Chapter 8 - The Woman on the Speakerphone
Mia opened her eyes.
I touched the screen.
“Mom, you’re on speaker. Mia is here.”
“Of course she is.”
“Tell us what happened to the money.”
“I spent some. I paid bills. I needed things.”
“Then you should have asked.”
“I shouldn’t have to beg my own son.”
“Nobody said you should.”
Mia leaned forward.
“Did you know I was buying groceries with my savings?”
A pause.
“You had savings?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t see the problem.”
Mia’s face changed.
It wasn’t dramatic. She didn’t shout.
Something simply settled.
“The problem is that I asked if we could order dinner one night, and you told me Rafael couldn’t afford my laziness.”
Mom gave a short laugh.
“You remember everything in the worst possible way.”
“I remember being hungry.”
“You had food.”
“I cooked it.”
“And you could have eaten it.”
“While it was hot, you said Nico’s crying was ruining your meal.”
I started to speak.
Mia lifted one hand.
I stopped.
She had spent too long being interrupted by people who claimed they were helping her.
“Why did you take my phone?” she asked.
“Because you were always looking at it.”
“I was timing feedings.”
“You were recording me.”
“You found out about the recordings later.”
Silence.
Mia leaned back.
“You took my phone because I said I was calling Rafael.”
My mother’s voice sharpened.
“You were trying to make me look bad.”
“No,” Mia said. “I was trying to get help.”
Mom hung up.
For several seconds, the kitchen felt strangely large.
Then Mia began to cry.
Quietly at first.
I stayed in my chair.
“Do you want me near you?”
She nodded.
I sat beside her.
“I kept thinking if I did one more thing, she’d stop being angry,” she said.
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.”
“You’re right.”
Her shoulders shook.
“She always had one more thing.”
That evening, Celia sent me a voice message.
Mom was devastated. Mom had raised me. Mom deserved respect.
At the end, Celia added, “She showed me a recording of Mia screaming. You need to hear both sides.”
I played it for Mia only after explaining what it contained.
The clip lasted eleven seconds.
Mia’s voice sounded sharp and frightened.
“Get away from me. Don’t touch him.”
I looked at her.
She didn’t look surprised.
“She finally used it,” she said.
“What happened before that?”
May you like
Mia reached for her phone.
“She left that part out.”
