Page 98 of If My Wishes Came True
“Are you gonna be honest with her about your life, too?” I challenge my sister.
Christy shrugs. “What’ve we got to lose? I mean…look at how close you and I have gotten,” she says, her reluctance turning to resolve. “Maybe we could get closer to Mom, too, if we put in some effort. She’s been married to an asshole for thirty years, after all. We should probably cut her some slack.”
“Alright, let’s do it,” I say, trying my best not to give in to the flurry of nerves in my stomach.
Christy grabs her phone, and we head over to my couch. After she dials, she puts the call on speaker.
My mom picks up on the first ring. “Hi, honey,” she says, sounding tired, but pleased.
“Hey, Mom. Guess who I’m with?”
“Hi, Mom,” I chime in.
“Jenna! Oh my gosh, honey, are you in New York?”
“No, Christy’s here,” I say.
“I have some news, Mom,” my sister begins, wasting no time. “I broke up with Kyle. And I’m moving to Chicago in a fewmonths. My boss is letting me work remotely—so I thought a change of scenery would be good for me. And being close to Jenna, of course,” she goes on, smiling at me.
“Oh…I’m sorry to hear about your breakup,” our mom says, her tone gentle. But she goes quiet after that. “Well, I’m happy my two girls will be together,” she finally adds.
“You should come visit after I move here,” Christy suggests. “We can have a girls’ weekend, just the three of us.”
Mom lets out a small chuckle. “That sounds lovely…but you know I’ve never traveled by myself before.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I tell her.
“I don’t know… Your father wouldn’t last a day without me. He can’t even scramble an egg.”
Christy’s eyes roll back in her head, and she takes a deep breath.
“That sounds like his problem,” I tell our mom.
“Just think about it—you don’t have to decide now,” Christy adds in a more diplomatic tone.
“Alright,” Mom says, but I’m sure it’s only so we’ll move on.
Then Christy turns to me and gives an encouraging nod, indicating it’s my turn to share.
I bite my lip in response. “Um, Mom…I also have some news. I started painting again, recently. I thought you might like to know.”
I can hear her take a stunned breath. “Jenna, that’s wonderful, honey. You were always so talented. Oh, that just makes my day.”
Christy and I exchange surprised smiles. This is as excited as I’ve heard our mom in a long time.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. So…how are you doing?” I ask, shrugging at my sister, because making conversation with our mom doesn’t come naturally.
Mom heaves a sigh. “Well…I don’t know, girls. Your father and I…”
“Oh my gosh, are you getting a divorce?” Christy squeals, her face lighting up.
I elbow her, stifling a laugh, and whisper, “Tone it down,” but she’s still beaming.
“No, no—nothing like that,” my mom says, and Christy deflates. “It’s more like…a rough patch.”
Christy puts the phone on mute and turns to me. “When did they ever have a smooth patch?”
I snort.
