Love's Misery

Carpe noctem

*TITLE-seize the night

While poring the boiled water into the mug, Ashley tried to grasp the reality of the situation, her mother had finally come back home, but what was the price?

Why had she taken so long to come back?

Was she held captive? Tortured? Starved? Raped?

She looked awful, her red hair was greasy and her once plum cheeks had sunken in, and her deep-set eyes were engulfed by a darkness from the lack of sleep. Jennifer looked horrendous. However, the most noticeable difference on her, was her hair, once fiery and long, was now cut viciously in an unsymmetrical bob.

Ashley thought of all the possible explanations for Jennifer's drastic change in appearance, and all the situations she thought of ended horribly. She couldn't keep her mind off the fact that her own mother would return home battered and bruised. She was so strong, in her own way, she thought she was doing Ashley right, this was the only life she knew of, society had already written her of as a castoff because of her 'profession'. Sure, she had her flaws but who didn't? And at the end day she was still Ashley's mother, and without her mother, the one who bore Ashley and stubbornly refused to have an abortion, Matt wouldn't even be a possibility, and Ashley couldn't imagine a life without her little boy.

Ashley carefully placed the mug on a small serving tray, when she felt a tug at her leg, Matt looked anxious, fearful even. He hadn't left his mother's side since Jennifer made her appearance, he hadn't opened his mouth either, which was completely out of character for him.

"Come on Matt, you're a big boy, you shouldn't be scared. Come, let's go see grandma shall we?" Matt smiled without really comprehending his mother's words.

Trying to make sense of it all, Ashley headed to the lounge room with Matt trailing close behind her, she walked into the lounge room, where Jennifer laying down on the blue plush sofa wrapped in a blanket.

"Here, chamomile tea, should calm you down." Ashley said as she passed the mug to her mother and sat across her with Matt placed on her lap.

"Hey buddy, it's going to be ok, she's granny don't you remember?" Ashley whispered pointing at her mother.

"It's no point, he doesn't know who I am, must have been the 10 extra kilos I was carrying" Jennifer stated with a dry laugh.

"He's behaving very peculiar, probably senses the uneasiness of you, mum" Ashley replied.

"Please I'm fine, the boy's just shy." Jennifer paused for a few seconds too long. "Where's Jackson anyway, I know he's probably hiding from me, 'the devilish mother-in-law'." Jennifer finally said with an arrogant snort.

"Mum please, is that all you can think about in this moment? You just came bursting into the house, looking like you've been dragged through hell, with no explanation of what happened. And all you think of is Jackson, whom which you despise!" Ashley fired back.

"Excuse me! This is my house and I have the right to know who's been here and the circumstances behind it"

"Honestly mum, you are the most arrogant person I know. Don't you think you owe me an explanation of why you look like this!"

Matt was distressed and overwhelmed with the screaming, he began crying hysterically, hitting his mother's lap to gain her attention.

"Matt. Matt. Matt. Mummy's here! Don't worry, nothing's happening" Ashley said to calm her 3 year-old son.

Matt nodded in understanding and rocked himself back and forth until he eventually calmed down.

"It's okay Matt." Jennifer sympathetically said with a small smile. "Ashley, I didn't mean to come across to you like that...I just wanna know if Jackson is alright"