Page 64 of Wood You Knot

“No, Mom. It is not lovely, not at all. I don’t want him in my life. I am not interested in what he has to say, and I cannot believe you’ve ignored everything I’ve said about the matter and told him where I am.” My tone was biting, and I didn’t care. She’d crossed a line, and this time, I wouldn’t be forgiving her for it.

“You’re being ridiculous, Sage,” she scoffed. “Warren just wanted to talk to you.”

“What part of ‘I don’t want to talk to him or see him ever again’ are you not getting?” I said, enunciating every word. “There’s a reason I blocked his number and left him. I am finished with him.”

“I think you’re making a mistake based off of hurt feelings—”

“I am not making a mistake, Mother,” I cut her off, bringing my hand to my temple to massage the tension headache that had formed Friday night and hadn’t let up since. “My feelings aren’t hurt over the matter, and my mind is made up. I’ve moved on completely from him, and there is never a situation where I’d take him back.”

“Sage—”

“He showed up at a school function, Mom, when I was volunteering my time and working. Do you know how inappropriate that is?”

“He just wanted to support the fundraiser. He told me he was going to donate to the school.”

“I don’t care. It wasn’t appropriate, it was embarrassing,” I replied.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but I think you’re overreacting.”

“And I think you’re overstepping, and I also think you’re being extremely toxic. I mean, you’ve always been toxic and manipulative, but this takes the cake,” I said, probably a little harsher than I needed to, but my anger was still fresh.

“I am not toxic,” my mother shouted with indignant outrage.

“But you are, though. You have harmed me so many times over the years with the things you say to me and how you act. You’ve always prioritized the men in your life over our relationship, and this pattern has continued with you prioritizing more men over me. Warren should not have your undying support and sympathy; I should have had that.” A tear escaped, rolling down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly, even though she couldn’t see it. “But I don’t, and I see that now. So I’m ending this call, and I’m stepping back to heal from the shit you’ve put me through.”

I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else before disconnecting the call.

I had a good cry while I showered, releasing emotions I’d kept bottled up for decades. Then I got ready to go to my aunt and uncle’s to pick up my daughter.

When I walked into their house an hour later, Daphne was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with Uncle Ed. They looked up when I entered the room.

“Hey, guys, where’s Auntie Em?”

“She’s on the back porch, on the phone,” Uncle Ed told me, giving me a sympathetic look as he stood up and walked his empty plate to the sink.

“Mimi called,” Daphne informed me with a mouth full of the sandwich she was eating. “She was yelling at Auntie Em.”

“I’m sorry,” I said to Uncle Ed, and he smiled sadly.

“You don’t need to apologize for your mother. Em knows how she is,” Uncle Ed said. “I’m proud of you, kiddo. We both are.”

My uncle’s words brought a wave of emotion over me that made my eyes well up. Seeing the emotion, he wrapped me up in a hug.

“Thank you,” I murmured, trying to blink the tears away before Daphne could notice them. “I should probably go see how she is,” I added.

“Okay.” He released me and placed his hand on my shoulder, making sure I’d meet his kind eyes. “But just know that you have nothing to feel guilty for. Nobody should ever feel guilty for setting boundaries.”

I nodded, appreciating that more than I could articulate. I went to the patio door and peered through it, spotting Auntie Em sitting in a lounge chair and staring into her backyard with a contemplative look in her eyes, her phone resting on the table beside her.

I slid open the door and stepped out onto the porch to join her, and she looked over at me, her expression shifting from thoughtful to genuine affection. “How are you doing, sweetie?”

“I’m all right,” I said, sitting down in the lounge chair beside her and turning my body toward her. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” Auntie Em nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. If she was upset about the call with my mother, she was trying not to show it.

“I heard my mother called you…”

“She did.” She nodded again, the pursing of her lips the only indication she was upset. For a moment, I wondered if she was upset at me.

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