The Coat Hanger

TWO

For the first time in her seventeen years of life Ella had woken up every day to her mother at home, already having breakfast made for her. She loved every minute of it, but also recognized how stressed her mother had been, and didn't want to make it any worse for her. Overhearing a phone call between Lana and some woman told her all she needed to know. Her mother had quit her job. Ella wasn't all that worried; knowing her mom had a lot of money not only saved up, but that she could freely spend. Not to mention the fact that her best selling book still earned them monthly checks in the mail. More than anything she knew that her mother would absolutely figure something out. She also knew that the real cause of her mother's stress was the fact that she wasn't busy. Lana Winters was an absolute workaholic, and had been as long as Ella could remember. Watching her mom sit around at home all day doing house chores was painful for Ella to see. Her mother was capable of more than that, and she wished she knew it.

The woman Lana had been speaking to on the phone turned out to be a woman from a tv news station, offering her a full time journalist position there. From the way the brunette's voice went up in pitch Ella could only assume she wanted to take it. The fact that she was still at home and in a funk proved that she hadn't yet, and she assumed it was because of her.

Marion had come over for the first time in months on a Thursday afternoon, and it was refreshing for Ella to see her kind aged face; however it was far more therapeutic for Lana. Ella watched from the other room as Lana ran over to Marion and threw her arms around her, planting a soft kiss on her lips.
The lovers spent the rest of the evening catching up, and Ella busied herself upstairs cleaning her room. She had submerged herself in what she was doing, and hardly noticed her mother enter her bedroom. "Hey baby, dinner's still on the stove if you're hungry... Don't worry Marion made it, I didn't go anywhere near it." Ella squinted before laughing. "Is it dinner time already?" She asked, looking at her clock. 8pm. "Past it, actually." Ella shook her head, amazed she'd spent so long cleaning. She followed her mother down the stairs and watched as she took a place from the cabinet and scooped some of Marion's pasta, which smelled amazing, onto it. "Here, what do you want to drink?" Lana asked, setting the plate on the counter. "Mom, I can get my own drin-" Ella started, but was quickly cut off. "No, I want to do this for you. I'm not doing anything else of value, please just let take care of you." The redhead squinted at her mother as she sat at the counter. She knew now was her time to confront her, but she also didn't want to upset her after the night she'd had. It seemed to be the best she'd had in a while. Lana sat a glass of water in front of her daughter before sitting down in the seat on her right. "Mom, I overheard your phone call the other day." Ella started, pushing the noodles in front of her around with her fork. "I know what they offered you... It would be perfect for you, and I can tell you want to do it. TV was always your goal." The room was silent for a moment. "I know, but I- Things are different now baby." Lana looked away from her daughter and pulled one of the cigarettes from the pack in front of her. "Why? Because of me? Don't answer that, because I know that's the reason. I don't want to be, though. I don't want to be the reason you let go of your dreams, mom. I want to be the reason you follow them." Ella had set her hand on her mom's trembling arm, and waited as Lana wiped her tears before looking at her. "You're something special, you know that?" The brunette asked, placing her hand gently on her daughter's cheek. "Must be because my mom is truly extraordinary." The two sat in silence again, enjoying each other's warm company. After letting the good moment exist for a while, Ella opened her mouth to speak again. "Take the job mom. They want you. You want to do it... I want you to do it. You're Lana Winters, for god's sake... You're a household name." Lana squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to keep the tears from falling down her face, but she was unsuccessful. She opened them again, staring through her tears at her daughter's perfect face. "If you're really okay with this... Then I'll take it. I want to be sure you're fine with it though, because I will have long work weeks again." Ella nodded without hesitation. "YES, mom." She yelled with a laugh, "I already said I want this for you. Besides, you've always worked long hours. These are set hours though... So we'll always know when you'll be home." Lana smiled brightly, and set her hand back in its place on her daughter's cheek. "Alright then... I guess I am a TV reporter." The two of them exchanged watery smiles, as the room fell comfortably silent.

Ella went back to finishing her dinner, while Lana skipped off giddily to call Marion and give her the good news. It made the young girl genuinely happy to see her mother so full of life again, and it made her even happier knowing she was back on speaking terms with the woman she'd grown to love so much. She had finished eating, and was cleaning off her dish when she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She ignored it, as her hands were wet, and continued to clean everything up. She refused to let her mom do anymore house work for the day. Once everything was tidy, she went up to her now tidy room and pulled her phone out. The brightness of the screen caught her off guard for a moment, and she squinted to allow her eyes to adjust. The text that illuminated her screen had no number, and she wasn't able to see a preview of the message.

"..." sent at 9:12 pm From Unknown Caller.

A chill went down her spine as she looked down at the strange message. She'd considered responding to it, but chose to delete it and move on. She resumed straightening her books on her shelf, and found one she hadn't read in the process. She smiled down at it before taking it over to her bed and cracking it open immediately.

Ever since the first time Lana had finally let Ella read her book she could not pass up reading any book that came her way. She'd liked reading before, but her mother's own beautifully intelligent writing was really what got her hooked. Though the details of the story were hard to bear, she tried to disassociate it from her mother and focus on the writing.

Hours had passed and Ella hadn't even realized she'd been reading so long. She was nearly half way through the large book when she heard distressed cries coming from downstairs. Panic set into her for a moment, until she brought herself back to reality and realized it was her mother. She tiptoed her way down the stairs, trying not to be too loud, and slipped her head into the crack of Lana's bedroom door. She looked over to see Lana, eyes closed tightly as she tossed in her bed. Her mom let out another sickening cry, and Ella quickly rushed over to her side, climbing into bed next to her. "Mom, mom wake up. It's just another dream, wake up." She spoke quietly, nudging her shivering mother as lightly as possible. After a few moments the brunette's eyes shot open, and she looked over at the figure next to her. She sighed in relief at the sight of her daughter, and let her face fall into her hands. "I woke you up again... I'm sorry." Lana's muffled whimper escaped through her hands. She lightly smacked herself on the forehead, annoyed with herself. She repeated the action a few more times before Ella gently reached up, and pulled her hands down. "Stop, it's okay mom. I was awake anyway. I was reading... And even if I weren't, I wouldn't mind. It's not your fault." Lana gave her daughter a small broken smile, before laying down facing her body away from the young girl. She'd hoped it would send her away, but instead Ella laid next to her mother, putting her arm around her tightly. Lana felt a tear roll down her cheek at the gesture, and her hand held on to her daughter's arm tightly.

Neither of them slept for a while, the silence only broken by the light hum of the ceiling fan. Ella fell asleep first, and as Lana felt her daughter's breathing grow heavy, she turned so she was face to face with her. She looked lovingly at her beautiful girl, and sighed. She was tired of her past haunting her. She was tired of it affecting her daughter. All she wanted in the world was a normal life. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ella stirring, and turning over. Lana smiled, and took that chance to lay her arm around her daughter gently, nuzzling her nose in her hair. The soothing scent helping her finally fall asleep.

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ok took me a fat minute, thanks to writers block. most of you know the drill... i'm prone to writers block. anyway. i will try to get chapter 3 out way faster than this chapter bc this one was a little bit of a filler so it was difficult. hope you enjoyyyyy. xx