Chapter 5 #4
Annie hadn’t even made it three steps inside the door before her mom was in the foyer with her.
“Where have you been all day?” her mom asked, hands on her hips, looking flustered.
“Out with friends. Remember? I told you Leah texted me about getting together with the girls from high school?”
She moved past her mom and down the hall into the kitchen, beelining for the cabinet where her parents kept the glasses. She pulled one down, filled it with ice, then with water, and took a long sip of the refreshingly cool liquid.
“I know that, but I thought you would have been home an hour ago.”
“I stayed to have another drink and hang out and talk to Max. What’s the big deal?” Annie asked, rubbing at her temple. She was starting to feel the effects of the number of glasses of wine she had consumed today. “Where do you keep ibuprofen these days?”
Her mother glared at her, stepping around her and opening the cabinet above the fridge where the first-aid kit was kept, including one bottle of ibuprofen, which Annie accepted graciously.
“The big deal is that your father and I could have had plans, but we didn’t know what yours were, so we didn’t make any tonight.” Her mom crossed her arms defiantly, as if that settled any debate.
“Wait. Are you upset that you don’t have plans? You chose not to make them because you didn’t know what time I would be home. Why are you factoring me into your plans?” she asked, confused.
“Colleen, you can’t hold it against her for having fun with her friends.” Her dad’s voice drifted to them from the armchair in the living room where he sat flipping through the most recent National Geographic magazine—one of the many print subscriptions her father refused to let go of.
“I’m not mad,” her mother huffed, “I just think it would be nice that if you’re going to be living here, you communicate your various comings and goings with us.”
“Comings and goings?” Annie asked. “I barely go anywhere. I just started feeling like myself again. Sorry I wanted to get out of the house and have a little fun.” Her voice rose along with her defensiveness. Was her mom being serious right now?
“Don’t act childish, Annie,” her mother snapped.
“Colleen,” her dad said again, still not bothering to look up from his magazine.
Words flew out of Annie’s mouth, dripping with her exasperation. “I’m not acting childish. I’m a grown-ass adult. I have a 401 (k). I don’t need to report to my mother where I’m going to be at all times.”
“You do when you live under my roof.” Her mother’s words were a sharp reminder to Annie that she didn’t have any power here, not really anyway.
Annie exhaled deeply, fighting the surge of frustration that strained against her ribs, trying to contain it.
“And if you were with your friends, why did that girl drive you home?”
That girl.
“She has a name, Mom,” Annie grumbled.
“I’m sure she does.”
“She works at the winery. I stayed to have an extra glass and chat with her, had a little too much to drink, and she drove me home.”
Her mom, unable to poke any plausible holes in her story, pivoted the conversation with a whiplash-worthy yank. “So you left your car where?”
“At the winery. Andrew is going to grab it for me tomorrow.”
“You’re making your brother go out of his way to fix your problems?”
Annie couldn’t hold back her exasperated sigh any longer. “It’s not a problem when it already has a solution, and Andrew was happy to help. He’s going to be there tomorrow anyway. Why is this bothering you so much?” she asked, genuinely wanting to understand.
Her mother threw up her hands, her frustration with Annie evident. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Annie. But since you’ve moved back, that’s been the attitude you’ve had, and it’s time to move past it.”
Annie stared at her mom, confused as to where all this was coming from, but she didn’t have the energy to figure it out. Instead, she took a deep breath and swallowed her pride, serving up an apology she hoped would calm the waters.
She took her time with her response, doing her best to maintain an even tone. “I’m sorry that I didn’t communicate my plans fully to you this evening. I’ll do better to keep that in mind moving forward,” she said, pushing the final words out through gritted teeth.
“Thank you. Was that so hard?”
Yes. Excruciatingly hard.
Annie didn’t answer her.
“You and your father are on your own for dinner. I’m heading over to Jocelyn’s for bible study.” Her mom crouched in front of the wine fridge tucked away on the side of the kitchen, standing up with a bottle of wine in each hand.
Annie didn’t even bother mentioning her annoyance that her mom had gotten on her case about not being able to have plans this evening, only to reveal she had plans all along. What was the fucking point? She’d never know.
“Since when does bible study involve so much wine?’ she mumbled under her breath, and even though her mom didn’t acknowledge her comment, Annie knew she had heard her by the way she paused momentarily before she slipped the bottles into a large monogrammed canvas tote bag.