“Jesus Christ, you have nothing in here.” I said, opening the cabinets in a vain search for food. We’d landed in Spokane about an hour ago and now we were in Myles’s apartment. Both of us were ready to eat our shoes but it seemed like we’d have to go out to find food.
“Min, I was on tour all summer, then I went to LA, and then I was in Europe. I don’t remember the last time I was home.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “I think we need to go grocery shopping.”
“I’m glad I didn’t take my pants off yet.” I closed the cabinet with a sigh. “It’s so cold out though.”
“Yeah but we have no food.”
“I guess I’ll go get my mittens.” Now I remembered why I loved LA so much: no goddamn snow. After a quick stop at my suitcase to grab my scarf and mittens, we were piling into his car. The roads had already been cleared thankfully so it wasn’t too hard for us to get to the grocery store. It seemed like everyone was taking this opportunity to get down to the store before the snow started up again; the parking lot was packed and the store was just as full.
We’d compiled a list of things we’d need while we were here on my phone on the way over. I sent him to get a carton of milk while I headed to the bread aisle with the cart. I was looking for the particular brand I wanted when someone bumped into me with their cart.
“Sorry about that.” Something about that voice made my stomach flip uneasily as I turned around. What I saw when I faced the person who’d bumped me almost knocked me on my ass. Her hair was streaked with silver, there were a few more wrinkles around her eyes, but there was no denying that I was looking at my mother. For a moment we just stared at each other, and I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, before she whispered, “Mina?”
“Holy fucking hell,” was the only thing that came out of my mouth. Somehow I thought I wouldn’t run into her while I was here. What the hell was she doing on this side of town? Her office and the house were on the other side. Then again, I hadn’t seen her for nine years at this point. How would I know how things had changed?
“It is you.” She didn’t seem to know what to do. Neither did I. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to throw up, run for Myles, or hit her. “You dyed your hair.”
“I did.” It felt like my boots were frozen to the floor.
“It looks…nice.” She was lying, and we both knew it. She’d about had a stroke when Dani put some temporary dye in my hair junior year. There was no way in hell she approved of me bleaching my hair.
“Thanks.” I took off my beanie to brush my hair out of my face, if only to give my hands something to do.
“Is that your grandmother’s ring?” I glanced down at my hand as if I’d just realized I was wearing it. We were both wearing our wedding rings in the proper place.
“Yeah it is.” I couldn’t help myself. “Didn’t see you at her funeral.”
“Do you really think your father would have let me come within a mile of that funeral?”
“No, he wouldn’t, not after you abused his child.”
“I did not abuse you.”
“Really? You don’t call seventeen years of belittling me and treating me like garbage fucking abuse? Hitting me in the face twice wasn’t abuse?” I was making no effort to keep my voice down but at this point I was so angry I could hardly see.
“What’s going on?” Myles’s voice behind me was like a shock of cold water.
“Myles, meet the woman who incubated me.” I practically spit the words. “This is the man you tried to send to jail for loving me. I married him last month.” She let out a sound of indignation but I kept barreling on. “I graduated college without you, I got a great job without you, I started a successful band without you, and I’m going to start a family without you. I’m going to be a better mother than you ever were and I sure as hell won’t need you for that, because there isn’t a damn thing you could teach me about how to love my kids.” I was almost in tears by the time I was done, but she acted like I hadn’t said a word, just like she always had. I took a step forward, I wasn’t sure what for, and Myles’s hand clamped down on my shoulder.
