My Mother's Greatest Fear
Chapter 14 - My Mother's Greatest Fear
Mom finally returned home after her doctors were satisfied with her recovery plan.
But she refused to sleep in the bedroom she'd occupied before.
"Too many bad memories," she explained.
I understood.
We began looking for a new home.
Not because Vanessa had driven us out.
Because Lily deserved a fresh beginning.
We found a house in a quiet neighborhood with a fenced backyard, a sunny kitchen, and an oak tree beside the driveway.
It wasn't nearly as expensive as the penthouse.
But it had something the penthouse never possessed.
Warmth.
On the first afternoon, Lily ran from room to room.
"Grandma! Look!"
Mom followed slowly.
Lily discovered a small room overlooking the garden.
"This is yours!" she announced.
Mom smiled.
"Mine?"
"Yes. Because you can see the flowers."
Mom sat on the edge of the bed.
Then she began crying.
Lily climbed beside her.
"Grandma, are you sad?"
Mom shook her head.
"No, baby. These are happy tears."
Lily looked confused.
I crouched beside them.
"Sometimes people cry because they feel happy too."
Lily considered that.
Then she touched Mom's cheek.
"Then you can cry."
Mom pulled her into a careful hug.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Later, when Lily was playing outside, Mom stood beside me in the kitchen.
"Marcus, I need to tell you something."
I turned.
"What is it?"
She looked through the window.
"I'm afraid."
"Of Vanessa?"
She nodded.
"Not just for me."
I waited.
"I'm afraid Lily will grow up thinking love is something she has to earn."
My throat tightened.
Mom took my hand.
"Promise me you'll teach her differently."
I looked through the window.
Lily was chasing fallen leaves across the grass.
"I will."
Mom squeezed my hand.
May you like
"Then whatever happens next, we've already saved something important."
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