She pulled out the photograph and looked at it. Her pupils contracted sharply.
Her whole body slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.
Her eyes turned red in an instant, fat tears splashing against the tile.
Her lips trembled violently as she held the photograph out to Mom.
"Mom... Eudora, she... she shoved a photo at me."
"On the back it says if I ever dare call you 'Mom' again, she'll strangle me with a rope."
Mom's face darkened.
She snatched the photograph from Aileen's hand.
On the back, in handwriting I knew better than anyone, were the words.
That note was written by me while Aileen held a knife to my throat.
"Aileen, if you dare call her 'Mom' one more time, when you come home, I'll strangle you with a rope, chop you into pieces, and feed you to the dogs."
Mom kicked over the trash can beside her. Garbage spilled across the floor.
She dialed my number immediately, the vein at her temple throbbing.
One call after another. Every single one met with the same robotic voicemail prompt. Mom laughed from sheer fury, her chest heaving.
"Fine, Eudora. You've really grown bold!"
"You had the nerve to write something like this, and now you're pulling the silent treatment? Trying to make me feel guilty? Trying to make me worry?"
Beside her, Aileen tugged gently at her sleeve, her voice trembling.
"Mom, I'm so scared... She wouldn't really strangle me, would she? It's all my fault. Please don't blame her. Maybe... maybe I should just leave home. Once I'm gone, she'll calm down, and you won't be stuck in the middle anymore."
Mom looked at Aileen, cowering and self-sacrificing at her side, then glanced up at the strangers whispering around them.
All that remained in her heart was bottomless irritation and rage.
And in that moment, she made the decision that would jolt her awake in the middle of the night for the rest of her life.
"We're not going home tonight."
"She loves that house so much? Then let her stay in it by herself!"
She helped Aileen to her feet.
"We'll go to the Pinecrest Hot Springs Resort. If we leave now, we'll get there in time to celebrate your birthday. Let her sit at home and think about what she's done. Once she's come to her senses, we can talk about cutting ties for good."
She flicked on the turn signal. The car merged onto the highway heading out of the city, its taillights shrinking into the darkness, farther and farther from home.