Here we were, two daughters standing in the kitchen like thieves caught red-handed, facing the man who was our father—a 6'3", bear-like figure. My father, with blond hair slightly darker than mine, a full beard, and a massive frame that intimidated anyone who didn't know him well, was staring at us, his expression full of questions.
He was the reason I never brought any of my guy friends over. They were all terrified of him. His size alone was enough to scare off any potential suitors, but in reality, he was surprisingly...
"Don't tell me... you're not pregnant, are you?" His eyes widened in horror, tears forming at the corners.
Kat went pale, and I understood immediately—if our mother saw him like this, we'd both be dead.
I grabbed Dad's hands, doing my best to give him a look of defiance. "Of course not, Dad! Kat barely dates, she's too shy for that. Where would she even find the confidence to... you know?"
He blinked, letting my words sink in, before releasing a deep sigh of relief. "You're right, pumpkin. I overreacted." He then turned to Kat with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, apple pie. Dad overreacts sometimes. Can you forgive me?"
I glanced at Kat, noticing her breathing had steadied, and her rosy color was starting to return. She forced an awkward grin. "It's fine, Dad. You know I could never stay mad at you."
Dad, teary-eyed, pulled her into a hug. Yep, that's my father—a big ol' cinnamon roll wrapped in flannel. He might look terrifying, but deep down, he's a softy.
The idea of his daughters dating practically gave him a heart attack. When I came out years ago, I thought I'd be safe from his breakdowns—after all, I wasn't exactly going to get pregnant or anything—but no, this man couldn't handle it.
Note to self: avoid discussing dating when Dad's around. I still needed to figure out what was going on with this Daryl guy, though. It concerned Kat's happiness, and I had to know if it was serious or just a fling.
Dad released Kat from his bear hug and turned to me. "Ah, I almost forgot. While Kat and I make some drinks, your mother wants to talk to you—alone."
"Alone? What happened to Sarah?" A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
"She went home. She said she'd come back later." Translation: Mom sent her home. It hit me then—Sarah had been hovering around because she knew this would be bad and was trying to soften the blow.
"Are you sure Mom said alone? Can't Kat come with me?" I was grasping at straws now.
Kat avoided my eyes, replying, "I should probably help Dad... drinks are better when two people make them, right?"
I shot a pleading look at Dad, but he guiltily looked away.
"Traitors," I muttered under my breath.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my feet toward the living room, each step feeling like I was sinking deeper into quicksand. Eventually, I made it to the doorway, trying to summon the little courage I had left. The atmosphere was already tense, and Mom was sitting there, in Dad's favorite chair, her eyes locked on me like a predator.
"Hey, Mom," I croaked, "how are you doing?"
She didn't say anything—just tilted her head, gesturing for me to sit down. Oh boy, this was bad. I sat, clasping my hands together, avoiding her gaze like a guilty child.
"Explain," she finally said, her voice cutting through the silence.
I swallowed hard, trying to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Where was I supposed to start? No matter what I said, it would lead back to Dawn, and I didn't want to talk about that. Ever.
"Explain what, exactly?" I stalled, taking the coward's way out.
Mom didn't flinch. She gave me a hard look, but decided to humor me—for now.
"Explain what? Oh, I don't know... why I haven't seen my oldest daughter in three years? Why the girl who promised to become a surgeon, no matter the cost, suddenly disappeared? Do you remember telling me, 'I want to save lives, so people like Aunt Jenny never have to die'? Or have you conveniently forgotten that?"
Her words cut deep, but she wasn't done.
"Weren't you going to save lives, Eva? Or was that just an empty promise to your dead aunt, the woman who loved you girls like the children she never got to have?"
"It wasn't an empty promise!" I snapped. "I... I meant every word! It's just..." I took a deep breath, struggling to hold back tears. "Things happened, okay? My dream went to shit. But don't sit there and judge me. Just—just don't!"
Mom didn't react. She absorbed my outburst like it was nothing, which only made it worse. It meant she was disappointed, not angry. And disappointment hurt more than any scolding ever could.
"How am I supposed to not judge you?" she asked quietly. "You shut yourself away from the world. You didn't even have the decency to explain why. You dropped out of college, disappeared, and then I hear about Dawn—"
I flinched at the mention of her name, and Mom immediately paused. Her stern eyes softened, filled with pity. The same eyes I'd been avoiding for three years.
It's funny how no matter how hard you try to outrun your past, it always catches up with you. And my nightmare? It was just beginning. I hadn't even faced the source of it all yet.
"Please, Mom..." I whispered. "Don't look at me like that. Please..."
Mom moved from her chair, sitting beside me. She took my hands in hers, her eyes full of both empathy and firmness.
"Moonlight, just talk to me. Why did you shut us out? That day, when we came to visit because you hadn't picked up the phone for a week, why did you send us away with those cruel words?"
What day? What was she talking about? Oh... I see. Another repressed memory. How typical of me. After all, I am the queen of avoiding confrontation.
The only reason I was even here, pretending to be brave, was because of that damn system. How laughable.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"That's it?" Mom asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
"What else can I say?"
"You could say, 'Gee, Mom, I was so heartbroken that I shut everyone out.' Or, 'I didn't know how to face the world after everything fell apart.' But no. You shut me out instead. And that's cowardly. I didn't raise a coward."
"Well, anything I say would just be an excuse, so why bother?"
I pulled my hands away from hers, tears flowing freely as I rushed to my room, ignoring her calls after me.