Page 42 of A Very Miller-Cooper Life

“It’s not that easy, Charlotte.”

“Maybe it is.”

“Fine. I’ll do it… sometime.”

I knew my mom too well to actually believe that, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “No. You’ll do it now.”

My mom shook her head. “No. No way. I haven’t even prepared. What would I say?”

“Start with hello and go from there.”

“No. I can’t.”

I scrolled through my phone and clicked on my Aunt Patty’s name, then hit the call button. If this was what Nana wanted, I was going to respect her wishes, especially because I knew she was right. This needed to happen. “Too late.”

My mom looked at me with wide eyes as if she was a deer in headlights. After three rings, my Aunt Patty picked up the phone. “Hi, Charlie! It’s been a bit. How are you? Is everything okay?”

I waited for my mom to say something, but after almost a minute of silence passed, I knew that wasn’t happening. “I have someone here who wants to talk to you.”

“Oh! Is it Carter? Olivia? I doubt it’s Ronan since you never get him to stay still long enough to talk to me.” My aunt laughed, completely unaware of what a big moment this was.

I held my breath while I waited to see if my mom would actually say something this time. After a few seconds, she finally spoke. “It.. it’s me.”

“Sharon?”

My mom nodded. “Yes.”

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Wow. This is going well. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes because at least my mom had said something. That was a start.

“My mom is ready to talk, but I think it’s better if we do it in person.” I looked right at my mom as I said the next part. “And as long as it’s okay, I think I’ll come along.”

My mom gave me an appreciative smile, so I knew volunteering to come along was the right decision.

“That would be wonderful,” my aunt said after a moment. “Is it really what you want, Sharon?”

I nodded at my mom and she nodded back at me before she finally spoke again. “Yes, it is.”

We spent the next few minutes comparing schedules and finding a date that worked for all of us that was a month away. After I hung up, my mother sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands. “I’m scared, Charlotte.”

I was pretty sure my mom had never admitted that to me before so I knew this moment was important. I sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand in mine. “What are you scared of?”

My mom shrugged. “I don’t know. Talking to her about the past. Disappointing her. Losing her again. It was easy to get by when I was able to blame her for everything, but this talk could change all of that. I know we haven’t had a relationship in years, but she’s still my big sister. After all this time, when I throw out all my prejudice and blame, I still love her so much and want her to love me, too. Even if I don’t deserve it.”

“I didn’t know you felt that way,” I told her honestly. I truly thought my mom still blamed my Aunt Patty for everything that happened. I was sure she still lived in the fantasy world where she believed she didn’t do anything wrong. “When did it change?”

“It’s been changing slowly over time. You and Jamie have never hesitated to tell me how great she is and of course your nana made a few snide remarks. But the biggest change came after Jamie’s wedding. It was so nice to see her again and I’ve thought about reaching out multiple times, but my fear has always held me back.”

“Well, not anymore.” My mother and I might not have the greatest relationship, but I still knew how important family was, whether it was blood family or chosen family, so I wanted to help her with this.

And who knew? Maybe this could strengthen our relationship even more than the pot brownies did all those years ago.

***

Since Aunt Patty and my mom lived over seven hours apart, we chose a halfway point in Connecticut to meet up. Since it still wasn’t a short drive, we decided to stay in a hotel for one night. Luckily, no one complained when I suggested all getting separate rooms. I knew I would need that space after what was sure to be a mentally taxing day.

---