The Friend Zone

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Confrontation

 The last time I saw my mother was a little over ten years ago. She had been gone since Friday afternoon and it was late Monday night and I was starting to worry again.

She did this pretty often, run off for the weekend and come home Monday afternoon high as a kite or off a recent high if she wasn't already drunk. It was sad, when I thought about it, that I knew what drugs did to you and what they were and the effect they had on people firsthand at nine, eight and even seven years old.

I was starting to worry this time with my mother. She was usually home when I got back from school, sleeping on the couch in the family room in whatever clothes she'd worn all weekend. She was a mess and usually high, but she was safe for those few hours before she'd go out again that night.

She hadn't come home yet this time though and I stayed up until midnight that night worrying when I heard stumbling footsteps below me. I jumped out of my bed and rushed down the stairs to greet her. When I got downstairs, I ran up to her and practically tackled her with a hug. I told her I had been worried about her, that I'd missed her all weekend, and that I'd scored two goals in my game on Saturday morning.

Instead of her usual "that's nice Tessa now let mommy sleep" response, I was shoved away and told to "leave me the hell alone, I'm coming off a high right now" as she stumbled onto the couch and passed out.

I was mortified when she wouldn't respond as I shook her arm with all my strength. I stood there crying for five minutes before racing upstairs to get my dad. My dad sent me to Lisa's room and called the police, a warrant had been issued for her arrest on Saturday and it was the only way he was going to get her out of our lives.

I was supposed to stay with Lisa, but I snuck down to the top of the staircase to watch the drama unfold. She had woken up and was now yelling at my dad and cursing up a storm, calling him every name in the book after he told her he called the police. She slapped him in the face and he calmly told her that she needed to quiet down because Lisa and I were sleeping. She replied by yelling back at him, telling him that his pain in the ass kid wouldn't leave her alone when she got back. He yelled back that time and it was then that the police arrived and took her away in handcuffs.

The last memory I had of my mother was her being dragged away in handcuffs, wearing the very coat she had on nearly ten years later when I saw her at the rink.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it was her.

Why the hell did she think she should come here?

When I snapped back into reality, I realized that she had stopped in her tracks as well, looking me in the eye.

"Tessa, is that you?" she asked quietly, her eyes brightening up when she made the connection.

I couldn't say anything, my mind went completely blank.

"Mom?" I said, barely audibly, after what seemed like an eternity spent staring at her eyes that were the same shade of ocean water blue as mine were.

"Oh my gosh Tessa, I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

"Get off me!" I exclaimed, all of my anger from the past ten years beginning to show its ugly face.

"What's wrong?" she asked way too innocently.

"What the hell do you think?" I exclaimed, "The last time you saw me you called me a pain in the ass kid and told me to get the fuck off of you!"

"Tessa, honey, I've changed!" she said all too sweetly, reaching for my hand.

"I don't want to hear it," I said, shaking my head, "You've fucked my life up enough," I remarked, walking out of the rink only to have her follow me.