Seven

20. Jason

20. Jason

“Mom, where did you get that?”

“What?” she asks confused. “Oh, this? The lovely girl I talked to you about before, Julie, she gave this to me.”

“Mom you can’t just-“

“She insisted, Jason. She said as thanks for being her friend.” I couldn’t say no to that. She seemed nice from what my mom has been telling me. She’s been trying to meet me for a couple weeks now. I’ve always been busy and it’s not like I’d like to meet her anyway. She’d probably try to flaunt her money in front of me. Flaunt the money that I don’t have, that I can’t have. Without knowing a single tear slides down my face. A cold, frail hand brushes it away.

“I’m sorry, mom.”

“For what, baby?”

“I can’t give you the things you want. I can’t buy you handbags or fur coats or even pay for your hospital bills. I can’t do anything! I’m useless, mom.”

“Jason.”

“Mom, I’m sorry. I can’t give you the life you deserve. If only dad hadn’t run away with that bimbo-”

“Jason.” My mom looked at me apprehensively and shut me up. “Look at me, Jason.” My eyes met hers. “I don’t want any of that, Jason. And your father left ages ago. It’s all in the past, Jason. You can’t give me all those materialistic things but guess what? I don’t want them. I don’t need them. All I need is for you to be happy, Jason. You’re my baby and that’s all I could ask for.” I lean against my frail mother’s body and sob. My mother threads her hands through my hair and massages my scalp.

A noise from the door puts me at alert again.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Case,” I say recognizing the voice. “Come in.”

“Hello there, Casey,” my mother greets her. “How are you today?”

“Doing fine, thanks,” Casey answers.

“You’ve grown up so well,” my mother adds. “I still remember it like it was yesterday. How you came to us starving. Those two monsters starved you to save money.” The ‘monsters’ were Casey’s aunt and uncle. After Casey’s parents passed away, she was put in her aunt and uncle’s care. Not only did they steal her inheritance, they kept it all to themselves and didn’t treat Casey humanely. “That was when we took you into our wing,” my mother continues. “You and Jason were so cute. I remember when Jason cried because your butt was chubbier than his-”

“MOM!” I playfully yell when I realize where this conversation is going.

“Okay, I won’t go there,” my mom laughs. “You were always like a sister to him, Casey. You’re a part of our family.”

Casey smiled softly as we listened to my mother travel down memory lane. She avoided eye contact with me and I couldn’t help but feel like we were growing distant.