I just got married last year, to the greatest man. His name is Paul, and he's so friendly and nice.
I know that I'm safe when I'm with him. I know that he would never hurt me. I think that's why I like him so much.
I finally moved out of Maureen's about a year and a half ago. Molly is seven years old, and I'm expecting Paul's child, the first planned child I've had.
Corey and I got divorced about four months after I had moved out of the apartment. Molly wasn't even one yet. Neither of us have seen him since, although she still has his last name.
Everything is falling into place, it seems. I mean, things should feel right. So, they are. Right?
I'm driving to Maureen's house. It's a Saturday night, so I left Molly with a sitter so I could run up to my friend's house for a few hours.
There's only one car in the driveway, which mean that only Maureen is home. All of her kids have grown up and moved out, besides for Robin, who's twenty-one, and Pete, who's eleven.
I walk inside, looking around for somebody. I don't see or hear anybody, until I reach the hall. Then, I see somebody.
It's Maureen. And oh my God. She's lying there, lifeless.
I run and grab the phone immediately, ready to call 911 and Robin.
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She attempted to commit suicide.
I knew that she had previous problems with depression, but I thought that had been over since she had been subscribed the medication. Ironically, she used this medicine to try and take her own life.
I can't say anything right now. I don't know what I would say if I had the ability.
Robin has handled the situation so inappropriately. I don't even know what's going on. But, everything's just kind of spinning, and I don't know if I can handle this anymore.
If my best friend is selfish enough to attempt to leave me, and her entire family, in this world without her, maybe she's not my real friend at all.
Things can't possibly be /that/ bad.
And if they were... well, she never showed it. I would have been happy to help, too.
I don't think I can set foot in that house again, or in the path of any of these people.
Although I had been driving up to the hospital, I quickly turn around. I can't handle seeing Maureen, or any of the Mancini's, ever again.
**END FLASHBACK**
That was the last time I saw any of them. And it's 2002 now. Twelve years. That's quite a long time.
I think of that as I'm on the way home from Eric and Donna's. It was quite possibly the saddest day of my life. I mean, I practically cut my own family out of my life. That's what it felt like.
As I'm driving home, I consider the possibility of me stopping by Maureen's house. I know where her new home is.
However, it's too late, anyways. I think I'll just stop at Molly's and see how her date was. I'm right by her apartment place anyways.
Five minutes later, I arrive and get buzzed in, so I knock on her apartment door.
A tall guy who looks to be around twenty-five opens up the door, then gives me a quizzical look. "You're not Molly..."
"Um... no," I say, unsure of what to say.
"Are you, like, her sister or something? Because you look kind of like her," he adds.
"No, no." I smile at the subtle compliment. "I'm her mom. Who are you?"
"I'm Dario, Molly's roommate," he replies. "Come in." He leads me in.
I've been to Molly's apartment before, but she never told me she got a new roommate.
I remember her old roommate, Veronica, used to be very unorganized, and the apartment was a complete mess. But, after Veronica moved in with her new boyfriend, I didn't think that Molly had gotten a roommate. Especially one so handsome!
The apartment looks great now. It looks like a new place, actually. It's clean, and everything's rearranged. I think she got new furniture. Maybe Veronica took some of the old stuff with her.
"So, is Molly still out?" I ask.
"I guess so," Dario replies. "She was really excited for this date."
"Yeah..." I trail off. "So, how long have you lived with Molly for?"
"Almost two months," Dario says. "She had an ad in the paper, and I had just gotten kicked out by my girlfriend, so I replied, and I guess that somehow I was better than the other people that replied. Unless nobody else did."
I nod politely. "That's cool."
"Yeah. So, um, wow! You look really young to be Molly's mom," he says nicely.
"Thanks." I laugh. "Yeah, I had her when I was pretty young. I'm forty now, though."
"Really?" he asks, and I nod. "I would have never guessed."
"Yeah, it sucks," I say, as the sound of a key opening the door is heard.
Molly steps in the room, just as Dario leaves. "Hey... Mom? What are you doing here?"
"I was in town, visiting some friends, and I thought I'd stop by and see how your date went," I tell her. "And obviously, it wasn't too well, because he's not coming back here with you."
Molly raises her eyebrows. "No, actually, it was great. I mean, it's already ten. It was getting kind of late."
"Ten?" I give her a look of disbelief. "Honey, a bad date for me is going home after eleven." I pause for her reaction. "Who was this guy, anyway?"
"Scott." Molly shrugs. "I met him one night when I was out with a friend... she knew him somehow, I guess. I found out where he worked, and I just started going in there more often. And then we... mutually decided to go out on a date." She smiles nervously.
"Mutually decided? What does that mean?" I ask.
"Well..." She trails off. "I talked to some of his friends... and told them to put it in his head that he should ask me out. So he did."
I shake my head slowly. "Did he seem into you?"
"Well, yeah! It was really good!" She smiles unconvincingly.
"I don't believe you. I'm just gonna have to show you how to make him interested, okay?" I ask her.
"Fine," she says, crossing her arms.
"You're so pretty," I tell her. "I can't believe you don't use it to your advantage. I mean, you wore that on a date?"
She shrugs. "Is it like, put down Molly day or something?"
"No, I'm just saying. Maybe I should give you a makeover." I smile at her.
She rolls her eyes. "Maybe one day."
"So, you got a new roommate, huh?" I ask her.
"Yeah, Dario. He's nice. You've met him?" she asks me.
"Yeah." I nod.
"He's like... twenty-seven, I think. It's funny, because that sounds so much more older than me," she says.
"About six years," I say. "Not much." Then I make her sit down next to me on the couch. "So, this Scott guy. What's he look like?"
Molly blushes. "I don't know. He's really good-looking. Like, really."
I smile at her. "Sounds like you've really got a crush on him, huh?"
"I guess." She gives a small smile. "I really want him to be into me, though. And he seemed... quick to leave."
"Well, did he kiss you goodbye?" I ask.
"On the cheek," Molly says.
I give her a look, and she knows what it means. "I'll teach you how to make him want you," I say, smiling at her.
"I don't know," she says, frowning.
"It'll work. I'm good at these things," I tell her.
"Alright, I guess," she says.
"Okay. Well, I've gotta go home. Asher and Spencer are probably home already. Paul took them out." I say.
Molly makes a face. She doesn't like Paul.
"I'll see you... tomorrow?" Molly nods. "Okay." I hug her. "Bye."
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The next day, I wake up in the guest room, which is where I've been sleeping for a while.
I know I'm home alone, because Paul is at work, and the kids are at school, so I decide to go back to Molly's again, in order to help her out with this Scott guy.
I call her cell phone, and she picks up on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Hey. Are you home?" I ask.
"Uh." She sounds uneasy. "No."
"Okay, well, where are you?" I ask.
"I'm... at Aunt Maureen's," she finally replies.
"What?" I'm shocked. Is she over there all the time now?
"You should come, Mom. They miss you," she tells me.
"Molly, I can't just..." I trail off. What do I say? "I can't just walk in there, and-"
"Yes, you can, Mom!" Molly insists. "It's fine. I really want you to come. You know it's just down the street."
I sigh. "I know. It's been so long, though, and-"
"Just come," Molly says. Then, she hangs up on me.
I roll my eyes and grab my keys. This is gonna be tough.