Walking Away

Mother

Warning: This chapter, though not too vivid, depicts slight verbal abuse.

Johnathan

"Johnathan Lynd. I would like to speak with you." My mother caught my attention as soon as I stepped in the house. 

"Yes, ma'am." I hung up my bag and walked quietly into the living room, sitting down on the couch. My usual spot when she had a problem with me. It's an often visited spot.

Mom was sitting in her chair, turned to face me. She had her jacket still on, and her hands folded in her lap. Her expression let me know this wouldn't be a pleasant conversation.

"How was your day?" I asked her.

"Horrible. I came home to a complete wreck of a house. I'm gone for a week and you trashed the place."

I looked around. The carpet was a pure white, the entire room spotless. Even after three, not one, weeks, the place looked the same as the day she left.

"I got an interesting phone call today." Her eyes, a harsh blue that was different that Ali's and mine, narrowed as she delivered the news.

I kept my voice humble, quiet. "What kind of phone call was that?"

A frown. The wrong tone, then. "Don't you use that pathetic tone on me. No one feels sorry for you." I cast my eyes down, away from hers, waiting for more information. I had to know what I was working with. "I have been informed that you took it upon yourself to screw up Alison's class schedule."

Crap. I attempted to keep my expression neutral. She didn't switch it back. She wouldn't have bothered, right? "I was only trying to save you the trouble, ma'am. You do so much." She wasn't buying it. "I never wanted to upset you." That part was true, anyway. Upsetting her only led to grief and missed meals.

"Were you?" She didn't sound convinced. She stood up, and I tensed. "So what I'm hearing is that you decided, all by your lonesome self, that you were adult enough to make the decisions in this house, and I am simply irrelevant. Is that correct?"

I shook my head. "No, that isn't true."

"Do not contradict me. You don't have the right." Her voice pressed against my head, demanding a reaction. I just shook my head again.

"Of course, ma'am. I'm sorry." Less is more, Jonah, less is more.

"You're sorry?" she laughed. "Because that will fix everything? That will change every instance you've sabotaged my career, every inconvenience you've caused in my life?"

This was going badly. "No, ma'am."

My mother didn't look mad anymore. Just disgusted. "Shut up." She put a hand to her forehead, smoothed her already perfect ponytail. It was lighter than it had been before she left. She must have gotten it done before she came home.

"You never should have been born, you know that?" I didn't even flinch anymore. There was no anger, no sudden pain. I'd heard it so many times already. I was the mistake, her punishment for ever meeting my father.

"Yes, ma'am." I wasn't censoring my tone anymore. I knew there was no emotion in it. And some part of me knew she didn't care.

She turned away from me. "Alison's principal asked me to call back if there were any problems with her new class. I will put everything back to normal tomorrow, and undo your mess. Again."

"No!" She turned. I froze. Crap. "Please don't do that." Please. Don't put Ali back where she doesn't want to be.

My mother scowled at me. "You don't get a say in the matter. You will never get a say in the matter. You are a nuisance, and nothing more. You do not get to make requests."