A single bullet // M.C ✔️

93

Familiar sights were in my view as I looked at the glass door, looking through the thin pane of glass and at Sharon. After confirmation from Calum that they did take over the café, I knew I had to go and attempt to see her, smooth over everything. I knew I wasn't after a picture-perfect friendship and a mother who actually cared about me, but one that's mutual would be ideal. I have Ruth now as my stand-in mum, but I needed someone closer to home. I didn't want to run the risk of leaving this world without having bridges built or her knowing how I feel about her.

Coldness from the handle was under my palm as my fingers clasped over it and twisted, hearing the bell above my head and Sharon look over at me, her face morphing into an expression that I could decipher.

"Can I help you?" Her tone was customer service, but her eyes were anything but that. There was a slight hidden glare under the mask of friendliness, making me gulp and step over the threshold of the building, allowing the door to shut behind me.

"Matcha please," I said. I didn't want anything, but I needed to stall and have her do something before she kicks me out for just lurking. My laptop was heavy in my bag over my shoulder, weighing me down as I had plans to do some typing, put my thoughts down somewhere, but now I wasn't so sure.

"Here, that'll be three dollars." I took the to-go cup, noticing straight away it wasn't in a mug like normal. She was kicking me out.

"Oh, I thought..." I never had to pay with Margaret, and it always made me feel bad, but after days and multiple buys of me trying to hand her the right amount of money, I finally gave in and just let her give me everything for free.

"That it would be free? Not anymore. Only family gets it for free."  She held her hand out, waiting for me to put something in her palm.

"I have nothing, can you just put it on Calum and I'll give him the money later." I had never felt so pathetic begging to be able to just have something from Margaret's café just in her memory. It took a lot from me to step foot into the door, catching a glimpse of her dead body in my mind as the back door was open. I could see the exact spot she was motionless, causing unuttered tears to flood my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Fine, only this time since it gets you out of my shop." That was it, something snapped deep down in me and I didn't care anymore. There was no way I was going to fight for this woman to actually want me in her life; it'll always be forced, never real. No real love will be present, and she'll never accept me, I'll always be the daughter that got stolen out of her hands with no argument.

"Did you ever fight for me?" Questions escaped my mouth before I could swallow them back down. "Did you even ever care?"

"Of course I did," she looked appalled at the accusation I was sending her way. "Make me out to be a bad mother, why don't you?"

"Because you are, Sharon," my voice didn't raise once, a constant volume and tone almost like a whisper. "You kicked me to the crib when all I wanted to do was meet you. I wasn't asking for much."

"You threw me off. I wasn't expecting Calum to come back with you, let alone actually find you." She shut the till and pulled the back door to leave us in the main room, walking past me and changing the hanging black sign to ' closed' and placing her jacket over her shoulder, showing she was about to leave.

"Sharon, please." My voice cracked before levelling out. "Just some answers." The risk of the next few days flooded my mind, and I couldn't run the risk of us ending badly for whatever reason. "I'm not asking for a happy family life or to even be accepted, but at least being welcomed would be nice... for Calum." It was obvious how much she cared about the Kiwi, making her sigh and shrug her jacket off, locking the door and pulling the small blind down so no one tried to come in.