Invitation to a Better Life (Meeting the Beast Chapter 2) (standard:drama, 3238 words) [2/8] show all parts
Author: Siobhan	Added: Sep 26 2002	Views/Reads: 2532/2063	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Jessica goes home after the long party and is met by her mother who seems slightly sick and she must deal with Steven, who takes every chance he can to bother her.

"Did you have fun?" her mother asked and Jessica realized that she was
sitting in the living room. She jumped a couple of inches and giggled 
nervously.  No way had she expected to come home and find her mother, 
hiding in the dark when she was generally in bed.   She glanced at the 
clock and with a start saw that it was past midnight.  She hadn't 
realized it was so late, she was going to be tired tomorrow. 

"Not really, what are you doing still up?" she wanted to know.  Her
mother never stayed up past nine much less midnight.  She knew that her 
mother had stayed up, waiting for her, but her mom shouldn't have 
worried.  She was too trustworthy and good to do anything that would 
make her stay out all night. 

She saw her mom's outline shrug her shoulders so she leaned over and
flipped on a switch so that she could see her mother's face.  Her mom's 
face seemed to have wrinkled more and the hair appeared grayer.  Her 
eyes still bright with intelligence were slightly dulled by sleep.  At 
the light being turned on, her mom flinched and blinked rapidly for a 
few seconds, trying to adjust to the change. 

"I found a really interesting movie and got caught up in it," she
replied, pretending that she had not been interested in the time that 
Jessica would get home.  Jessica laughed cause she knew when her mother 
was trying to cover up something.  Didn't her mother realize it was too 
obvious why she had stayed up? 

"Mom, seriously, were you up waiting for me?" Jessica was curious for
she knew that her mother was lying.  She hoped that her mom would give 
in and tell her the truth.  Generally when Jessica persisted, thus 
revealing that she knew the truth, her mother would admit to her lie 
and give up what was really going on.  But, once in a while she 
insisted on what she considered the truth and Jessica hoped that this 
was not one of those times. 

"Yes, Rhonda seems like a really nice girl," her mother smiled, her hand
going to her head.  Something about that line struck Jessica as funny.  
Her mother's voice seemed absent minded and silly, almost like a kid's 
who has become obsessed with something and doesn't even know they are 
saying it.  She fought the concern that welled up inside of her, her 
mom was just stating the obvious that was all.  Oh god, please let it 
be all, she prayed, but she was getting that all too familiar feeling 
that something was wrong. 

"Mom, are you okay?" Jessica's heart leapt, ever since her father had
split, her mother seemed to have bad headaches.  The move for Steven, 
her new husband, had seemed to have made them worse.  She was having 
them more often and more intense.  She was also now having stomach 
problems accompanying them and bizarre mood swings.  She wished that 
she knew what was wrong with her mom, but even more, she wished that 
she could help her get better.  She would do anything, give anything, 
to make her mommy all better and to chase away all her pain.  But, she 
knew that was a childish idea and that the best she could do was help 
her mother out.  So, she decided she would have to do just that. 

"Oh I'm fine Jessica, just tired, that's all," she smiled weakly and
Jessica realized exactly how strained her mother sounded.  It was 
amazing, hearing one's mother go from teasing and kind of silly to 
exhausted and sounded a hundred years old in a matter of minutes.  It 
never ceased to astound Jessica when her mom went through her 
transformation but usually it was super cool to outrageously and 
uncontrollably angry.  These were the changes that had her worried 
nearly to death over her mom. 

"Go to bed mom.  You really shouldn't have waited up for me," she
insisted and went to her mother's side.  She wrapped an arm around her 
shoulders and helped her to slowly stand up.  The two began to hobble 
over to the stairs, moving slowly because her mom was shuffling and 
barely picking up her feet.  She felt despair in her heart as her 
mother barely moved, as if afraid the next step would bring her 
crashing down. 

"I'm fine, " she insisted, her voice shaking upon each word.  She wasn't
doing all right and they both knew it, even though they both tried to 
deny it.  Something was wrong, had been wrong for a while, and rather 
than get help for it, they liked to pretend that nothing was wrong.  


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