It started out like any other long Tuesday. I was hunched over my desk, surrounded by spreadsheets, and trying to put together yet another version of a report that just wouldn’t come together. I had a dull soreness in my neck that had spread to my shoulders, and my eyes hurt from staring at the screen all day. It seemed strange how quiet the office was. That kind of quiet doesn’t come till the normal throng has departed and gone home.
I peered outside. The night sky had turned a deep, velvety blue. The lights in the city gleamed like promises from far away that I didn’t have time to chase. The fluorescent lights overhead made a faint buzzing sound and cast a sterile glow that made the office look even more empty after hours.
Finally, I sat back and picked up my coat. I was eager to go to bed and get away from the boring quiet.
Then the door creaked as it opened.
Michael, my boss, came in.
He was never angry. He dressed sharply and wore polished shoes. Depending on the day, his face could either make you feel at rest or rip you apart. He was in his 50s, had silver hair that made him look important, and eyes that seemed to see more than you wanted to display.
He put a hefty folder on my desk without saying anything.
He said in a calm voice, without looking at me, “I need this done by tonight.” “Final report.” “On my desk in the morning.”
It was 7:53 PM when I looked at the clock.
“Michael, I’ve been here since before nine,” I said, attempting to keep my voice as calm as I could.
He gave a tiny nod. “I know.” It has to be done, though.
Then he hesitated, as if he were going to say something else, and his mouth opened a little. But he swallowed anything he was going to say.
“Forget it,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “Not now.”
He got up and departed right away.
I was astonished and angry, and my heart was beating.
I told myself I only had six more months. I would be done with this job and him for good in six months.
A Call That Changed Everything
Later that night, while I was slumped in the driver’s seat of my car with the heater blowing lukewarm air, my phone rang. It was Aunt Jenny.
She said, “Alice!” in her usual joyful, honest way. “Don’t forget that you’re taking me to the wedding!”
I frowned. “What wedding?”
She laughed like I was being shy. “Your mom’s wedding!” “Don’t be dumb.”
Those words really hurt me.
“Mom’s… getting married?”
There was a long wait.
“Didn’t she say?” Jenny asked, her voice quieter and more deliberate now.
I didn’t say anything. I hung up and drove right to my mom’s house. I grabbed the wheel so firmly that my knuckles became white.
The Door She Didn’t Want to Open
She opened the door wearing her usual pink slippers and the old cardigan she used when it was cold. It still smelt a little like tea and lilacs, which were smells I knew from when I was a kid. She looked the same, yet all of a sudden it was weird.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?” I asked, and my voice shook.
She looked down and brushed off imaginary lint off her arm. “I was going to.” I just didn’t know how to do it.
“Am I even welcome?”
Her silence told me everything before she nodded.
“It’s easier this way,” she added in a quiet voice.
“For who?” I lost it. “Because it’s not easier for me.”
“You’ve been through so much,” she said. “I didn’t want to make it worse.”
I glanced at her, hurt. “I’m not a child.” I am your daughter.
When she looked me in the eye, I could see layers of remorse, fear, despair, and maybe even shame. I turned around and walked away before I could cry.
But one thing was clear: I was going to the wedding.
The Wedding Day and the Shocking Truth
A week later, I parked in front of Aunt Jenny’s house. She was standing on the curb in a flowery dress and a floppy sunhat. She possessed a purse that could also be used as a suitcase. She talked the whole way to church about her cat, her neighbor’s hydrangeas, and how her car’s engine was stuttering, but I didn’t hear anything. My mind was racing.
When we got there and entered into the small chapel, I looked around. Then I saw her.
My mom stood at the altar in a lovely cream dress that made her look both pretty and anxious. The groom was next to her.
Hey Mike.
I gasped and couldn’t breathe. “You’re going to marry my boss?”
The room went quiet.
The look on my mom’s face didn’t change. She looked at me with calm confidence.
She said in a gentle voice, “This isn’t your place.”
“Not my place?” I couldn’t breathe. “You knew how much I hated him.”
It seemed like someone had hit Michael in the stomach. “Perhaps I should go.”
“No,” my mom said, but he was already on his way to the doors.
I went after him.
Battle in the Parking Lot
The wind outside pushed on his coat. He was standing near the edge of the lot and looked up at the sky.
I yelled, “Michael!”
He slowly turned around. “I didn’t mean to get in the way of you and your mom.”
I said, “You didn’t.” “I did.”
He blinked in shock.
“I thought you were trying to make my job miserable.” I took it personally.
“I pushed you because I saw potential,” he said. “But I didn’t deal with it well. “I’m sorry.”
“I hated you for it,” I said.
He answered, “And I deserved it.”
I gave it some thinking. “But I can’t pick who makes my mom happy.”
He remarked in a quiet voice, “She didn’t invite you because she thought it would hurt your feelings.”
“I told her in a low voice that she was trying to protect me.”
We didn’t say anything. The wind has ceased blowing. I turned around and saw that the chapel was glowing with a nice light.
I said to her, “She needs you.”
He nodded.
And we all went back inside at the same time.
When Everything Was Not the Same
The ceremony started late. It didn’t seem like anyone cared. Aunt Jenny clutched my hand tightly, like it was a lifeline.
After then, the doors opened. Michael came back and walked slowly to the front of the church. My mom’s whole face altered when she saw him. Her eyes shone like stained glass in the morning sun.
They swore to adore each other under the golden light and pleasant music. Her voice shook when she said his name.
Then Michael looked at me and chatted to me.
He said, “To Alice,” his voice strong yet full of emotion, “who makes me better.”
I didn’t expect it. The phrases felt real and vulnerable in my heart.
A New Beginning
Later, during the reception, which was held in a family friend’s garden with string lights and homemade food, I stood next to my mom while she hugged me.
She asked softly, “Is this okay with you?”
I nodded. “You deserve this.”
She smiled and ran her hand through my hair as she used to. “And so do you.”
Michael came up, stopped, and then put his warm hand on my shoulder.
I didn’t pull away this time.
That night, my mom was married to a man I used to loathe, but suddenly, in some strange twist of fate, he saw her and loved her, and he saw me too.
I didn’t feel left out; I believed that maybe, just maybe, I had found her again.