131 — Mrs. Smith

I can hardly believe my eyes… I blink a few times, looking at the woman who stares at me expectantly. Her blue eyes, similar to those of her son, reflect me, taking my breath away.
It’s been a few months since we last saw each other, but she looks the same: the black hair with a few gray strands, the marked wrinkles that, despite being on her face, don’t give away her age... everything looks the same as ever — except for the fact that she shouldn’t be smiling at me.
“Let’s have a coffee, what do you think? It’s been a while since we last saw each other, and Eric is so busy these days that he doesn’t have time for his own mother anymore.” She makes a dismissive gesture, still with her radiant smile, looking around. “Where is he? Let’s call him-”
“No!” I find my voice again, but it comes out sharper and shakier than I intended. I take a step back, adding a little distance that’s just enough to make me catch my breath. “I mean, Mrs. Smith, I don’t think it would be appropriate...”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” She asks, still with the smile that now seems almost forced, as she looks a little confused. Slowly, the woman looks around, searching for something, perhaps her son. “Don’t tell me, did he also make you come here by yourself to pick out a present? I mean, it’s sweet of him to let me choose something from this expensive mall, but the intention, the choice is what really counts... sometimes I think he doesn’t understand a woman’s heart!”
I shake my head, swallowing hard, “It’s not that, Mrs. Smith, it’s that Eric-“
My voice fails me as the woman starts coughing and quickly covers her mouth. She looks embarrassed as she reaches into her handbag for a handkerchief.
“Sorry, darling.” She says quietly, her shoulders withered, hiding her lips behind the small white handkerchief. “What were you going to say?”
“Mrs. Smith, I’m sorry, I think there’s a mistake because…” My voice disappears, not because she coughs again but because my eyes reach for the handkerchief… there’s something red in it.
Mrs. Smith lowers her eyes slowly and also notices that the handkerchief is stained with something that looks a lot like blood. She discreetly hides the stain, suddenly embarrassed, looking away as she adds, “This is no big deal… please continue.”
I open my lips to say something else, but I’m interrupted by Cathy, who stops beside me suddenly, so quickly that I don’t even notice her approaching. Her voice is loud and excited as she says, “We’re ready to go to the next store! We haven’t bought any lingerie yet, and I saw a beautiful one...” Her tone lowers as she notices the woman’s presence and looks at me again, “Is everything all right here?”
“Oh, are you with your friends? I see... Where’s that redhead who’s always with you?”
Oh, Gosh… I think I’m going to throw up.
“That bitch wouldn’t dare go near Angelee again,” Cathy says firmly, crossing her arms, causing her breasts to bounce slightly from her cleavage. Her elegant and imposing posture makes Mrs. Smith’s expression frown slowly.
“Using words like that, how rude.” The woman snorts, squeezing the handkerchief between her fingers, drawing my fearful eyes to her. “Who are you again?”
“Who are *you?”* Cathy retorts, her voice even more serious and kind of sarcastic.
“But of course, I’m her future mother-in-law.” Mrs. Smith says proudly, puffing out her chest and looking at me again with her warm smile that makes me want to freak out and scream and run away...
“Future mother-in-law? Funny, you don’t look like Mrs. Adams.” Cathy retorts again, and I look at her, startled, my eyes slowly widening.
“Mrs. Adams? What does that mean?” The woman asks me with horror on her face, her hands trembling.” Angelee, dear, what is this girl saying?”
“It’s just that... Well, I’m not in a relationship with your son anymore, Mrs. Smith... “I say cautiously, noticing that the woman takes a step back, looking confused and bewildered. “Eric hasn’t told you yet?”
“What? No, but... We talked yesterday and-”
“Oh, I see… she’s the mother of that asshole who cheated on you!” Cathy says, looking at me with a discreet smile on her lips. “Huh, we can see how twisted his character is since he didn’t even tell his own family about being dumped.”
“It can’t be... What is she saying?” Mrs. Smith starts coughing again, startling me. She covers her lips again, coughing so hard that she seems to run out of air, as her face gradually turns red... “Is that true? My son, he... Eric cheated on you?”
I feel my throat tighten and my eyes burn, as does my chest. The expression on the woman’s face is contorting into sadness, and she moans painfully through her coughs. She’s walking backward, her body weak, as if she’s been hit hard by the truth.
I can understand why she looks so upset… I really can. She’s a traditional woman, her whole family, in fact. I still remember the day I heard her talking about how she married still being a virgin, how this world has been chaotic and the society corrupted. She spent hours criticizing a niece who got married pregnant at the poor thing’s own wedding; she even mentioned the girl’s body count, clearly saying that women who didn’t marry virgins had no value... And that if people want to have sex that much, they should get married soon.
Of course, I thought this was absurd, but I kept quiet and swallowed all these words with heartache, even though I didn’t agree with them. I tried so hard to fit into these labels, and it was easy since Eric wasn’t looking for me.
I won’t deny it; there were several moments when I gave in and tried to provoke a reaction from him, but his body was never willing to meet mine... even though he was fine lying with others.
I don’t blame his family for clinging to traditional ideals. The older mind certainly judges our generation as immoral, but I don’t see myself as having the right to judge them. She wanted a virgin bride for her son, and I played the role perfectly... Until Eric shattered everything with his bare hands.
Now Mrs. Smith looks at me with surprise and a certain hurt in her eyes, which I confess hurts me. Losing Mom caused a huge hole in my chest, and the absence of a mother figure always made my wound throb. However, Mrs. Smith took me in and held me. She was always so kind to me... And I never saw her stop smiling! She’s a really kind woman, and somehow, reminded me of my mother... I think that’s why I desperately tried to win her approval, her love.
And I definitely didn’t want to see this expression on her face now... this pain that shines in her tearful blue eyes. Even these lowered eyebrows are something new in her countenance, something I’ve never seen myself. But when she pulls the handkerchief away, no longer coughing so much, I can clearly see the blood on the fabric. And just like that, her body threatens to fall over.
That gives me an impulse to reach for her, holding her in my arms while I look at Cathy, who is equally confused and surprised but helps me hold the woman as we carry her to the couch not far away, next to my shopping bags.
“I’m going to get a glass of water...” Cathy says in a shaky voice, quickly moving away and mobilizing some staff to help us.
“Mrs. Smith, are you all right?” I ask as soon as I help her sit down, looking at the blood on her handkerchief, which makes my eyes widen, my throat constrict, and my desperation grow even more. “You’re coughing up blood...”
“More important than that, darling... Are you all right?” She retorts, grasping my arm with weak hands; I imagine she’s trying to grab my skin, but there’s no strength at all. “That stupid boy... Is it true that he cheated on you?”
“But...”
“Don’t hide it from me, please…” She begs, with tears streaming from her eyes. “I didn’t know... I would never approve of something like that if I knew what he put you through!”
I feel my eyes sting, and I pull my lips back, lowering my head and holding her hand over my arm, “Yes, it’s true... Eric cheated on me with my best friend, Laura.”
I pause and swallow hard...
“I broke up with him a long time ago. I’m sorry he didn’t tell you, I thought... he would.”
Her expression is one of pure disgust. She sighs, shaking her head, letting go of my arm slowly... “He said things were busy because your father was going to buy the company he works for, and he was going to be promoted to Director. He said he has a lot of work to do, that he’s working hard to make your father proud, to make up for the chance he’s been given...”
Wait, what? My father would never hire him to be a Director... in fact, I doubt my father would even hire him. That’s such an astonishing lie, so... gross. What’s the point? Why is Eric pretending that nothing happened?
“I spoke to him yesterday, asked him if you’d confirm your presence on Saturday, and he said yes, that you’d both be there... When did he intend to tell me something like that? When the day comes and I don’t see you? I bet he’d make up some other lie... Oh, I can’t believe it...”
“What’s Saturday?” I ask with a shaky voice, and she seems a little hurt by my question. I open my lips to say something else, but Cathy approaches with a glass of water.
Mrs. Smith holds it with weak hands, so shaky that they almost spill the water. She lowers the bloody handkerchief and takes a few fearful, discreet sips while Cathy also looks at me with widened eyes, probably because she’s noticed the blood.
“Do you want me to call an ambulance?” Cathy asks the woman cautiously, different from the harsh tone she used before.
“Oh, no, this... It’s no big deal.”
No big deal? She’s coughing up blood!
“Saturday is my birthday... I wanted to get the people I love together because it might be my last.” She says with regret, a sad sigh that adds even more weight to her words... And which hit me straight in the chest.
“Are you ill?” My voice comes out shakier than I’d like, and it catches the eyes of Mrs. Smith and Cathy. “How long?”
“I wouldn’t want to say it like that... I know how hard it must be for you; I’d rather you didn’t have to go through it again, darling... It was a terrible thing you went through with your mother, and I was hoping to tell you when we saw each other again... I’m sorry it has to be this way. I don’t want you to relive this nightmare.”
I take a step back, my heart beating fast, so, so hard against my chest...
*It can’t be...*
“I have cancer...” She says sadly, her eyes glistening with tears... “I found out weeks ago…”
How weird... I think my vision is blurring…
And now, everything is going dark before me.