1089 Words


    The smell of fresh raspberry bread fills Chloe’s small kitchen, and for a moment, I can almost forget about the mess my life has be. Almost. My phone rings for the tenth time this morning, Mama’s name shing on the screen. I’ve been ignoring her calls all week, not ready for whatever awkward conversation about to take ce between us. But something about the way it keeps ringing today makes me answer the call before I can think better of it. “Hello? Mama?” “Oh, Scar, thank god. I’ve been calling you for ages. Why won’t you answer?” Her voice is thick with tears, and I hear the sound of her sobbing through the phone. “Where are you? How’s the baby? I’ve been so worried I can’t sleep.” Now I feel guilty. After all, this is the woman who raised me. No matter what our current rtionship is, it doesn’t change the fact that she kissed my scraped knees, braided my hair, and stayed up all to take care of me when I had a fever. “We’re fine, Mama. The baby’s healthy too. Please, don’t worry about us.” “Pleasee home, Scar. If you really want to leave Jasper, I’ll support you. I’ll make sure you have everything you need. Money, a ce to stay, whatever you want.” “Oh, Mama…” If only things hadn’t changed. The idea of going back to my childhood bedroom, of having someone to take care of me in my current state while I figure out everything that’s going on in my life is tempting. But I remember the look on her face when she told me Virginia is her daughter. That look made it clear there’s no space for me in their lives anymore, that nothing will ever be the same again. “I can’te back, Mama.” “Why not? You’re still my daughter. I still love you as much as before.” “But you found your real daughter now. I don’t want to y an extra in your happy family.” I close my eyes and lean against the counter, trying to keep my voice calm even though everything inside me is screaming. “And that’s okay. You and Baba gave me everything I needed to be who I am. You raised me, loved me, and now I can take care of myself.” “Scarlett, please don’t do this…” “Thank you for everything you did for me…” My voice cracks. “For all the love and care you’ve given me over the years.” “Scarlett, you—” “And Mama…? I love you too.” I hang up before she says anything else, before I change my mind and run back to her. The phone tters against the counter as I slide to the floor, arms wrapped around my knees, body shaking with tremors. Chloe appears beside me without a word and wraps her arms around me. I let myself cry for a minute, mourning for the family I lost, the mother I would never see again. The tears are hot and bitter, burning angry tracks down my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I whisper into her shoulder. “Don’t be. Crying your heart out is better than bottling up your emotions. It’s good for your health.” I chuckle at her attempt to lighten the atmosphere, earning myself a smile from her. “Come on,” she says, once I’ve calmed down. “Let’s eat some of that amazing bread you made. Food makes everything better.” She helps me to the only table in her small kitchen, and I watch her take a bite of the raspberry bread. Her eyes close on an exaggerated moan, making meugh again. “Seriously, Scarlett, this tastes amazing, better even, than anything I’ve ever bought at a bakery. When did you be an expert?” My smile fades, bitterness setting in. “I learned after my marriage with Jasper.” More precisely, I took private lessons to learn how to bake after overhearing a conversation with his friends. The memory hurts to think about it now. I lost myself for a man who never even saw me. “Well, this is delicious,” Chloe says, taking another bite. “Really, really delicious. Not too sweet or too sugary. Just the right amount of sugar to make it addictive.” “It’s just bread,” I say, shaking my head. “No, it’s not just bread. This is art.” She points at me with her half-eaten slice. “You know what? You should do this professionally.” “Do what?” “Baking. Open a bakery. Start your own business. You’re amazing at this, so why not make it a career?” I stare at her like she’s lost her mind. “I can’t open a bakery. I don’t know anything about running a business. I barely know how to bnce my own chaotic life.” “So you learn. You take sses, study, figure it out.” She leans forward, getting more excited by the second. “Think about it, habibiti. You can work on your own schedule, create an ie to support yourself and your child without working for someone else.” The idea settles in my chest, growing feasible the more I think about it. Starting a bakery doesn’t sound bad. I can have my own ce, filled with the smell of fresh bread and the sound of a child’sughter, and happy customers. I can build a life for my child and myself with my own hands, one loaf at a time. “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” I say, but I can hear the hope creeping into my voice like sunlight through a c***k in the curtains. “We’ll figure it out together,” Chloe promises. “I’ll help you research everything. Business licenses,mercial kitchens, loans, all of it. What do you say? Are you in?” I look down at the bread in my hands, imagining the future where I’m not waiting to be given scraps of love and attention. Where I don’tpete with anyone for my ce in life. A future where I, my dreams, my goals,e first. Where I’m free from the control of my adopted family and my heartless husband. “Okay,” I whisper, the word terrifying and thrilling at the same time. “Let’s do it.” Chloe lets out a squeal, hopping out of her seat, twirling in ce. “This is going to be amazing. You’re going to be amazing. I just know it!” She exims, her joy infectious, washing away the gloom from the call with my Mama. Leaving isn’t so bad after all. At least now, I have a goal. Onepletely disassociated from the man I once called husband.<h1></h1><fn1b91> Updates are released by ?ovelFind</fn1b91>