Page 119 of There's No Us Without You
Sweet baby Jesus.
Here we go again. Only this time my mother is on her knees, between Tony’s legs while he’s slumped in his office chair, his pants bunched up around one ankle.
When his eyes fly open, they land on me, widening before he stands abruptly, both hands now covering his still-erect penis.
“Tony, what—” My mother falls backwards and ends up on her arse before she realises I’m standing behind her. “Oh, Eden,” she says, wiping the red lipstick from her chin. “So youarealive.”
Didn’t need to see that today. Or ever.
I’ve yet to open my mouth, words now eluding me.
Although, what would I say?
“Eden...” Tony clears his throat. “I—what are you doing here?” He scrambles to pull his pants up, almost tripping over himself as he does.
When I fail to answer, he runs a hand through his greying hair and bends to pick up a pile of papers from the floor, stacking and straightening them before placing the pile on the desk.
The bastard can’t even look at me.
Mum climbs to her feet and straightens her blouse while snapping her fingers in front of my face, extinguishing my catatonic state.
Blinking rapidly, I swallow down the lump in my throat. “What... what is going on?”
My mother waves me off. “Don’t be so dramatic, Eden. It’s just sex.”
I throw my hands up. “Just sex? Just. Sex?” My voice rises. “Christ, Mother, why are you trying to sabotage every relationship in my life? What, Kent wasn’t enough for you? You need to take the restaurant from me, too?”
Tony clears his throat and glances between me and the she-devil—the one hellbent on destroying my life—but says nothingas he folds his arms over his chest and avoids any further eye contact.
“Oh, Eden, please.” Mum rolls her eyes. “You know you aren’t ready for such a responsibility. Having someone else buy your father’s restaurant is for the best. You really think I would allow you to run this place into the ground? Look at how your relationship with Kent turned out. I told you I could help you with your weight, sweetheart. I’m sure once you sort yourself out, Kent will take you back.”
My vision blurs, stars flashing in front of my eyes.
What the actual fuck?
She didn’t just blame my failed relationship with Kent on my weight again, did she?
“You’re unbelievable,” I say. “You wouldn’t know what I’m capable of, considering you’ve done nothing but tear me down.” Tears dampen my cheeks, and my face burns as every muscle in my body vibrates. “I’ve never been good enough for you, have I?”
My mother chews the inside of her cheek, a sour look contorting her face. “For Christ’s sake, child. Take some responsibility for once. It’s always someone else’s fault when things in your life don’t go as planned. So don’t give me that crap about not being good enough. Can’t you see I’ve been preparing you for the hard times?”
All I can do is stare at her.
She’s kidding, right?
Pulling a small hand mirror out of her bag, she moves to sit in Tony’s chair and crosses her legs. She opens up the compact, then pauses to look up at me. “Well, get to work, young lady. Prove to Tony and myself that you’re worthy and we’ll discuss our previous arrangement.” She claps her hands together twice. “Chop, chop. Get going.”
When my brain catches up, I step forward on shaky legs and place my hands on the armrests of the chair. I lean down to get into her face. “I quit,” I say, practically spitting the words at her.
“Very funny, darling.” She isn’t even looking at me, searching through her bag again before pulling out a tube of lipstick. Popping the lid off, she lifts the mirror to her face and replaces the smudged mess.
She really is out to get me, and I have no idea why. I’m her daughter, for Christ’s sake—her own flesh and blood. And yet, I mean nothing to her.
Tony clears his throat a second time and shoves his hands into his pockets as he shifts from foot to foot. “Eden?—”
“Fuck you both.” I interrupt whatever the hell Tony was going to say. “I’m done.” I turn on my heel and sprint out of the claustrophobic room.
After grabbing my bag from storage, I sprint out into the fresh air and collapse onto the pavement, my knees slamming into the concrete.
