'You can't be angry at her forever. She's your mum.'
Elinor huffed and turned away, Charlotte suctioned to her breast.
'What does she think she's doing?'
'Look, my mum liked her from the beginning. When I figured it out, she promised me she wouldn't do anything. Because we were both certain that Serena wouldn't respond to her. That's why we clamped down on it. But Serena feels the same way and wants to pursue this relationship. I don't know what you'd call that but does it matter? Do you know how long it took for me to process my mum's awkward stuttering confession? To get used to the reason why she wanted a divorce? It was painful to see and it broke up our family. But we're adults now and we've got our own kid and we can accept it.'
'We're not the enemy, Ellie' said Bernie from the doorway. They turned round in surprise.
'I didn't mean this to happen but I'm not going to pretend that I hadn't wanted it. I don't have to pretend anything anymore, I'm done with that. I've done my penance and I can finally have this with someone. I didn't approach her earlier because I never thought that she would want the same thing. But she does and we're so so happy.'
Cam was astonished that his mother was being so open about her desires. She sounded so earnest, realising that she finally felt free in her decision. He could see how confident she'd become, as if a little bit of Serena had rubbed off on her. She smiled so radiantly these days. It had been years since he'd seen that from her.
'I appreciate how weird this is for you. But you're old enough to start thinking of us as people. Your mum has always put duty first and worked through every knock back that's been thrown at her but it's about time she said yes to something that is just for her. I know that everyone thinks she's this strong boss…lady (she wasn't sure if that was a phrase) but she's just as vulnerable and needy for affection and love as the rest of us and she doesn't need to pretend that she doesn't need it or want it. I've done the same for years and it's miserable. You have no idea how miserable that existence is until you've got something better. We're allowed to be in love with each other and no matter how much you act up, you won't have any part in destroying what we have. So please start treating her better. She doesn't deserve your disdain.'
She stopped right there, hoping that the tear in her eye wouldn't fall. Cam smiled, he was proud of his mum right at that point. Elinor's mutinous expression started to crack and Bernie left, leaving her son to deal with it.