Constant

Chapter 5

"Are you kidding me?" Mom yelled. "You destroyed the bottles?"

"It wasn't my fault! Someone walked into me and I stumbled into the wall and–"

She made a zip-it-motion, effectively shutting me up. She looked away, breath heavy and quick, and I could tell she was thinking hard. I had decided to come clean, to tell her about what happened with the bags and the bottles. I didn't give her all the details about Ben being an ass, instead I went with the semi-true story about someone bumping into me. I knew I couldn't steal the money or pawn off someone else's property. I'd thought that if I just came clean, Mom would forgive me and realize it was an accident. Shit happens, right? I couldn't be held responsible. Mom had never been quick to anger. Somehow, this pushed her over the edge. I didn't recognize her. Mom was very loving, especially after Dad left. It was me and her against the world. I had always been at the forefront of her mind and heart. What changed?

Eventually, Mom's shoulders lowered, and her breath came back into a more normal rhythm. "Stay here, I'm going to make a call," she said, leaving the room. I plopped down on the couch, wondering what my punishment would be. Did I have to sell even more? Dear God, I hoped not. She must have realized that I wasn't made for this. Lumenoil was her jam, not mine. All I wanted was to go to school, get good grades, and a scholarship—and that used to be Mom's plan for me, too. I wanted to find my place and settle down. I wanted nothing more than to stay put—no matter where that was.

I heard Mom on the phone in the kitchen.

"Yes, Maya's very reliable," Mom said. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, she's seventeen... uh-uh, in a few months." I sighed, slumping lower on the couch. "Oh yes, I'm very dedicated, and I want to repay what she broke... uh-uh..." I gritted my teeth. Her voice was higher than usual, and she sounded so... desperate. "I will make sure that you won't regret it. I promise you. I will do what I need to make things right." A long pause. "Thank you so much. Goodbye". I didn't dare moving from the couch until she came back. The anger in her face was gone, and she looked chipper. The phone call must have gone well.

"You're coming with me this weekend to the community," she said. I grimaced, despite not knowing what the community entailed.

"Okay," I said. "But why?"

"You're seventeen," she replied. "So you can start working at their packing and shipping department. You'll spend a few weekends packing products and getting them ready."

"Will I get paid?" I asked.

She smiled. "Of course, but the money you earn right away will go towards the bottles you broke. But if you continue working there you'll get paid like any other worker."

"Every weekend?" I asked. She nodded. "Saturdays and Sundays?"

She exhaled slowly. "What do you want from me, Maya? You put me in a position where I had to find a solution, and I did. Besides, you want to have some extra spending-money, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess, but I also like some free time."

"You'll have plenty of that too," she assured me. "Your debt also goes beyond those broken bottles. This way you will prove yourself to be a loyal and trustworthy person. By working you will show me that I can count on you."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep unwanted words from spilling out. I had never given my mom any reason not to trust me. I had, without much fight, followed her across the country, from town to town, across state borders, and I played along in her little business, trying to help and making a fool out of myself, ruining any chance to have meaningful relationships at school. I cleaned around the house. I pulled the hair out from the shower drain. Took out the trash. I was never out late, and I always did my best in school.