“Mom, please. Divorce him. I’ll support you. You don’t have to live Like this anymore.”
But Phillis simply shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ve managed this long. Besides, your father’s working now, and once the gambling debts are cleared, things will improve.”
But they both knew that wasn’t true. In truth, Phillis wanted her daughter to stay away; to not get involved. She didn’t want her anywhere near their chaotic mess of a life.
She wiped at her eyes, trying to smile through her tears when she received the transfer. “Go home, Doreen. Get some rest. I’ll be fine.”
Doreen reached out, wanting to do more-suggest dinner, anything-but her mother was already hurrying away. Her heart ached as she watched Phillis disappear into the night.
Memories clawed their way to the surface—her father’s violence, the rage and shouting when he gambled and lost, and her mother’s silent endurance.
Phillis had shielded her through it all, especially when she had become a target of her father’s drunken rampages. Doreen had to keep sending money home after graduating and moving out, knowing that otherwise, her father would bombard her with relentless phone calls.
She stood frozen for a long moment before shaking herself out of it.
Dexter was waiting.
She hailed a cab and headed to the restaurant they’d agreed on. When she arrived, Dexter was already seated, scrolling through his phone. Doreen approached, slid into the chair across from him, and conveyed her gratitude for the loan, promising to repay it as soon as she received her salary.
Dexter didn’t look up immediately. When he did, his response was flat.
“It’s fine.”
The silence stretched between them Like an unbridgeable chasm. Doreen waited, hoping he’d ask what had happened, why she’d needed the money so urgently. But he didn’t. His silence, coupled with her Lingering worries about her mother, cast a shadow over the meal.
At one point, Dexter leaned back and said, “You don’t need to contact me anymore. If there’s any news or I need your help with something, I’ll let you know.”
Doreen stared at him for a moment before nodding.
Dexter stood, adjusting his jacket. “I’ve already paid the bill. I have something to do, so I’ll head out.”
She watched him leave, stung and stunned.
By the time she realized it, tears were already falling. She wiped them away, but they came faster than she could stop them.
Her chest tightened as the reality of it all sank in-her family’s dysfunction, the unspoken distance between her and Dexter, and the growing realization of how vastly different their worlds were. Then the buzzing of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen. Stella.
Doreen composed herself before answering the phone.
Stella said, “Sorry I missed your call. What’s going on?”
Doreen replied, “I couldn’t find the pen.”
Stella reassured her, saying, “No worries, it might be at home. I’ll look for it when I get back.”
Feeling disheartened, Doreen responded with a quiet, “Okay,” and was about to hang up.