The Cub in the Water

THE WRATH

It was delusional to think that I wouldn't be hearing from my mother any time soon after moving to another city and deciding that living with my dad was the best option. I mean come on, I had to give her more credit. I should've known that blocking her from everywhere was not going to do the trick. I should've known she'd do anything to have some sort of contact.

You see, the thing about my mom, and what I've learned about her over our years and years of struggle, is that she would rather have endless fights than silence. She would much rather be insulting you than not talking to you, and she would much rather be insulted than ignored. She knows exactly where to hit you for you to act upon the offense she has thrown at you. She's never been good at recognizing her mistakes or saying some version of "I'm sorry", but oh boy is she good at hooking people into a battle that could never end.

She uses several tools to make this happen. Sometimes it depends on her resources, on how much time she's got in her hands, how far away is she and who is in her life at the moment. She also develops her strategy as the world around her evolves. For example, she used to try to hit you instantly if you were online with msn messages, then she started using more modern tools like Facebook messenger and WhatsApp. She keeps up, she stays in the game.

This time around was no different. She used every via of communication at her disposal. In the beginning - since her cell phone number and email account were blocked, and I didn't answer any unknown number - she started sending aggressive and insulting emails from some alternative accounts. Like for example:

· I hope you are having the time of your life with your precious daddy and your bastard siblings.

· How is the Bitch (referring to Mildred) treating you? I Hope your hero has the balls to stop any nasty attitude she lashes against you. I highly doubt that. He has never had the balls to do what needs to be done. I hope they are giving you the love you deserve.

· How's school? I bet you are having a difficult time making new friends. After all, you were your whole life in the same school, with the same people. I don't expect you to make friends any time soon. Then again, it was your decision and we must live with the decisions we make and embrace the consequences that come along with me. I know I taught you that much. – 'Seriously? You of all people saying that to me?' I thought.

· Eventually you'll find out that you made a mistake, and when the time comes I assure you I won't be around to fix your screw ups. We're done. Don't even think about coming back to me. This ship has sailed.

See you never.

When she realized that no matter how much she hurt me or insulted me I wasn't going to answer or get hooked into her game, she changed her strategy by mixing up the content of her emails:

Dear friends,

We are absolutely thrilled to share this amazing news with you. My husband Jaco and I have given birth to a beautiful baby girl by the name of Jasmine.

We hope you'll be as happy and excited as we are right now. This has been a dream come true. I never thought I would have the possibility to experience something like this ever again.

Here are some pictures for you to meet our baby girl.

Thank you for sharing this incredible happening with us.

With Love,

Helga & Jaco.

They included some pictures of a beautiful baby girl about a month old and with the most amazing and stunning grey eyes I had ever seen.