Page 43 of Ruthless Serenade

A few minutes later, my phone buzzes, interrupting my pity party. "Hey there, boo-thing," Betty’s voice sings through the line.

"Hey, Bets," I croak out, my voice breaking. Betty immediately knows that something is terribly wrong.

"Oh, shit! Are you okay, hun? Did something happen?"

You can say that again. There can’t be too many fools on this planet who’ve managed to flash naked pictures to their bosses - not once, but twice in a lifetime. I might as well get business cards printed: 'Notorious Flasher.'

I dive right into telling Betty all about my colossal fuckup today and how I destroyed my career. How I brought the wrong flash drive with me and how I projected my private parts onto the boardroom screen. All in front of my bosses, the company owners, and a group of investors and other stakeholders.

"Holy freaking shit, Mindy," Betty says. "What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. Just going to wait for my death sentence for now."

"Listen, babe," Betty replies. "Here’s an idea. What if you and Sharon come visit me for a whole month during the school holidays? I bet you could use a break after this fiasco. Sharonwould love it too. You can crash at my place, there’s enough room. What do you say, huh?"

I must admit, the offer is incredibly tempting. Especially now when I just want to pop out of existence. Sunshine, monkeys, lush greenery, and waking up to the sound of the ocean - it all sounds like a dream. And the idea of having Betty help me out with the never-ending responsibilities of parenting makes it sound even better.

"I don’t know, Bets," I croak out wiping away some tears that escaped my eyes. "It sounds amazing, but I don’t think I’m fit to make decisions right now. Besides, I’m pretty sure I just lost my job. I don’t know if I can afford to fly myself and my daughter to the other side of the world and back."

"That’s okay babe, just give yourself some time to think about it," Betty says. "But I’m sure it would be good for you. And for Sharon too."

"I don’t know about Sharon, Bets. She’s… special."

"Special? What do you mean?"

I tell her about Sharon’s selective mutism, what it means, and what the consequences might be. Then, I tell her about Story Night, how important it was for Sharon, and how I missed it because of work. My heart breaks more and more with every word, but it also feels good to let it all out. By the end of my venting session, tears flow freely down my face, smudging my mascara in streaks.

"Oh, honey," Betty says, her voice softening. "I’m so sorry. I know how much you wanted to be there for her."

"I feel like I’m failing as a mother, Bets." I sniff. "Like I’m not capable of giving her the support she needs. And now I lost my job too."

"Come on Mindy," Betty says in a gently scolding tone. "You’re an awesome mom. Sharon is lucky to have you. Besides, if you had someone by your side…"

I let out a scoff, already knowing what’s coming my way. "Please Betty, not now. I know you want me to find someone, but I just can’t think about this right now."

Betty consoles me for another twenty minutes until I’m finally ready to start my car and pull out of the parking lot. Despite her nagging, I couldn’t be more grateful for her. She’s thousands of miles away from me, living a completely different life, yet she’s always there to support me in my worst moments. I couldn’t wish for a better friend.

The drive home feels longer than usual. Traffic seems worse than ever. I hit every red light, and each stop only adds to my frustration. By the time I finally pull into my parking spot in front of my apartment building, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. It takes another fifteen minutes just to gather myself before I can drag myself upstairs.

"Hey, Mindy," Tania’s voice greets me in hushed tones. "How’d it go?"

I just grimace, too drained to talk about it. "Not great." I let out a heavy sigh. "I had the wrong flash drive."

Tania gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no!"

I nod gravely but I can’t bring myself to flesh out the details. Tanya doesn’t need to know everything anyway. "How did Sharon do?"

Tania’s face lights up with a beaming smile. "Mindy, you should have seen her! She totally nailed it. Her story was powerful and she told it with a confidence I’ve never seen from her. The whole crowd was cheering for her!"

I feel relief and pride wash over me. My little girl, up there on stage, facing her fears and rocking it? That’s incredible. But at the same time, it stings knowing I wasn't there to witness her shining moment.

"Oh my God, Tania, you have no idea how much this means to me," I say past the lump in my throat. "Did you record it?"

Tania nods eagerly, already pulling out her phone. "Of course! I'll send it to you right away."

I smile weakly at Tania. "Seriously, thank you so much, Tania. For everything. For being there for Sharon."

She just gives me that classic Tania smile. "No problem, Mindy. But there’s more good news."

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