Chapter 5 - 83 Missed Calls
By Monday morning, Mom's behavior had become frantic.
The family Thanksgiving weekend was collapsing.
People had gone home.
Amanda had blamed Mom.
Mom had blamed me.
And somehow everyone had discovered that I had been paying for far more than they realized.
Then the lodge manager accidentally mentioned one more thing.
The reservation had been transferred.
To me.
Mom panicked.
She called.
I didn't answer.
She called again.
I didn't answer.
Amanda called.
Then my aunt.
Then my uncle.
By Monday evening, I had 83 missed calls.
Eighty-three.
I stared at the number.
Then Mom finally sent a message.
Please call me.
I waited an hour.
Then I did.
She answered immediately.
“Claire.”
“Hi.”
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“With the kids?”
“Yes.”
“Can we talk?”
“We're talking.”
She took a shaky breath.
“I didn't know.”
“Know what?”
“That you paid for everything.”
I said nothing.
“I thought you just handled the reservations.”
“I did.”
“I didn't realize…”
“You didn't ask.”
Silence.
Then Mom whispered, “I'm sorry.”
Those words surprised me.
I had heard Mom apologize before.
Usually followed by an excuse.
This time there was nothing.
Just silence.
“I was wrong,” she said.
I closed my eyes.
Mom continued.
“Amanda has always needed more.”
I interrupted.
“Mom, stop.”
“What?”
“Don't blame Amanda for everything.”
“But she—”
“You allowed it.”
Silence.
That was the hardest sentence I'd ever said to my mother.
But it was true.
She had allowed Amanda to become the favored child.
She had allowed me to become the responsible child.
And then she had convinced herself that both were choices we had made willingly.
“I don't know how to fix this,” she whispered.
“You can't fix it in one conversation.”
“What can I do?”
“Start by apologizing to my children.”
Mom cried.
“I will.”
“And then stop treating me like the family emergency fund.”
“I will.”
“And Mom?”
“Yes?”
“If you ever tell my children they can sleep on the floor again, you'll never have to worry about seeing us during Thanksgiving.”
She inhaled sharply.
“I understand.”
I believed her.
Not completely.
But enough to give her one chance.
Then she said something unexpected.
“Can I see the lake house?”
I froze.
“How do you know about that?”
“Your father told me once he had something planned for you.”
I stared at the wall.
“Mom…”
“I never knew what.”
For the first time, she sounded genuinely curious.
Not jealous.
Not angry.
Just curious.
“I'll show you someday.”
“Thank you.”
We hung up.
I didn't know then that Mom's apology would be only the beginning.
May you like
Because Amanda wasn't finished.
Not even close.
