The Parent Trap

Chapter 3: "Hey,"

"You're telling me you sat your ass on a bus for six long hours to see me?" Engfa asked incredulously as she drove down her beat up car to Chumphon.

She had no idea that Charlotte had moved away from Phuket. The last time she saw the woman was ten years ago, right after Charlotte shoved the insulting divorce paper up her face, expecting her to sign it instantly. Her heart clenched at the memory, seeing Charlotte so done with her.

But that's the thing here. When she left Charlotte, they had no child. Well, they attempted to have one through adoption, but things didn't go as planned. There's gotta be some misunderstanding here, especially in Snack's part.

Her knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel too hard, her jaw clenched as well, and Snack noticed her mother's jaw muscles flexing as she stared at her from the passenger side.

"Yeah," Snack said with a tiny voice.

"How did you manage to catch a bus by yourself? How old are you again?" Engfa diverted her gaze back to the road, forcing herself to ignore the memories she had spent a decade trying to suppress.

"I stole Mom's metro card. I can ride a bus on my own—I’m ten!" Snack shot back, defensively, as if Engfa’s question had been a personal affront.

"Really? Stealing from your mom? I can only imagine how Charlotte would react to that," Engfa mused, her thoughts drifting to the lively woman who had once been a significant part of her life.

Charlotte was full of sass, the type of parent who would rule with a gentle touch while wielding an iron fist when necessary. The thought of Charlotte finding out about Snack's little adventure made Engfa smile, she knew Charlotte wouldn’t let such behavior slide, especially not when it came to her child’s well-being.

“She’d definitely freak out especially when she finds out I ran away just to see you,” Snack muttered, her voice suddenly laced with a mix of bitterness and resentment.

"Why? Is she still upset with me? It’s been ten fucking years." Engfa scoffed, glancing sideways at Snack, who remained disturbingly quiet. Engfa’s irritation gave way to concern as she noticed the blankness in the child’s eyes. “I’m sorry for cursing. You shouldn’t repeat that, it’s not a nice word.”

"She said you never signed the papers. I don't really know what it is, but Mom was mad that you didn’t respond. Maybe she's writing you a letter. I overheard her talking to Aunt Marima and Aunt Heidi about how she kept trying to send it to you, but you never replied. That’s how I found your address—I took one of her envelopes," Snack explained, her voice growing softer.

Engfa felt an unsettling weight settle in her chest with each revelation. It wasn't a letter, it's the copy of divorce papers.

"You really need to stop stealing from your mom," she said gently, though she couldn’t help but feel the tug of guilt.

"I just wanted to see you!" Snack cried, the sincerity of her plea piercing through Engfa's defenses. "Why did you leave us?"

Engfa's breath caught at the abrupt, blunt question. Conflicted emotions whirled through her, a torrent of questions rose within her own mind. Yet she chose to remain silent, focusing instead on the asphalt stretching ahead, allowing her thoughts to race alongside the wheels of her worn out car.

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Flashback...

She cradled her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees as she stared intently at the ground. This moment had become more than she could have imagined, and it left her feeling lost.

The sharply clicking sound of heels approached her, disrupting the silence. Suddenly, a brown envelope landed harshly in her lap. She struggled to focus her bleary eyes on it, glaring at its presence before raising her gaze slowly. Charlotte stood there, her eyes bloodshot and devoid of life, as if she had recently emerged from a torrent of tears.