The Golden Child

Afterboom

Days have passed since I went to visit Jess in New York, and despite being set upon telling mum about the visit I still haven't confronted her about it. Days soon turned into weeks until I finally grew the courage to tell her. 

Walking down the stairs, I stopped halfway when I saw her sitting on the couch reading a book. Continuing to walk down the stairs I sat on the other side of the couch. 

"Hey." I say nervously, playing with my hands. 

"Hey, what's up." She says looking up from her book. 

"Um, I need to tell you something, and you have to promise you won't freak out." I say, looking down at my shoes. 

"I'm listening." She says apprehensively, bracing herself for the world.

"Do you remember many moons ago when you graduated from business school."

"Yes..."

"Well...um, do you remember how I came late."

"Yes..."  

"Well, here's the thing...I uh kind of went to New York to visit Jess."

"I'm sorry, I think all the loud music I've been listening to has finally affected my hearing, I thought I just heard you say that you went to see Jess in New York."

"Don't worry your hearing's perfectly fine, because that's exactly what I said."

"Is that why you were late?" 

"Yes."

Silence passed between us, trying to read mum's unreadable face all I could think about was how bad my punishment was.

"Mum, please say something." I beg, looking into her misty blue eyes.

"I don't know what to say kid." She says looking at me sadly.

"You don't need to say anything, I'll ground myself, I'll do the dishes wait we'll need to start cooking to have dishes to wash. I'll cook dinner then wash the dishes, and I'll be your personal slave."

"Woah, take a breath honey."

"No I don't deserve a breath."

"But Charlie this was weeks ago."

"So, I still deserve to be punished."

"What happened, tell me what made you go and see Jess."

"I don't know, I must've snapped or had a stroke or something, what does a stroke feel like?"

"I don't know, not good probably."

"Why can't you just lock me in my room and throw the key away."

"Because I'm not my mother, and I don't know the full story yet."

"Fine, I was walking with Lane to school and we were just talking and somehow the topic of Jess came up, and I don't know all I could think about is the hurt that he caused me, and how the entire town blamed him for everything, so I told Lane I had to go somewhere, hopped on the next express bus to New York and found Jess sitting on a park bench reading a book."

"Is that it?"

"Well I was gonna give him a piece of my mind, but we just ended up having fun, and where I got your Go-Go's album."

"The one signed by Belinda, which I love by the way."

"Well note to self, impulsive doesn't work for me, I'm never gonna be impulsive ever again." 

"You're not gonna be impulsive ever again?"

"It was a figure of speech, of course I'm gonna be impulsive I am your daughter after all and I don't want to be Dean."

"Well as long as you have your reasons."

"You still haven't punished me yet, why?"

"Consider this your get out of jail free card."

"So you're telling me that my life is one giant game of monopoly." I smirk as mum gives a small laugh.

"No, you're beating yourself up over it, and I just assume that's punishment enough."

"Wow, how often do I get a get out of jail free card."

"Only once, so you're lucky your story was as good as a Hemmingway novel and it better be the truth, otherwise it would've been wasted." 

 "Thank you, and I am a hundred percent telling the truth." I say hugging her before going back upstairs.

As mum watches me go upstairs, as soon as she's sure that I've gone into my room she puts her head in her hands, contemplating if letting me off the hook was for better or worse.