The next morning I woke up, early, which was really out of the ordinary. My mom was downstairs making coffee. Coffee?? My mother??? Whose kitchen was I in?
"Good morning sweetie! What do you want for breakfast?" she asked me, completely oblivious to the fact that my mouth was on the floor.
I picked it up off the floor and said, "Umm, some toast would be nice, I guess. Thanks."
She started bustling around the kitchen, pulling out the toaster, getting the bread, and she opened the fridge and pulled out my favorite kind of jam. It was then that I noticed that she was dressed nicely, her hair done, and makeup up on.
"Your guidance counselor called yesterday," she said, while the toast was toasting. "It seems you're having some kind of problem. I thought I'd go down there and straighten it out. Let her that no daughter of mine could possibly be having any serious problems. We're a happy family, even with dad gone, right Eleanor? Right?" she asked, almost pleading.
Mostly just because I didn't want her to burn my toast, I agreed. "Yeah mom, my guidance counselor is exaggerating." That's when I had an idea. "But you know how that counselor is. They're so pushy. She probably won't leave you alone until you promise to get me some sort of help. But since there's really nothing wrong with me, you could just say you'd get me help, and then just forget everything." Now it was my turn to be pleading.
"You know, Eleanor, that's actually not a bad idea. It would get her off my back, wouldn't it? Besides, she doesn't even really know you, not like your mother does. Don't worry, Eleanor, I'll get everything straightened out."
"Thanks, mom." Then she handed me my toast, and a glass of orange juice. I had sort of forgotten what it was like to have a real mother. It was nice to have breakfast in the morning. Maybe, just maybe, it would last? Even just a little while?
"Would you like a ride to school? Since I'm going there anyways? I could drop you off in the front and then go park."
"Sure mom, that would be really terrific. I'd love that."
She grabbed the keys to her purse, and we headed out to the car. On the way, she made some small talk, something she hadn't done in a while; mostly because she had been too busy passing out to say much of anything else. Once we got there, she dropped me off in the front, and went to go park.
I got through the day without being asked to the office, so I assumed everything went well with my mom. I even got a few comments through the day, saying how great it was that I looked happy. Well, I guess when you have a reason to be happy, being happy is much easier.
I headed off to my co-op, and got more work done that day than I had in forever. Even Caitlin was impressed. I went home, excited, but a little nervous. It would be so easy for my mother to just have put on an act.
All the way home, all I could think to myself was, "Please let her be sober, please let her be sober!"
And when I got home, much to my shock, she was sober! And she was making a dinner for the two of us. And the kitchen and living room was clean. Then I headed into the bathroom, where it was also spotlessly clean. I couldn't believe my eyes!
"You like it Eleanor?" she asked me.
"I've never seen our house so clean!" I exclaimed. "You must have been cleaning forever. It looks terrific!"
"Thank you Eleanor. I took a peek in your room, and I was thinking maybe you'd clean it up after dinner. I'm going to finish up my cleaning too."
"Sure mom, anything you want."
"Great. Now, why don't we sit down to dinner? I'll tell you what went on with your guidance counselor."
We sat down, and my mother said grace! Imagine, my mother, saying a prayer to God, and not being drunk or begging for the money for more booze.

"I let your guidance counselor that I would look into getting you some outside help, and she gave me the names of some of the people you could see. I was wondering, if maybe you'd actually like to talk to them? We can afford it, and I'd be willing to let you do that, if you wanted," she told me, looking like she really wanted me to say no.
"No thanks mom. I'd really rather not. I can handle my own problems." That when I thought to myself, 'Yeah, I can handle them well enough when you're sober.
"She told me that Ash had died. Is that the gothic girl who came over a few times?"
"Yeah."
"Eleanor, I was thinking maybe you could dress a little, well, a little differently. Just to try it. You know, a little more, presentable. But only if you want to."
"I don't know mom, this is who I am..." I was really hesitating. I would do nearly anything to please my mother at this point, but that... well, that was just a little hard to agree too.
"Please Eleanor, it would really mean a lot to me."
I pictured the looks on my classmates' faces when I came to school tomorrow, dressed like a prep. Of course, if my mother would stay sober, it was worth any humiliation. "Sure mom, I think I can find some acceptable clothes in my closet."
"Don't get me wrong sweetheart, you look beautiful no matter what, but you could really make yourself look terrific by dressing more normal."
Well, even though that comment kind of stung, I still agreed. Once we finished dinner, I started to clear the dishes, but she stopped me and said, "I'll do that dear. Why don't you go on upstairs and straighten up your room and do your homework. I've got everything under control down here."
I got a little suspicious, but I agreed anyways. I'd have to trust her eventually.
I ran upstairs, cleaned, did homework, and by then it was only 8 o'clock, so I went back downstairs, almost fully expecting my mother to be wasted. Again, I was shocked. She was dusting! Dusting! I couldn't believe it. My mother never dusted in her entire life.
"All done Eleanor?"
"Yeah mom. All clean, and homework all done."
"Terrific. I'm going to head out to the grocery store, and I'll be back in a bit."
"Okay mom. See you then."
As soon as my mother's car had pulled out of the driveway, I dashed to where she kept the booze. It was gone! All of it! Every last ounce was totally and completely gone! When she returned a half hour later, none of her bags had any booze in it. I was so excited, I could have cried. Dressing like a prep was totally worth it.
"Well, you'd better head off to bed," my mother said. And then she did something she hadn't done since I was six. She kissed me on the forehead, and told me to sleep well. I floated up the stairs. I wasn't even dreading tomorrow at school.