When Vanessa was 6, she went out bike riding. Her mother was at the house knitting a sweater for her. Vanessa always wanted a sweater and this one was perfect. It was a baby blue sweater, warm and cozy, with a teddy bear on the front. This was a surprise that Vanessa knew nothing of.
Her father had walked down to the store to buy some milk. He caught up with her on the street as she rode her bike, and when they got back in the house, Lauren was gone. Completely out of sight. All of her clothes and shoes were gone. She had vanished.
Her father told her that her mother abandoned then both. That she ran away. That she was a horrible parent for it. But Vanessa couldn't stand it. She and her mother were so close, so she couldn't feed into the negativity. The fact that her mother left her. Deserted her.
Vanessa shivers at the thought and decides to put her mind at ease. She grabbed her jacket and went outside to the backyard. She walked towards the two-person swing set slowly, her arms wrapped around herself to keep from getting cold. She stared at it, then sat down. Her mom always swung with her. Swinging was their favorite thing to do with one another.
Her dad was inside preparing dinner. He looked out of the kitchen window above the sink, watching her. She was leaning back, dozing off, nearly sleeping. She was relaxed and comfortable. She felt easy. He knocked on the window, awaking her instantly. He motioned her inside of the house. Dinner was ready.
Supper time was always quiet. No one spoke, no one breathed, you only heard chewing. Vanessa and her father had never been that close, they didn't have a broken relationship, but they just never connected. So when Vanessa's mother went away, that really did it. Everything was cut in her eyes.
"How would you feel about your grandparents coming to visit?", he asked.
"Really?", she said in awe.
"Yeah, sure.", he replied.
"Seriously?", she asked.
"Why not?"
That night, Vanessa went to bed smiling for once. She was going to see family. FAMILY, her mom's parents, the two people that she would find her mom's personality and care in, at least some of it. She would have to stay in boring Buffalo, but at least she would finally have some fun. She was ecstatic. She couldn't wait for next week.
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A Daughter's Ignorance
Mystery / ThrillerVanessa's mother abandoned her and her father when she was 6 years old, at least that's what she was told. Her relationship with her mom was so close and connected, she couldn't believe her mother deserted her. Why? What happened that would make her...
