In This Life (Sequel to 'In Another Life')

107

I gripped Colby's hand tightly and pointed at my father. They could take digs at me all they wanted, but I would be damned if they were going to start in on Colby. "No, Father. You don't get a say right now." I rounded on my Mother again, without waiting for a reply from him. "You can talk down to me all you want Mother, because I'm used to it. But I won't allow you to talk down about Colby or all that's he done for me, out of the goodness of his own heart. He has been there for me more than either of you have been my entire life. HE taught me how to be strong. HE helped me learn that it was okay to fall sometimes, as long as I get up again. HE taught me that sometimes, it's not about the money, the security, or whatever else. It's about love. HE helped me regain my strength after I almost fucking died in a car accident!" The way her eyes widened gave me a vindictive pleasure. I didn't know what had gotten into me, but damn it, it felt good. "Yeah, you didn't know about that. I was in a coma Mother. A fucking coma!" "Terra Rayne Brooks, you will watch the way you speak to your mother," my father's booming voice made me want to cower but I held onto my strength through Colby's hand tightening on mine. I looked up at him and noticed his jaw clenching. Shit. He was staring at my father, the same way he had stared at Justin before they became kind of okay. "We won't tolerate that kind of language in this house," he added, her voice stern. I took a deep breath, and nodded at him, before regaining my composure. "Fine. You're right. I shouldn't have swore at her. But you always side with her don't you DAD? Just because you didn't like dealing with her when she got into one of her moods. It was always my fault. I was never proper enough, elegant enough, SOBER enough. You didn't want to put up with it, so you let it be. You let her degrade me, and tear apart my self esteem to the point that I didn't even want to be alive. You knew it was wrong though, because you would always come apologize for her, and tell me how she didn't mean it. She did though Father. I don't have to deal with it now though, and I won't. She's your problem now. Colby was right. Neither of you can hurt me anymore unless I let you. I'm an adult now. I make my own choices." I turned my head back to my mother, and had the pleasure of seeing her sitting there, gripping her hands together so tightly, her knuckles were white. "Just like you supposedly taught me, right Mother? So, I'm choosing to leave. Don't worry, I'll pretend like I'm not your daughter at teh service." I looked at Colby again, and felt a pride in the way he was looking at me. Shock, but also pride. I smiled at him, a genuine smile. "Let's go," I said, and pulled his hand to get him to moving with me. I half expected them to call me back, to apologize, to say something..but they didn't. They didn't say a word, and Colby and I walked out of that dreadful ass house without looking back. I got into the car without a word, but when he shut my door, I felt my entire body start shaking, and the tears start falling. "Whoa, whoa, it's okay," he said, getting into his side, and leaning over to hold me. "You did great baby girl and I'm so so proud of you." Hearing him say that made the tears flow harder, and my breathing did what it always done when I started to cry. I started gasping for air, trying to explain that I was okay. It was the adrenaline, the aftershock of it all, and my body didn't know how to process it. I was still mad, boiling mad, at my hateful ass mother, and my weak father. I couldn't do anything about it, so it came out in tears instead. He held me, while we sat in the driveway of my childhood home, until I calmed down enough to speak. "I'm okay. I can't believe I just said all of that to my parents. Oh my God. They're never going to forgive me for this," I said, then started laughing. I couldn't blame Colby for pulling back and looking at me like I was crazy. It didn't help me stop laughing though. Only made me laugh harder. "I can't believe I shut said 'fucking' to my mother, not once, but twice!" He shook his head at me, and laughed. "She didn't know what hit her," he said, starting the car. I couldn't stop grinning. I knew that my relationship, what little one that I had, was now destroyed, but it felt so good to let all of that out. Colby started the car, then looked up, and raised his hand in a wave, a big smile on his face. I glanced up and saw my mother on the porch, watching us. He rolled his window down about half way, and leaned his head out a little. "Goodbye Momma Brooks! We'll see you around!" "Oh my God, stop!" I yelled with a laugh, slapping his arm. I looked at my mother, as we backed out of their driveway. I felt a kind of sorrow as we pulled away, like I was losing the only mother that I knew. Somehow it didn't bother me as much as it should have. I realized that she had pushed me away a long time ago. Another thought crossed my mind, and I died laughing all over again. "What?" Colby asked. "What's so funny?" "My- my mother!" I gasped out, and wiped the tears from my eyes. "I just realized that she thought you were an actor, but obviously the out of work, not known kind. When she finds out that you are very well known, NOT an actor, and you're rich, she's gonna shit herself." He let out a short laugh. "Normally, I don't like being referred to as rich, but in this case, I'm willing to make an exception." We looked at each other, and both of us cracked up laughing.