CHAPTER 3: THE GARDENS
If there was one thing Wren as better than at Cath, it was keeping herself together. She walked with a blank face briskly out of the room while Cath took shaky breaths. It didn't seem to connect- her mom had raised her and Wren the same, but Lily differently? Cath and Wren never bothered to look out for their mom at school events, family parties, birthdays, pickups, drop-offs, because they knew she wouldn't have been there. From an early age it was obvious that she didn't ever want them there. But Lily seemed so confident, so happy. Laura must have wasted all her Annoying-kids and Worst-parent-ever behaviour on them to be perfect to a child that wasn't even her own.
They ran out to the garden and sat down on one of the wooden benches. Wren took a deep breath and looked at Cath. "So," She began, her eyes misty. "Laura seems to be super parent now." Cath nodded. "You would know. You're the one who became her best friend at Thanksgiving." Wren looked up at the sky, full of stars that had parents who bothered to stick around. "I was only with her for two hours. She spent most of that time texting and every time I asked her about my new life she would say something vague. It was like she only did it because she had to. She left while I was in the bathroom, so I had to walk home because my phone was dead. I got home really late." Cath looked at her. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry I accused you of not being there for dad." Wren smiled. "Look, we should still be in there, its not her fault Laura was a shitty parent to us and a great one to her. Its Laura's problem." Cath nodded. "I'm going back up. Wren brushed her shoulder length hair back, and hugged Cath. "It'll be okay."
"I'm SO sorry." Lily said, biting her lip as they walked in. "I didn't know. Please forgive me!" Wren put a hand up. "Lily, we know you didn't know, its fine."
They sat down in silence as they ate the Chinese food. After Reagan had kicked everyone out, she looked at Cath. "What exactly did your mother do to you when she left?"
Cath glanced up. "We heard yelling, and my mom crying. The next minute she was downstairs throwing things into garbage bags and loading up her car with things. Wren asked what was going on, and Laura picked us both up and told us that we would visit her. All poor dad could do was sit there and watch coverage on 9/11 on TV while teams streamed down his face. 15 minutes later, we were on the front porch with Laura hugging us and kissing us goodbye. She said that she would visit us, but never once did we get so much as an email from her. Then she tries to become friends with us again at the end of last year, and I wasn't buying it. I knew she had step kids and that, but meeting Lily was all too much."
Reagan nodded. "I know what you mean." She turned off the light.
"Goodnight, Cather."
"Goodnight."