“Hey, Mom,” I called out as I opened the door to her house.
I made sure to shut and lock the steel security door before closing and locking the front door.
My mom’s neighborhood had steadily been getting worse over the years, and although there hadn’t been any thefts or crime, she was paranoid about someone breaking in. She made sure all the windows and doors were locked at all times, even though everything was reinforced with steel bars.
“Back here,” she called, her voice coming out weak and raspy.
She’d been a pack-a-day smoker for as long as I could remember, and as far as she was concerned, that was never going to change.
I looked around the unkept space as I moved through the living room to her bedroom. There were dirty dishes and random trash scattered about, along with a couple overflowing ashtrays.
With a sigh, I shook my head and continued down the hall.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as I entered her room.
She was laying on the bed, a lit cigarette dangling from her mouth, her eyes glued to the small old TV sitting atop her dresser.
It looked like she was watching a soap opera.
“I didn’t think they still made those,” I remarked as I stepped closer.
“There are only a few left, but General Hospital has always been my favorite anyway, so that’s all I care about.”
“I brought you some leftovers. I made meatloaf the other night and thought you might like some. You can have it for lunch.”
“Just set it down over there,” she said, gesturing her cigarette toward an empty spot on the bed next to her. There wasn’t must space left, since the surface was covered with old magazines, a paperback, and a bunch of used paper plates.
“Can I get you anything? A drink?” I asked, itching to go back into the other room and start cleaning.
“Coke if I have any,” was her reply.
I found an almost empty two-liter in the fridge and poured it into a glass to take to her. Once I’d placed it on her nightstand, I quickly left her to her show and rolled up my sleeves as I mentally thought out the most efficient way to tackle the job ahead.
First, I walked to the kitchenette to grab one of the gallons of vinegar I left under the sink and poured some in a pot to boil on the stove. Then I walked around and refilled the small bowls I kept around the house.
Vinegar was one of the few things that would help get the smell of cigarette smoke out of her house. I also had some of those automatic spray air fresheners strategically placed around, but without the vinegar to take away the smell, the air freshener would just partially mask it, which just made the house smell like smokey violets.
Once that was done, I put the vinegar away and got out a large trash bag. I started in the living room, then moved to the kitchen, bathroom, and finally, the bedroom. My mother always complained when I was picking up in her space, so I usually tried to save it for last and get in and out as quickly as possible.
“Dammit, Summer, do you have to be doing that during my shows? Can’t a woman get some goddamn peace in her own home?”
“Sorry, I’ll just be a minute,” I muttered, grabbing trash and shoving it in the bag.
I left the full bag by the front door to take out when I left and moved back to the kitchen to get the Windex and a rag. I cleaned as much as I could, then grabbed the vacuum. I’d have to skip vacuuming her room, since she was in there watching her shows. If she was in the kitchen, or even sitting on the ratty old couch, she could usually tolerate the noise, but not when she’d confined herself to a day in bed, which I knew was the case today.
After everything was as clean as it could get, I put all the supplies back where I got them and turned off the burner before going back to see my mother.
“Can I get anything else for you before I go?”
She looked at me for the first time since I’d arrived and scowled.
“Leaving so soon? So, you think all you gotta do is bring me your old food and disrupt my shows and then you’ve fulfilled your obligation as a daughter? No time to actually sit down and visit?”
“You usually don’t want me to talk to you when you’re watching your shows,” I said calmly, not wanting to get into a fight with her.
“Since when do you care about what I want? With your highfalutin self … fancy cars and rich old guys who do nothing but treat you like trash. Guess your shit stinks just like the rest of us.”
“Mom,” I whispered, hoping she’d stop.
“I told you that Jared would step out on you just like he did his other wife, but you didn’t believe me. Thought your magic vagina would make him stay, but I told you so. Now he’s filled up some new hussy’s belly with the baby you always wanted. Bet that stings, doesn’t it.”
My throat started to burn, and my nose stung, but I tried to shake it off.
If my mother saw any sort of reaction, she’d only get worse.
“I’ve got to go to work, so I’m going to get going. You call if you need anything, okay?” I was proud when my voice came out strong and not shaky.
She scoffed.
“Yeah, get your fancy ass down to Helen and her fancy shop with her clothes no one in their right mind would shop at.” Her lips got thin, and her eyes hardened. “Two-hundred dollars for a shirt … ridiculous.”
“Don’t say that. Helen’s your best friend. She’s been there for you since you were little,” I said, hoping to get through, but when she shifted, I noticed the top of a liquor bottle peaking up from beneath the blanket.
I should have known she’d been drinking.
“Yeah, some best friend, living up on her high horse while I rot away in this shithole.”
Knowing nothing good would come out of staying in this situation, I told her once more I was leaving and then got out of there as fast as my heels would take me.