia disappeared to.
I hear a jingle as the bell above the door rings, signaling that someone just came inside. A second later, Cynthia pulls out a chair and sits down next to me. A tall, dark haired woman hesitantly sinks into the chair across from me. She looks very professional, like a businesswoman. All my life I imagined my mother as a rumpled, insecure woman who was easily broken.This lady looks like she is the one who breaks other people. "Savvy, this is your birth mother, Miss Michele Cooper. Michele, this is Savannah."
The lady smiles faintly at me. "You know, I never would have picked out that name, but you look like a Savannah. Also, I never would have expected my daughter to look like you do. Too many piercings, for one thing. Anyway, we have a few things to discuss."
I just stare. How. In. The. World. Am. I. Supposed. To. Cope. With. This. She. Is. A. Stranger. Not. My. Mom. And. She's. Criticizing. Me. I scream in my head, but I force my face to remain passive.
Michele, I refuse to think of her as my mother, leans across the table towards me. "The real reason I decided to meet you is because I want to regain my parental rights over you. You are my daughter, and I want to make up for all the mistakes I made."
"No." The words are out of my mouth before I can catch myself. Michele seems a little taken aback, but Cynthia has a horrified expression on her face. "Savvy!" She gasps.
Michele quickly regains her composure. "Well," she says, coolly, "I'm afraid you don't really have a choice in the matter. The process has already begun."
I manage to choke out, "I've been yanked out of everything I've ever known four times, and now five. That's five too many. Please, don't do this."
A look of pity crosses her face. "I honestly don't mind living here. Cynthia told me told you really like here, but I had already made the deal with my company and bought the house. I don't want to uproot you from where you're comfortable at, but it's too late."
I ask as calmly as possible, "Where are we going to be moving?"
She looks relieved that I didn't make a fuss. "England. London, England. I was already planning on moving there two years ago, when I bought a house, but I got held up, and now I am."
My brain numbs. Before I can respond, Michele stands up. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Thank you for taking all this in stride. Hopefully one day we can have something that resembles a mom-daughter relationship." She smiles a little bit at me. I can't smile back, though. The word London echoes around and around my brain.
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Ally's POV:
I stare at my phone screen. I got a message from Savvy, sent twenty minutes ago. I wasn't expecting a text from her, at all. We hadn't talked in at least three weeks, but what the message said was even more surprising.
Savvy- moving 2 england. apparently birth mom is alive and she adopting me. were leaving august 15.
I check the date on my phone. June eighth. She has a little over two months. I suddenly want to take it all back: all the weeks of us drifting apart, the walls that went up. I need to take these last months to restore our friendship. I forward her message to Robbie, just so he knows. Then I grin as a sudden thought comes to head.

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