Page 51 of One Last Chance

She hangs her head down, hiding nearly everything but her big eyes inside the folds of the thick fabric, and she stares at me cautiously in the rearview mirror. Like she can’t believe I’m not telling her off or feeling a twisted sense of justice like some prick.

“I-I hate this. I feel like…I’m gonna go crazy,” she murmurs, that heart-wrenching shake coming back to her voice. She sounds not like the grumpy Mina I’ve known, but more like the small, innocent little girl Rowland always talked about missing so much.

“I know. I’m sorry,” I say. “I know how scared you must feel and how horrible it is. Feeling like…your own body is out of your control in this strange, overwhelming way. Like you don’t even recognize it, or yourself at points. I promise it gets better.”

“Does it?”

I smile. “Yeah. It getsmuchless intense and scary and much more just plain annoying. More like having a period is for women, I guess. Well, I think. Once you’ve gotten it a few times, you will get a better hold of yourself, and get used to the pheromones playing a role in your life. It will feel natural eventually. Sometimes it can even be enjoyable once you’re umm…older. Much older.”

Oh god, what are you saying, Dayton? Shut up.

Trying to get her to my parents’ house before I say something inappropriate or uninformed, I speed up. Mina sits in the back in silence, but from the look of her, maybe a little more at ease.

Once we arrive, I park in the driveway and tell her to wait for me a moment. “Oh. You don’t mind dogs, do you?” I ask before closing the door. Mina shakes her head. “Good.”

For some reason, it feels like I’m coming home drunk at sixteen after a bender. I don’t know why my hands tremble, but they do, so I try to make them stop before knocking.

The door opens, with Ma poking out at me with a wide smile. “Oh, did we say you would come up, my love?” she asks, face sparking with joy until she frowns, sniffs the air, and looks me up and down. “My, Dayton, what’s the—” She looks over my shoulder and sees Mina sitting at the back of my car.

“Is Mom in?” I ask tensely.

Ma seems utterly confused, as she should be. “Yes, of course, but…what’s going on?”

“I’m going to need her help. I’ll explain.”

Moments later, Mina is inside, and Mom already runs circles around her to make her comfortable. She thrusts a glass of juice in her hand for hydration, tells Ma to prepare something sweet to eat, and leads Mina to the bathroom to answer all of her intimate questions, as well as to give her something to make her feel better.

Momo whines by the door, feeling left out, while Ma and I stand in the hallway, sharing a ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ sort of look.

I explain the details to her in the kitchen while she prepares a gracious bowl of ice-cream with some fresh fruits and syrup.

“Ah,” she lets out a deep sigh, “all this drama! There’s never any drama anymore these days. It brings back the memories of being seventeen and coming clean to your mother’s parents about knocking her up,” she says, raising her brows with a half-amused, half-terrified grimace.

I chuckle and lean against the kitchen counter next to her, intrigued. “You know, you never talk about that,” I say.

She snorts. “Yeah! Because it was freaking traumatizing!” Ma puts a comedic flair over her words, but I can sense the seriousness behind them. “Jeez, your mother’s parents, Day… I swear, they were so intense, it’s a miracle they didn’t end up convincing us to get an abortion. They sure as hell tried their hardest,” she adds bitterly.

I always knew the reason we never talked to or about my mom’s side of the family was something to do with that, but I never heard the full story.

“Well,” I say, putting my hand on her shoulder with a smile, “I’m really glad you didn’t listen to them.”

Ma laughs through her nose and puts the ice cream scooper down, turning to me to give me a firm hug. “So am I, love,” she says, squeezing me firmly before pulling away again. “It was the right choice for us. What we wanted. I’m glad you did the right thing too and helped that girl. I know how hard it must be for you, considering…everything.”

Always knowing exactly what to say. Always peeling away the bullshit to go right to the core. Ma never misses.

I sigh and turn away, tapping my foot on the floor.

“What are you going to do?”

“Take her home, of course. Once she’s calmed down and the suppressants start working. She has to go home and face it. I think a part of her knows that.”

She touches my shoulder. “So do you.”

Yeah…that’s what I’m terrified of.

“Darling.” We both turn to Mom poking into the kitchen. “She wants to speak to you,” she says softly, and her expression tells me she did her best and Mina is feeling better. “In the living room. We’ll give you privacy and go upstairs.”

My stomach twists. I nervously meet Ma’s gaze, wondering if it’s even a good idea. Instead of saying anything, she hands me the bowl of ice cream and winks.

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