She gave me a little grin. “Mom, I know.”
I kissed her forehead and stood up.
Anna folded her arms. “You act like we’re going to feed her to wolves.”
I looked at her. “You were never this funny before.”
Rick sighed like I was exhausting. “Can we not do this in front of her?”
I swallowed every word I wanted to say and left.
At work, I got almost nothing done.
An hour later, I texted Maria.
No answer.
Another hour passed with no answer. Then two. Then three.
So, I called Anna.
Anna picked up. She sighed when I asked why Maria wasn’t answering her texts.
“She’s swimming with Rick, sweetheart,” she said lightly. “Her phone’s inside, far away. Don’t worry so much.”
But I couldn’t hear any laughter or splashing in the background.
“She’s in the pool. I’ve got to go, but I’ll tell her you called.”
She hung up before I could say anything else.
I tried to convince myself I was being paranoid because of the past.
But as the day wore on without a word from Maria, I grew increasingly certain that letting her visit at that house had been a huge mistake.
By early evening, I was no longer pretending any part of this was normal.
I called Anna. No answer.
I called Rick. No answer.
Then, finally, my phone buzzed.
A text from Maria.
Mom, I’m sorry. I just got back to the garage.
For a second, I didn’t understand what I was reading.
What are you doing in the garage?
The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Aunt Anna made me clean the entire house. She called me a filthy little slob, didn’t give me dinner, and said I’d sleep in the garage.
I don’t know how to explain what happened in my body in that moment. It wasn’t panic exactly. Panic is wild. This was cold. Sharp. Certain.
I got out of bed, pulled on a gown, and started walking to the door.
Where is your dad? I typed.
He’s out there with her. Something’s going on. I hear voices.
He said you never taught me manners. That I’m useless.
I grabbed my keys and typed out, Don’t worry. I’m coming to get you right now.
For the entire drive, I kept trying to call Rick and Anna, but neither of them picked up.
When I turned onto Anna’s street, I saw cars lining both sides. Music spilled out into the warm night.
The front door was unlocked, so I walked straight in.
“Maria!” I yelled as I rushed inside. “Anna!”
I stopped dead when I saw what was happening in that house.
People dressed in formal clothes turned to stare at me, standing there in my gown. I took in the fancy wine coolers, the charcuterie boards, and the gentle lighting, and a jaw-dropping realization hit me.
Anna was throwing a party.
And she’d made MY DAUGHTER clean all day for her guests!
Rick appeared through the crowd.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Maria’s asleep upstairs.”
Anna came up beside Rick, smiling tightly. “You really need to relax. You’re being such a helicopter mom right now. It’s embarrassing.”
