11
The man was Claire’s online boyfriend, ten
years older, unemployed, a leech who preyed
on young girls online.
He turned, releasing Claire, and sauntered
towards me. “So, this is your mom, huh? Not
bad.”
He leered at me, his eyes lingering on my
chest. I felt nauseous.
“Mom! Please! I don’t need the allowance, I don’t need anything! Just take me home!‘ Claire knelt, tears streaming down her face.
<
“Dad changed after he married his new wife.
He’s always annoyed with me, won’t give me
any money. Grandma ignores me, expects me
to wait on them hand and foot. His wife is
horrible to me, always yelling. I ran away,
moved in with my boyfriend, but he’s… he’s
not any better.
وو
The man kicked her, snarling, “You’re mine
now! You’ll always be mine! I’m letting you go to school, what more do you want? You think
you can just leave? I’ll kill you!”
He kicked her repeatedly. Other parents watched, mostly indifferent, as if this was a
common occurrence. A few reached for their
phones to call the police.
<
“Don’t bother,” someone said. “It’s useless.
We’ve called before. The cops came, tried to
arrest him. But the girl begged them to let
him go, said we were just jealous of her
happiness.”
“The cops looked so awkward. It’s their
business. Just let it be.”
I cringed. That sounded exactly like
something Claire would do.
Finished with his tirade, the man dragged
Claire towards a motorcycle. I followed them
with my eyes, noticing Amy standing across
the street, hiding behind a lamppost.
(
<
I smiled and waved her over.
“What are you doing over there? Come on,
I’ve been waiting for you.
وو
“I… I didn’t know you were waiting for me. I
thought you were waiting for Claire. I didn’t
want to… make her angry…” Amy mumbled,
glancing nervously at Claire and her
boyfriend.
I chuckled, tapping her nose. “Don’t worry.
Claire and I are done. You’re my daughter
now.”
“Let’s celebrate your good grades with a
proper dinner.”
<
I took Amy’s hand and we walked away.
“Thank you, Mom,” she whispered.
I stopped. “What did you call me?”
Amy blushed. “You… you’re a thousand times
better than my mom. Can I… can I call you
Mom?”
I smiled. I’d been waiting to hear those words.
“Of course, you can.”
دو
We crossed the street, hand in hand, as
Claire rode past on her boyfriend’s
motorcycle. She stared at our clasped hands,
her eyes no longer filled with resentment, but
<
with regret.
She finally realized I hadn’t been waiting for
her.
She finally understood.
I really didn’t want her anymore.
