My Dream Come True

I was still being teased when lunch break came around. When everyone was gone, I dug the rehab brochure out of my purse. I sighed and skimmed through it.

“Bring your family and friends to a happy, healthy resort,” I read. “Jesus. They make it sound like a damn hotel.”

“Is this why you were late?”

I looked up. Mr. Pope was leaning against the wall of the cubicle, his grin gone and I looked away.

“The nurse came by yesterday,” I sighed. “Mom was on one of her… tantrums and I couldn’t keep up with her and talk to the nurse at the same time. Mom’s raising hell again this morning and…. Well, the nurse gave me this yesterday.”

He sighed and pulled a chair over. I bit my lower lip.

“Look, I’ve known you for a while,” he said, “and I know what you’re thinking. You’ve done everything you can, Rose. More, even.”

“I can’t just drop her,” I whispered. “She’s my rock.”

“No, Rose,” he said. I looked at him, ready to snap. “You are her rock.”

I stared at him, tears jumping to my eyes.

“When I was a lifeguard, I had to save a drowning little girl,” he told me. “Poor thing was panicking. While I tried to get her to calm down and hold on to the raft, she started to pull me under the water with her. That’s what drowning people do, Rose. They pull you down with them. Your mother is drowning in her demons and she’s taking you with her.” He pointed at the call box. “I wasn’t just teasing you this morning. I don’t know how you met this Andrew Parrish, but perhaps this is your raft.”

“But she’s my mom,” I said.

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah she is. And you’ll always love her. But you’re letting her drag you into the water. How many days have you taken off in the last three years?” he asked suddenly.

I thought. “I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve taken any. Mom’s medical bills and….”

I trailed off. I didn’t need to finish. He had made his point.

“I can’t make you go out with Mr. Parrish,” he said, standing up. “And I can’t make you give that serious thought,” he pointed to the brochure in my hands. “But I can tell you that, if you keep this up, you’re going to drown with her. Want some coffee?”

“Sure,” I whispered and he nodded, leaving me to my thoughts.

-

When I got home, my shoulders fell. There were police outside of my house. I parked at the curb and ran a hand through my hair wearily.

“Hello, Officer Sanders,” I said blandly.

“Hi, Rose,” he said. “I have some bad news for you.”

I glanced at the house. The front window was shattered and one of our side tables was on the lawn. So she had thrown the table through the window, huh? That was a first.

“Wait,” I said. “Why didn’t I get a call from the alarm company!?”

“Because she answered the phone,” he answered. “Rose, we can’t find her.”

I stared at him. “What do you mean?” I breathed.

“We can’t find her,” he repeated. “We’ve looked at all her usual haunts. She’s not there and- Rose, stop!”

I ran to my car and slammed the door, trying to put my keys in the ignition. My hand was shaking too hard, though, and I screamed in frustration, slamming my hand on my horn. Officer Sanders was running over just as I got my keys in and started my car.

“We’ve got all our officers and-”

I cut him off and drove out of the neighborhood, calling Carrie.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Date-”

“Not now, Carrie,” I said, sobbing desperately.

“Shit. What’s wrong, Rose?”

“It’s my mom! She-She broke out of the house and they can’t find her! I need your help. Please!”

“Of course! I just need to pick Josh up from the dealership. Where are you headed first?”

“The liquor store,” I said, taking a sharp turn. “She said this morning that she was going to walk there but I locked her in. The bitch threw my best table out the window and escaped! Fuck!” I screamed, slamming on my horn when I hit early rush hour traffic.

“I’m getting in the car now,” Carrie said. “Is there anyone else you can call?”

“No,” I sobbed. “Oh Jesus, Carrie, I can’t lose her.”

“I know. Deep breaths. I’m at the dealership. I have to hang up. I’ll call you back.”

I just hung up. I was at the liquor store and I ran in, aware I looked like a crazy woman. The usual man was there, helping a customer. Not even bothering to apologize, I moved them out of the way and grabbed her. Her eyes were sad.

“Please tell me she’s here!” I cried.

“No, Rose, she’s not.”

“Was she here at all today!?”

“I saw her walk by,” she sighed, glancing at the customer.

“Stop it, Jenny!” I shouted. “They can wait! Which way was she going!?”

“S-South I think,” she breathed. “Wait. Is she legit missing?”

I didn’t answer and ran back out. I hadn’t bothered to turn my car off.

“Rose! Rose, wait!”

I looked up. It was Andrew I had pushed.

“Not now, Andrew,” I said, buckling my seatbelt. “We’ll-We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Who’s missing, Rose?” he asked, his voice serious and my lower lip trembled.

“My mother!” I cried, slamming my fist on the horn. “The bitch is missing! Fuck!”

I slammed my head on the steering wheel and he put his hand on my back.

“Why did you come here?”

“Because she always goes here when she needs a heavy fix,” I whimpered.

His hand disappeared but the passenger door opened. I looked over and he pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Calling a friend,” he said, shoving whatever drink he had in the back seat. “Hey, Evan. I need your help, man. No. It’s not about that. Stop laughing. This is serious. I’ve got a woman missing. Um…. Hold on.” He looked at me. “What does your mom look like?”

“Uh- Sh-She’s about 5’6”, white hair, g-green eyes. She’s probably in that damn flower nightgown and her stupid pink house shoes.”

“Did you get all that, Evan?” he asked. “Yeah. What’s her name?”

“M-Michelle Emerson.”

“Thanks. Keep me updated.” He hung up. “Evan works at the police department as a-”

“They’ve already got everyone looking for her, though,” I cried.

“As a private investigator,” he finished. “Now, where else would she have gone?”

“I don’t know!” I yelled.

“Okay, you need to stop panicking,” he said and reached for the bag. “Here. I was going to wait ‘til tomorrow, but you need this now.”

“Need what?” I asked, rubbing my eyes and he thrust the bottle of Bacardi in my hand.

“Just a few sips. You have to calm down.”

I groaned but did as he said. I handed it back, wincing at the burning taste and put my head back on the steering wheel.

“There’s this liquor store since it’s open 24 damn hours, the grocery store, and this shitty park where-” My head shot up and I put the car in reverse. “They don’t know about the park. I never told them.”

I squealed out of the parking lot, ignoring his yell of surprise. I sped down the road, swerving through cars which earned me several angry honks. I turned down a quieter street. The closer I got to the park, the more I started to shake.

“This park,” I said in a high pitched voice, “is always riddled with druggies. If she’s here….”

I slammed on my brakes.

“Oh, Rose,” he groaned.

“No,” I said desperately, struggling with my seatbelt. I ran from my car to the roundabout which was slowly spinning. “No.”

My mother’s body was splayed out on the roundabout, a bullet wound in her forehead. I fell to my knees. I was vaguely aware of Andrew on the phone. I crawled over.

“Mama?” I whispered. “Mama, please don’t be dead.”

I reached out to her, stopping the roundabout. I checked her pulse and shut my eyes.

“God damn it, Ma!” I screamed. I pulled at my hair and heard police sirens. “Why!? You should have fucking waited for me! Damn you!”

“Come on,” Andrew said, grabbing my arms.

“Let me go,” I sobbed.

“Rose, my name is Evan,” a man said, kneeling beside me. “I’m Andrew’s friend.”

“I don’t give a shit who you are,” I said weakly, staring at the grass.

“Was your mother a drug addict?”

I stared at him and glared. I pointed at her.

“What the fuck do you think!?” I screeched.

He sighed. “Right. That was a stupid question.” He passed me a card. “This was at her feet.”
I snatched it from him.

Alejandro

“No,” I groaned, nearly falling onto my back but Andrew caught me. “She got messed up with Alejandro!?”

“We’ve been looking for him for a long time,” Evan said. “I need to search your house.”

I looked at my mother’s body. I thought to our argument over a shoebox I was going to throw away.

“Okay. C-Could I have a minute though?” I whispered.

“Yeah. Of course you can. Come on, Andrew.”

If I hadn’t been so consumed with my grief, I would have recognized this as a similar scene I had written between Andrew and Violet.