Amy
"You were gone."
Moms voice was tired.
"Where were you?"
I was in the hotelroom, back from the fishing trip.
"I went fishing with Void."
There wasn't any use lying about it.
"Fishing, there aen't any fish in the bay, they all died a long time ago."
I shrugged.
"I managed to catch one, a small one but I caught something."
Mom just seemed tired.
"I suppose I should guilt you about being gone, about how Vicky needs you right now."
I bit my lip.
"But Vicky needs some time alone to figure things out, or at least that's what she says."
Mom motioned for me to take a seat, I did so.
"I'm not going to treat you like a child, you've been through to much but I am asking you to be responsible."
"Mom."
"I'd like to ask you to wait until you're both out of high school but I'm going to have to be realistic about that."
"Like you..."
I closed my mouth.
"I'm sorry I was being... I'm sorry.
"Yeah...I didn't exactly have a choice about my first time... and well don't get pregnant on me."
"We just fished."
Mom leaned back.
"I always wanted a daughter who was exactly like me, figures I would get my wish."
She sounded bitter.
"We're attracted to trainwrecks, you and me, beautiful disasters, glorious projects that we can fix up, then we find out that it's not a project it's a human being and that just makes us more attracted. Like moths to a flame we can't walk away."
"I thought you and dad."
"I love your father Amy, but he's a very flawed man and maybe I love him because of those flaws not despite them. Neither of us are healthy people so I don't really trust myself to give you good relationship advice."
Mom seems to shrink into herself.
"I want you to be happy, but I also need you here with the family."
I sat next to her on the bed and gave mom a hug.
"I thought it would get easier once you grew up."
Mom held me close.
"It really doesn't Amy, you take it one day at a time but... no matter what happens I love you."