Taylor had just finished tidying up her living room when the doorbell rang. She took one last look around her apartment, making sure everything was in order before making her way to the door. Reaching for the knob, Taylor put on a smile as she opened the door to greet her mother. "Hey mom."
Andrea extended her arms and pulled her daughter in for a warm hug. "Hi sweetheart."
Pulling back from the embrace, Andrea takes a chance to look at her daughter. She looks far more healthy than she did the last time Andrea had visited. Her eyes didn't look tired; no longer looking red, puffy, and sleep deprived. She was genuinely smiling, not faking one for the sake of her mother. Her posture was better, no longer slouchy and closed off. She didn't look like she was starving, or exhausted, or shut off from the world. Taylor looked happy and healthy, and that made Andrea ecstatic to see.
"Do you want something to drink? I can make you tea or coffee or something." Taylor says, closing the door behind them.
"No thank you. I'm good for right now honey." Andrea replies.
"Do you want to sit down? Are you hungry? I can start making lunch right now if you want." Taylor starts rambling, fussing over trying to please her mother.
"How about I help you?" Andrea reasons, attempting to ease her daughter's worries.
Taylor nods her head in acceptance, making her way into the kitchen, her mother following close behind.
The pair start preparing the meal, engaging in small talk as they work together. Taylor always loved cooking with her mom, it was something she had always done as a kid and she cherished these kinds of moments with her mom. It was their special thing.
"So what's new with you these days sweetie? How are things?" Andrea asks.
"Things are ok. They're pretty good." Taylor responds vaguely.
"That's good to hear. You seem to be doing much better. You look good." Andrea says, smiling at her daughter before returning to her preparations.
Taylor smiled at her mother, knowing she meant well and her words were coming from a concerned mother. She knows she hadn't been taking care of herself since her break up. She finally felt like she was getting her life back together.
Taylor is stirring the sauce in the pot on the stove while Andrea puts the salad and breadsticks on the table when her phone vibrates on the counter.
Taylor glances at the screen, checking to see if the message is important and needs to be returned right away or not when she immediately breaks into a smile seeing Karlie's name. Taylor picks up her phone, swiping her thumb across the screen to read the message.
"So, how do you feel about bowling?"
She read the text, slightly perplexed by the randomness of the question and the message itself. Taylor bit her lip, pausing briefly before typing out a response.
"Um, I'm not that great at it. But I enjoy it. Why?"
She put her phone back down, returning her attention to the sauce, unaware her mother had been watching her intently. Andrea began setting the table, Taylor finishing up with the meal and soon they were ready to eat.
Throughout the meal, Andrea began filling her daughter in on life at home while Taylor listens intently, laughing as she hears about some of her father's latest antics, smiling fondly as her mother talks about her relatives and all the latest family gossip, also her brother's latest attempts to convince them to let him move to the city.
Taylor couldn't help but think how much she's been missing out on the last few months. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she went back home for a visit. Hearing all the new things going on with her family, she realized just how disconnected she had become from the people she needed most.
