Her smile dropped completely. “You’re cutting me off?”
“No,” Mason said. “You did that when you shredded her childhood for the sake of your ego.”
We left her standing there, mouth open, one hand still resting on the gold door handle like she couldn’t believe someone had dared walk away from her.
Back home, we took every single outfit she bought and packed it up into boxes. Some were priced so high that it made my eyes water, but that didn’t matter. We donated all of it to a women’s shelter in the city, one that helps struggling single moms.
Hopefully, it could be used by people who needed it.
My mom came over the next morning with her sewing kit and tears in her eyes.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, holding up a small bag of salvaged fabric. “I thought maybe we could try to repair a few things together.”
Hazel cooed softly from her chair as we sat on the living room floor and worked in silence. It wasn’t just about the clothes. It was about reclaiming the love that Lorraine had tried to erase with scissors and silk.
Some pieces were too far gone to fix. Others, though, we saved. The yellow cardigan, part of the baptism gown, and the edge of the quilt with Hazel’s name embroidered in fading thread.
Mason watched us quietly, then came to sit beside me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner,” he said, his voice low. “I thought she just wanted to help in her own weird way. I didn’t think she would take something so personal and… rip it apart.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand.
“She took the things,” I said, “but not the meaning behind them. We still have that.”
Hazel let out a little hiccup and smiled at us as if she knew she was safe. We smiled back.
Although we couldn’t fix everything, some things could.
Especially our boundaries.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
