Page 69 of Giddy-Up
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Riley could not fuckingbelieve it.She was beyond angry.She was livid.No.Scrap that, she was enraged.
Rabid is a good one too.And wrath.I’m full of wrath.
As she unlocked the front door and pushed, she swung it so hard, it banged against the hallway wall.
Good.I hope it leaves a mark!
Hoping to scrape the paint on one of her mother’s white walls may not sound very wrathful but scraping every wall in the house sounded better and better by the second.
“Riley, is that you?”her mother called from the living room.Which was her next stop.
You can do this.
Anger was all the courage she needed today.Her parents had crossed a line.And not just stepped over it slightly, no, they’d ignored the no entry sign and sped through at least three red lights.
“Why do you look like that?”her mom asked as Riley came to a standstill in front of her armchair.
Riley had no idea what she looked like, but she assumed it was a cross between pissed as hell and menacing rage.
“Remember when you told me that Dr Brown was the person who referred you to St Michael’s Hospital?”Riley didn’t wait for her to answer before more clipped words left her mouth.“The same Dr Brown who has been my doctor since, like, birth?”
All the color from her mother’s face drained.Her lips pinched.And her eyes dropped to her lap.
“Imagine my surprise when I ran into Dr Brown today, at the Juice Hut, and asked him about all the tests you’re undergoing.What do you think he said, Mom?Want to take a wild guess?”
As her voice rose, she was well aware that of her thirty years on this planet, she’d never spoken to her mother like this before.But she didn’t have it in her to care.Not anymore.
The room was silent.Uncomfortably so as she watched the woman in front of her shift in the cushions.
“Why?”Was all Riley asked despite knowing the answer.She wanted to hear her say it.
It remained quiet for so long; she wasn’t sure she was going to get a reply.So when her mother began to speak, her voice rang in Riley’s ears.
“This is where you belong, Riley.This is your home.Your father and I—”
More ringing ensued.Enough to cause Riley’s eyes to flutter closed.This is where you belong.
