Status: Contest Entry - Complete
Gem 'n i
Like Mother, like Daughter or so they say
“Meg! Hey, wake up!”
“Hmmfm…”
“Get up!”
“Wha – whatsa matter?”
“I found this hidden under your mattress! Nice hiding spot by the way! Care to explain to me why you still have it?!”
*Gem throws item at Meg*
“Oh. I – I couldn't throw them away.”
“Why not?!”
“They help me focus.”
“So you're lying to me now? You told me the other night at dinner you were going to throw them away!”
“You don't understand, Gem! Mom’s death may have not been a big deal to you, but it was for me!”
“Oh, you're going to make excuses now. You sound just like her.”
“Shut up!”
“First, you'll tell me the pills help you, make you feel better. Then, you'll start asking me for money for your refills. Eventually, the doctors will call me telling me you've used up all your refills months ago-“
“Stop it!”
“-and then I'll be forced to ask you what you've been doing with my money, but we both know what you're buying with it.”
“Quit it!”
“You were always the weak one. Always forgiving her, accepting her back into our lives with open arms. No matter how many times she hurt us!”
“Shut up, Gem!”
“You know what she was! She was never our mother! She never loved us like a mother should love her children! She was a monster, Meg! A fucking monster!”
“No, she wasn't!”
“Let me tell you something about our bitch of a mother that you never knew about.”
“Don't call her that.”
“Do you remember, Father Ben? You remember him. Nice guy, such a devoted priest. He was so nice to mother wasn't he? He made sure we had food on our table, he'd pay our rent because he knew mother couldn't be trusted with the money, and when it came to her certain habit she had her ways to persuade him.”
“No. You don't know what you're talking about.”
“Unfortunately, mother could never go for very long without her ‘medicine.’ We both know she became addicted instantly and every poke of the needle or sniff of the powder, her looks would deteriorate each time. She was falling apart, growing uglier and uglier by the day.”
“No, she wasn't!”
“Oh, yes she was. I knew it, you knew it, and even Father Ben knew it. Well, without mama’s pretty face she didn't have anything else to offer the priest so he stopped providing food, stopped paying for the apartment, and most importantly to mama, stopped buying her drugs. Mom grew so hungry for that needle, so desperate that she'd do just about anything to get it back. Do you know what she did?”
…
“Well, I'll tell you what she did. Although, the drug abuse had damaged her brain from all logical thinking, mama still had a couple marbles left in that empty skull of hers. It's no secret that many Catholic priests have an affinity for young boys. Luckily for mother, Father Ben also had a taste for little girls.”
“No…Father Ben was always so kind. He never did anything inappropriate to…me…oh.”
“Now you know. Do you still deny that our mother was a monster?”
“Gem…how come you never said anything?”
“It was either you or me, so I volunteered.”
“I – I don't…”
“Don't say anything, M. I would do it all over again, if I had to.”
“I – I'm so sorry! She really was terrible! *sniff* I've always known she didn't love us *sniff* but I just didn't want t – to admit it! *sniff*”
“Shh, shh. It's okay.”
“The worst part is *sniff* that even after everything she's put us through, *sniff* I still love her.”
“I know. Me too.”
…
“Do you ever wonder what life would have been like if Dad hadn't passed away when we were little?”
“I try not to think about what could have been.”
“Mom would have never resorted to drugs though. Maybe we could have been happy.”
“Perhaps in another lifetime.”
“Yeah, perhaps…uhm, Gem?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry I lied to you. I really will get rid of the pills this time.”
“It's okay. Just don't do it again. You're all I've got, M.”
“Tomorrow when we go see Dr. Urie, I'll let her know I don't want to take the medication anymore.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Hmmfm…”
“Get up!”
“Wha – whatsa matter?”
“I found this hidden under your mattress! Nice hiding spot by the way! Care to explain to me why you still have it?!”
*Gem throws item at Meg*
“Oh. I – I couldn't throw them away.”
“Why not?!”
“They help me focus.”
“So you're lying to me now? You told me the other night at dinner you were going to throw them away!”
“You don't understand, Gem! Mom’s death may have not been a big deal to you, but it was for me!”
“Oh, you're going to make excuses now. You sound just like her.”
“Shut up!”
“First, you'll tell me the pills help you, make you feel better. Then, you'll start asking me for money for your refills. Eventually, the doctors will call me telling me you've used up all your refills months ago-“
“Stop it!”
“-and then I'll be forced to ask you what you've been doing with my money, but we both know what you're buying with it.”
“Quit it!”
“You were always the weak one. Always forgiving her, accepting her back into our lives with open arms. No matter how many times she hurt us!”
“Shut up, Gem!”
“You know what she was! She was never our mother! She never loved us like a mother should love her children! She was a monster, Meg! A fucking monster!”
“No, she wasn't!”
“Let me tell you something about our bitch of a mother that you never knew about.”
“Don't call her that.”
“Do you remember, Father Ben? You remember him. Nice guy, such a devoted priest. He was so nice to mother wasn't he? He made sure we had food on our table, he'd pay our rent because he knew mother couldn't be trusted with the money, and when it came to her certain habit she had her ways to persuade him.”
“No. You don't know what you're talking about.”
“Unfortunately, mother could never go for very long without her ‘medicine.’ We both know she became addicted instantly and every poke of the needle or sniff of the powder, her looks would deteriorate each time. She was falling apart, growing uglier and uglier by the day.”
“No, she wasn't!”
“Oh, yes she was. I knew it, you knew it, and even Father Ben knew it. Well, without mama’s pretty face she didn't have anything else to offer the priest so he stopped providing food, stopped paying for the apartment, and most importantly to mama, stopped buying her drugs. Mom grew so hungry for that needle, so desperate that she'd do just about anything to get it back. Do you know what she did?”
…
“Well, I'll tell you what she did. Although, the drug abuse had damaged her brain from all logical thinking, mama still had a couple marbles left in that empty skull of hers. It's no secret that many Catholic priests have an affinity for young boys. Luckily for mother, Father Ben also had a taste for little girls.”
“No…Father Ben was always so kind. He never did anything inappropriate to…me…oh.”
“Now you know. Do you still deny that our mother was a monster?”
“Gem…how come you never said anything?”
“It was either you or me, so I volunteered.”
“I – I don't…”
“Don't say anything, M. I would do it all over again, if I had to.”
“I – I'm so sorry! She really was terrible! *sniff* I've always known she didn't love us *sniff* but I just didn't want t – to admit it! *sniff*”
“Shh, shh. It's okay.”
“The worst part is *sniff* that even after everything she's put us through, *sniff* I still love her.”
“I know. Me too.”
…
“Do you ever wonder what life would have been like if Dad hadn't passed away when we were little?”
“I try not to think about what could have been.”
“Mom would have never resorted to drugs though. Maybe we could have been happy.”
“Perhaps in another lifetime.”
“Yeah, perhaps…uhm, Gem?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry I lied to you. I really will get rid of the pills this time.”
“It's okay. Just don't do it again. You're all I've got, M.”
“Tomorrow when we go see Dr. Urie, I'll let her know I don't want to take the medication anymore.”
“Sounds good to me.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Gem and Meg