My wife abandoned me with blind twins – 18 years later she came back with a request
“It’s a lot of money.
Probably more than
we never had it all at once. “
“We don’t want your money”, Clara said firmly. “We don’t want your dresses. And we don’t want YOU. “
Emma lifted the envelope high, then tore it up and threw the bills in the air. The money fluttered, cascading like confetti. The bills drifted and scattered across the floor, onto Lauren’s expensive shoes.
“You can keep it”, Emma said. “We are not for sale. “
Lauren’s face twisted with rage. “You ungrateful person… Do you have any idea what I’m offering you? Do you know who I am now? I’m famous! I worked for 18 years to build a career, to do something with my life! “
“For yourself”, I added. “You did it for yourself. “
“And now you want to use them to look like a devoted mother”, Clara finished, her voice sharp. “We are not your accessories. “
“We are not for sale. “
Lauren’s countenance completely collapsed.
“Do you think you are so noble? “she screamed as she rushed at me. “You kept them in poverty! You made them little seamstresses instead of giving them real opportunities! I came back to save them from you! “
“No”, I replied. “You came back because your career is stalling and you need a story of redemption. The blind girls you supposedly sacrificed yourself for? It’s gold for your image. “
Lauren’s face turned white, then red.
“I wanted the world to see that I am a good mother! “she shouted. “How hard I worked for them all these years! That I stayed away because I was building something better! “
“I wanted the world to see that
I am a good mother! “
“You stayed away because you’re selfish”, Emma adds. “It’s the truth, and we all know it. “
Clara walked towards the door and opened it. “Leave, please. “
Lauren stood there, breathing hard, her carefully constructed facade collapsing. She looked at the money scattered on the floor, at the girls who had rejected her, at me standing behind them.
“You’re going to regret it”, she hissed.
“No”, I replied. “You will regret it. “
She leaned over, trying to gather the notes with trembling hands, putting them back in the envelope. Then she grabbed her bags of clothes and stormed off.
“You stayed away because
you are selfish. “
The door closed behind her with a satisfying click.
