Paranormal

"UGH!" Sarah exclaimed in frustration as she let her hair fall from her grasp once again. She couldn't quite get it to act right so she could put it up in a ponytail that looked halfway decent. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror attached to her fancy white dresser. "Why am I even bothering? Not like my so-called mother is anything special." She put her brush down and walked off.

After gathering her keys and tote bag, she left her house and headed for the local cafe downtown where she had arranged to meet her mother that day.

After arriving, Sarah got out of her car and walked inside the small, cozy cafe. There were only about twenty chairs in all in the tiny brimstone establishment. Only three of those chairs were occupied at the time of Sarah's arrival, and her mother was not one of the occupants.

"Great..." Sarah mumbled, taking a seat by the window. "Well, might as well grab a cup of coffee..." She got back up, then walked to the front of the coffee shop to order a cup of Joe.

The seemingly still time passed by slowly as Sarah kept looking at her watch.

2:50. 2:55. 3:00. 3:05. 3:15.

Alas, at 3:20 in the afternoon, her mother arrived twenty minutes late. Celia rushed over ot the table at which Sarah was sitting.

"I'm so sorry!" Celia exclaimed, rummaging through her huge purse that had a distinctive floral design. "Traffic was a mess! I didn't even have enough time to do my makeup." She pulled out her compact mirror and began applying her makeup.

How rude, Sarah thought.

"You're twenty minutes late," Sarah angrily spoke up. Celia finished applying her makeup.

"Traffic jam. I'm sorry, sweetie." Sarah rolled her eyes and took a sip from her coffee cup.

"What did you want to see me about?" Sarah sharply questioned.

"I just wanted to catch up with you and see you again." Celia smiled and Sarah remained emotionless. "You're such a beautiful young lady. It's hard to believe you're seventeen now." Sarah gazed at her mother.

"I'm nineteen," she corrected.

"...really? Wow, the years just fly by." Celia once again grinned at her daughter. "You're such a beautiful woman." Sarah looked down and aimlessly stared at the inside of her coffee cup. Celia looked down as well and things were quiet between the two of them for some time.

"There's nothing to catch up on. I'm grown up, Dad's still alive and well, I'm in college -- everything is peachy perfect," Sarah dully explained.

"That's great! I've finally finished rehab -- I've been clean for one full year now!" Celia proclaimed proudly. Sarah looked up and a sarcastic expression formed on her face.

"Wow, what a big accomplishment!" Sarah shouted in a sarcastic manner. Celia's smile vanished soon afterward. Everything was quiet once again.

"Sarah, I am truly sorry for abandoning you and your father when you two needed me the most. But sweetie, you have to understand that I was ill back then." Sarah suddenly looked up. That was her breaking point.

"You call getting yourself addicted to alcohol and drugs being ill? Are you insane? Being ill means having a disease you can't control. You had a choice. You made your choice. You chose to feed your addictions -- you choose your own satisfaction and pleasure over the happiness of Dad and me. You were anything but ill," Sarah said in a stern, angry voice. Celia seemed emotionless as these words came flowing from her daughter's lips. A tear suddenly rolled down Celia's cheek.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," was all she said. "I am truly, truly sorry." Sarah unaffectedly stared at her mother.

She grabbed her bag and briskly walked out of the little cafe, leaving her mother behind.