Kara stood preparing breakfast, bacon and eggs for everyone like she did every morning in the kitchen. But something was amiss this time. The usual noise she often heard from her two younger siblings, when they played around the house like they always did wasn't there. The beautiful song their dad always played every morning when he woke up, also seemed to be missing. The house was very quiet. She took out the frying pan from the cupboard, however the clashing of pot against pot echoed loudly in the living room, revealing how silent everywhere indeed was. The reason was all too obvious though. Their mother, Georgia, had returned.
She showed up two days ago, at the door with her luggage in one hand and crocodile tears rolling down her eyes. At least to Kara those tears were. Georgia had left them ten years ago, with no explanation, not so much as a direction as to where she was going. She gave them nothing, just simply packed her bags and left them in silence. And now here she was, back with an apology and eyes that were red from crying too much.
Kara hadn't spoken a word to her since she arrived. Her two younger siblings were quick to give in to her tears and forgive her easily. But Kara couldn't blame them. They were very small when she abandoned them. They didn't understand how it felt like. But she was there, she remembered every moment of it.
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She remembered the she slammed door, how she left them without even a goodbye, not even turning back for once. She remembered how she cried bitterly, running after her, and begging her to stay back. How could she forget? She was only ten years old and had to go through life without a mother figure. All her friends had their mothers there to teach and guide them, but she had none. She and her sibling never experienced what the true love of a mother felt like.
She watched as her father struggled to train the three of them all by himself. The late nights where he would cry in the living room and drink himself to stupor. How he would try to braid her hair at night just so she could look presentable at school the next day. She remembered it all.
“What can I help with?” Georgia spoke as calmly as she could as she went into the kitchen.
But it was met with silence.
“Look, I know I messed up badly, but I am truly sorry for leaving you”, Georgia started but was immediately cut short.
“Are you though? Seems like wherever you went to was more important than us, huh? "You didn't think twice when you walked out that door,” Kara said, hitting the cup suddenly on the kitchen counter.
“I’m so sorry for leaving. "I never should have,” she said in a quiet trembling voice.
“ Well, sorry doesn't change the fact that you did leave us”, Kara answered with tear-stained eyes as she walked out the kitchen.
At dinner, the whole family gathered around the dining table. Mr Edmond sat at the head of the table, Georgia sat beside him. Kara sat across from Georgia, while the two younger siblings sat facing each other. The atmosphere was tenese. No one would speak up. The two younger siblings started first, breaking the silence.
“Mummy, I want more eggs” they said simultaneously.
Georgia smiled at her two young children. They had grown so fast. The last time she saw them they were basically toddlers. She grabbed the dishing spoon and poured them more eggs.
“Kara, do you want some too?” she asked, still holding the spoon.
“No” Kara simply replied without glancing so much at her.
The dining table suddenly became quiet again. Georgia dropped her spoon on the plate a little bit loudly, attracting their attention.
“I think I’ll be leaving,” she announced suddenly.
Four pairs of expectant eyes looked at her suddenly.
“So soon?” Mr Edmond asked.
“I thought I should come back more slowly. Maybe this was too soon. She said.
“Mummy, why do you want to leave?
"Don't you love us anymore? “ the two younger siblings asked with teary eyes.
Why am I not surprised? "Leave like you always do,"Kara said sarcastically.
“I’m trying here. This isn't easy for me. I left I didn't want to be a bad mother to you. But it's clear you guys dint want me here. Georgia said in a shaky voice.
“No! You made it clear we weren't worth staying back.
"Where did you go that was far more important than your family, your children.” Kara fired back with angry hands pointing at her.
Tears gathered around Georgia's eyes.
“I never stopped loving you, all of you,” she said quietly.
“No, you don't get to say that, you don't get to come back into our lives and pretend everything is fine when it's definitely not “, Kara said at last as she got up and ran to her room.
Later that night, Georgia appeared at her door with a picture in her hand. She knocked twice. There was silence but went in anyway. Kara lay spread on her bed, her back facing her.
“I just want you to know that I always carry this with me.” She dropped a small picture of her and 2-year-old Kara together on the beach.
“What are you here?”
“I'll be leaving if that's what you want, but I'll be coming as often as I can. This time around I’m not abandoning you.”
“Why did you leave us?” Kara asked with tear-stained eyes.
“Things got bad between me and your father. At some point, it went beyond fixing. I needed to leave for me. It was becoming!g too toxic for me to stay. You saw it.”
“Parents aren't supposed to leave.”
“I know. "I thought leaving was the answer, how wrong I was.” she said, seating at the edge of the bed.
“I still hate you, but I also want you in my life.”
Georgia smiled at her daughter, and stretched her hands for a hug.
“Give me a hug,” she said.
“I missed you a lot, little princess,” she said, hugging her.
“I missed you too”.
