Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“I’ll be waiting here for you Miss.”
“But… I don’t even know what this place is,” I protested.
A strange woman walked by and gave me a little wave, followed by a few other people I didn’t recognize. They were all dressed in nice clothing, but there was a weird vibe about the whole place that made me hesitate.
“I’m under instruction to deliver you here,” Ted explained. “And to wait as long as you need.”
Clearly, he didn’t know what was going on either. So I wrapped my cardigan around myself with a huff and walked up the large stone stairs, pushing open the glass door. It resembled a luxury hotel inside, with a large reception desk right at the front. I walked up nervously, and a woman with blonde hair and a friendly smile greeted me.
“Can I help you?”
“Um, I’m not really sure,” I said. “I’m here to see Norma-Jean Richmond.”
“Ah, of course.” She tapped away at the computer. “I’ll call her down for you.”
I stood awkwardly off to the side, not really sure what to expect while I waited. As I looked around, I saw more faces I didn’t recognize, but eventually, there was one I did. It was an actual celebrity from a reality TV show.
I tried to keep my mouth from dropping open when he winked at me and sauntered by.
“He’s a looker, huh?” Norma’s voice interrupted from behind me. “A real nice guy too.”
I spun around in shock and thought the floor was about to give out on me. Because there in front of me was my mother, but I hardly recognized her.
In place of her sunken eyes, two vibrant green orbs stared back at me. Her skin had a strange glow to it, and I could almost swear even some of her wrinkles had disappeared. Her hair was shiny, and instead of being styled into its usual rat’s nest, it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. But it was the extra fifteen pounds added to her frame that really had me doing a double take.
Not to mention the clothes she was wearing. Gone were the cheap white heels and too large jeans. There wasn’t a frill in site on her beige sweatshirt or khaki pants. She looked like a… well, like a mom.
“What happened to you?” I blurted.
“What’s the matter?” she chuckled. “Don’t recognize your old mother?”
There was a kindness in her eyes I hadn’t seen in years, and an evenness in her voice I’d never heard at all. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. She understood that I was in shock as she gripped me by the arm and gently led me away.
“Let’s go out to the garden,” she suggested. “Get some fresh air.”
I followed her soundlessly, the wheels turning in my brain as I tried to come to grips with whatever horrible thing Ryland had done to my mother. But no matter which way I spun it, I couldn’t process it.
Norma helped me to sit down in a deck chair before taking a seat in one across from me. The scent of flowers and fresh water invaded my nostrils, and I was sure the garden was beautiful, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Norma.
“I’m clean,” she began, folding her hands across her lap like a proper lady. “One month. I know it’s not much, and I still have a long way to go, but it’s a start.”
“This is where you’ve been for the last month?” I looked around again, finally understanding this was a rehab center. One that, from the looks of it, must have cost a fortune.
“It sure is.” She laughed. “Can you believe it? Me living amongst the rich and famous?”
“But… how?”
“Ryland,” she said quietly.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Language,” she scolded.
“Oh c’mon Norma,” I retorted. “Don’t start acting like a mother now.”
She flinched at my words, and I mentally slapped myself, feeling like the worst daughter in the world.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just… I didn’t expect this, and I’m a little confused.”
“It’s okay.” She nodded. “One of the things they’ve been teaching us here is to accept responsibility for our actions. And I’m not going to deny that I’ve been a less than stellar mother to you and Brayden.”
Again, my mouth was doing that thing. Opening and closing, but no sound was coming out.
“But I do love you,” she continued. “And I want to be a part of your life, Brighton. You and Brayden are more important to me than the drugs or the booze, and it took Ryland to help me see that.”
“But… how?” I asked again.
“He opened up to me.” She shrugged. “Told me the cold, hard truth. And I felt like such an idiot for playing right into his hands. I felt weak. I was weak. But when he told me what happened to his family, and how much pain he was in, I never wanted you or Brayden to feel that way. He gave me a choice. He handed me a one-way ticket to this place, and a needle with enough drugs to take down a horse. He said it was my decision to make, but that he wasn’t going to watch me hurt you anymore.”