He Was Mine, I Was His

Abandoned

    This is quite a chapter so grab a snack, relax, and enjoy this rollercoaster of a chapter!

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    Saturday morning, I took Ada to the park before I had to go to work. A few of her friends were there too. It was cute to see them running around and playing together.

    I let her play for about an hour before we went back home so I could get ready for work. Elizabeth was sitting at the dining room table sorting through mail. I prayed there would be something from my mom. I had really been getting worried about her.

    Sure enough, when I walked out of my room, Elizabeth was standing there with a smile on her face and an envelope in her hand. I smiled and rushed over to her. She handed me the letter and kissed me on the forehead. 

    "I told you it would come," she said. 

    "Thank you," I replied, wrapping her in a hug. I said my goodbyes and made my way to work. 

    I was running late so I had to wait until my break to open it. It was all I could think about. The envelope was thick but after a month of not talking, I was sure she had a lot to say. As soon as my break came, I went out to my car. 

    As I pulled the letter out of my glove box, I noticed there wasn't a return address. It just said my mom's name. I figured there was an address in the letter and ripped it open. In the envelope, there was $100, a letter, and a few other papers. I was a little confused as to why she gave me money. She never had before. I opened the letter and read. 

    Dear Marilyn,
    I've written this letter nearly five times but still haven't conjured up the words on how to say this. I don't think I'll ever find the right words so here's what I have. Marilyn, I love you so much and I am so proud of you. I always will be. Ever since your father passed, things haven't been easy. I have tried to stay strong for the both of us but I no longer can. I know this is going to be confusing and hard but I have to do what best for me. I have given up custody of you and your brother. I have requested that custody be handed over to Elizabeth since you are underage. All she has to do is sign the papers and send them back to the given address. I have faith that she will be a much better guardian to you than I will ever be. Don't worry about me please. I will be okay and so will you. I love you so much and I will see you again some day. 
        ~ Sylvia Rouse

    My throat grew tight and I struggled to breath. I was so confused, angry, scared, and sad that it all meshed together to create a numbness. I sat there for a moment before going inside and telling Rose I was sick. She let me go home but as soon as I got back into my car, I burst into tears. The kind of tears where it's like a waterfall of emotions. Screaming and crying and anxiety all wrapped into one big eruption. I only got a few blocks away before I had to pull over and calm myself down.

    All that I could think was what the hell just happened? It felt like a dream. My mom couldn't have just left me, abandoned me through a letter. She couldn't do that right? No mother would do that… right?

    I pulled myself together and finished the drive home. I sat in the car for a moment trying to figure out what to tell Elizabeth. Hey, my mother just gave me up so now I'm your problem. Or maybe, do you want another kid? No? Oh well that's too bad. My mother didn't give either of us a choice. I had to get out of the car before I started to spiral into a hole again. 

    I walked up to the porch to see Elizabeth and Darry talking over some drinks. Here I come to ruin their afternoon. What was Elizabeth going to do with another child which she could barely take care of what she had? She saw me, my pale face and red eyes, and shot up. She walked over to me and held my face in her hands.