𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 ━ transformers

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧

Mom is in the kitchen making some kind of casserole when I enter. When she hears the door closing, she looks up from the dish and gives me a smile. I let my bag fall to the floor with a thud.

"Hey, El," she greets with a warm grin. "How was therapy?"

"It was good." I take a grape from a bowl and plop it in my mouth.

Mom hums, pleased. "Good. What'd you guys talk about?" I can tell she's trying to act casual about it but there's an excited tone in her voice.

I try to act nonchalant because I still don't want to tell her about my dream--memory if you will. For the time being, I want to keep this to myself, want to find the rest of the pieces and put the puzzle back together.

I eat another grape. "Nothing special." Then I send her a look, remembering something. "Are you and Dr. Henderson in some kind of Ron fan club or something?"

Mom raises an eyebrow. "No, sweetie, why?"

She sets the casserole in the preheated oven and turns the timer on for fifty minutes before turning back to me.

"Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you both sat around, sipping tea and talking about Ron like he was some kind of book you enjoyed," I reply, taking a seat on the stool by the counter. I lay my arms on the cool granite, placing my chin in my left hand while my injured one rests at the elbow of it.

"What do you mean, El? Me and Eli don't talk about Ron at all?" My mom huffs out a nervous giggle.

I narrow my eyes. "Why are you on first name basis with my therapist, Mom? Oh my gosh, are you guys literally friends?"

Mom looks sheepish. I try to contain my distaste. My lips pucker anyway and I feel betrayed because when the heck was she going to tell me? It's not even the fact that they're friends or acquaintances or whatever; it's the fact that my mom keeps every little thing about herself bottled up until I'm forced to get my hands dirty digging for something about her. Something that shows she's more than the stony lawyer who wins almost every case--that shows she's a loving mother and an amazing wife. Because she is a loving mother and an amazing wife. It's just that-I wish I knew more about how she came to be this glorious woman.

"I can't even believe this," I exclaim when she doesn't say anything more. "You're seriously friends with Dr. Henderson? I didn't even know he had a first name and you're just using it like it's the most normal thing ever."

"Well that's because it is," Mom says, peering at me seriously. I can see apprehension pooling in her eyes. "Me and Eli--well, it's complicated, honey."

My thoughts go south. "Mom, don't tell me--"

I don't finish my sentence, but I don't have to. Mom looks at me like she's appalled, eyes wide and mouth gaping. I watch her freckles morph with her face. She looks like she either wants to smack me or throw me outside and disown me--neither sounding too appealing to me.

"Eleanor Jane, I love your father!" she outbursts with a red face. "I can't believe you would-- The audacity! El, me and Eli are cousins."

"Oh," I mutter, face slack in what might be shock. "Oh--um, how did that happen?"

"How did we become cousins?"

I try not to fidget too much under her amused gaze. "No," I say. "I meant--why have you never mentioned it before?"

Mom sighs like it's something difficult that's been brought up before. I assume she'll probably try to deflect the subject, change it to something else so she doesn't have to talk about it. So it comes as a shock when she leans across the counter near me and starts talking.