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Pushing those thoughts aside, I swing the car door open and trudge up the walkway. I have to confront this issue now. I need an explanation from my mom, and I need to get a better sense of what I should be expecting from my twin.
The second I step inside, Mom is already waiting for me in the hallway, wringing her hands together nervously.
“Did Lauren tell you I was coming?”
She nods with a slight grimace.
“Parker,” she begins, “before you start…”
I don’t let her finish. “Why is Bethany coming home?”
She blinks at my bluntness but doesn’t falter in her response. “Because she wants to, and because she’s still a part of this family.”
“You say that as if it explains everything,” I grumble. “You should have talked to Lauren and me first. We should have had a say about Bethany coming back. After what she did—”
“I know what happened!” Mom cuts in sharply. Her eyes flash with a mixture of sadness and anger. “And I also know that we need to move on from that. You kids can’t simply pretend Bethany doesn’t exist for the rest of your lives. It’s not fair!”
“Fair?” I explode, unable to keep the bitterness from seeping into my voice. “Did Bethany think about what was fair when she screwed us over? When she betrayed us and turned her back on this family without looking back?”
“Enough!” Mom’s voice resonates around the room, effectively silencing me. It’s that tone she rarely uses anymore, but it’s the one filled with an authority that I can’t argue against. It doesn’t matter if I’m an adult now, with my own opinions and thoughts, she’s still my mom. The best I can do right now is just make my case in a calm, yet firm manner. “She made a mistake, Parker. A huge one, but believe me when I tell you, she’s been paying for it all these years.”
Her words don’t pacify me in the least. I don’t care what kind of guilt-ridden life my sister has been leading. I’d be completely content never seeing her again, which only makes my irritation at my mom for making this arrangement that much stronger.
“But you’re not the one who gets to decide that,” I counter in a low but strong voice. “She’s your daughter, yes, but she’s my sister, too, and I’m not ready to forgive her.”
Mom reaches out and takes my hand, her eyes pleading with me to understand.
“I know it hurts, Parker,” she says softly. “Believe me, I understand, but we can’t change the past. All we can do is move forward and try to heal.”
It’s a sentiment I’ve heard before, a plea for peace that rings hollow in my ears. Some wounds cut too deep to simply patch up and forget. Plus, why is it that the people who have been wronged are expected to be the bigger people to make things right?
“I’m not sure I can, Mom,” I warn her, pulling my hand away to cross my arms over my chest defensively.
“Parker…” she murmurs. The disappointment is clear in her eyes.
With a sigh of frustration, I turn on my heel and head toward the door. I’ve said my piece and heard hers. There’s nothing more left to say or do. As much as I hate this situation, as much as it pains me to see Bethany again after all these years of silence and resentment, there’s also a part of me that hates upsetting my mom like I am now.
Without a backward glance, I open the front door and stride toward my car. As I slide into the driver’s seat, I grip the steering wheel tight, allowing the anger to wash over me like a tidal wave. The memory of Bethany’s betrayal comes rushing back, raw and painful as though it happened yesterday. How can Mom expect me to just put this anger aside and forgive her?
Starting the car, I let out a deep sigh and pull onto the street. I need time to clear my head, to process this unfortunate turn of events. I decide to go see Lauren. If anyone can understand how upset this whole thing has made me, it’s her.
The drive to Lauren’s house is swift, and soon, I find myself at her front door. I hit her doorbell and wait, my foot tapping impatiently. A few moments later, Lauren opens the door with a surprised frown.
“Parker? What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“I just got done talking to Mom,” I tell her grimly.
Eyes going wide, she pulls me inside and closes the door behind us.
“What did she say?” she asks.
“She wants us to put everything behind us and forgive Bethany.” Just saying the words has bitterness bubbling up inside of me.
She releases a long breath and shakes her head, her gaze sympathetic. “That’s basically what she told me, too.”
“I just…I can’t believe it,” I confess. “Not after everything.”
“I know,” Lauren murmurs. She places a comforting hand on my shoulder.
