“Fourth,” she continued after shifting uncomfortably “is to make sure you never feel like I’m forcing it onto you. And fifth is to show you that I can be a proper Mom for you.”
By this point, I had realized where that weird feeling tugging on my brain came from. I had to fight back the grin my lips wanted to form, so Mom wouldn’t think I didn’t take her seriously. I would need to have a serious talk with Danny about this.
“Didn’t you say there were six steps?” I asked in an attempt to distract myself from my realization, since I remembered what it would be.
“Yes. But the last step requires me to finally get a job.”
“Ah. Like, be a proper role model to your children again?” I asked, no longer able to fully suppress my smirk.
“Uh, yes.” Mom responded, eyeing me for a moment. “That’s
“Yeah, thought as much.” I chuckled, as I pulled out my phone and started typing into the search bar. “You know, when all of our problems started, I tried to read up on it. I found the most helpful articles on psychology sites, but the most articles that helped came from reddit subs and self-help guides for neglected kids. And ... I quickly noticed a recurring theme when it came to the reasons why most kids became so estranged from their parents.”
As I spoke that last sentence, I handed her my phone. She hesitated for a second before taking it, looked at the screen, and then her expression darkened.
“I’m not an addict, Tim!” she finally called out, looking at me with a hurt expression.
“Look at the list underneath the headline, Mom.” I simply said.
“Wait...” Mom stammered. “That’s ... That’s exactly the list Danny gave me.”
“Yes. ‘6 steps to regain your children’s trust while in Recovery’.” I quoted.
“But ... I’m not in ... Why would she...” She was still unable to form a complete sentence.
“I mean, let’s be honest here. I highly doubt there’s a list titled ‘6 steps to regain your children’s trust after you refused to have sex with them’. I guess she made do with what she had. And let’s not forget that it did work, didn’t it? I think that’s all that counts.”
Hearing me say those last few words, she perked up.
“Do you really think that?” she asked, not in a disbelieving way. I got the impression that she simply wanted me to confirm, again, that our relationship had improved so much.
“Yes, I do. Now, let’s clean up, change, and start dinner. I’m starving!”
Over the following two days, two things happened.
First, Ava and I finished the condo to the point John could show it to the rest of the family. I was in the office when he did, but I heard that Ava held true to her word and did not comment in any way when Mom, Maggie, and the grandparents started praising John to high heavens for his great investments.
Second, I decided to make further use of my surveillance software on their phones, and listen in on Mom’s last few counseling sessions with Aaron. I’m not exactly proud of violating her privacy like that, or of betraying her trust, but I needed to know. I had to be sure her intentions were genuine. Yes, she had gone to great lengths in order to regain my affection, but after years of lies, secrecy, and cruel pranks, I hope it is understandable that my trust-issues with my family didn’t vanish over the course of a mere few months.
I did not have to wait long for that confirmation.
“
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“
