My Husband Bought Her Snacks But Not My Mom A Ticket Chapter 01
After waiting all year, the day finally came when my mom came to Millbrook City to see me. But it was barely afternoon when Gavin Keller spoke up.
“Mom should go now.”
Seven years of marriage. Every year, my mom took the Greyhound to visit me once a year. And every time, she left around dusk.
I wanted to ask her to stay the night. Then Gavin said, “Give her these slippers.”
She’d worn them for less than three hours.
He kicked them across the floor. They scattered and stopped right at her feet.
My mom froze. Then her weathered face slowly pulled into a smile as she bent down and picked them up.
“Thank you, Gavin.”
Her voice was so humble it almost hurt. I knew—she was scared of causing me trouble.
Before my mom could leave, Brenda Nash walked out of the bedroom. Gavin’s childhood friend’s mom. She grabbed a can of Lysol spray and started spraying.
“So dirty. I think I’m getting allergies. Geez, how can you just invite anyone over?”
She’d been living here for three months. Gavin had picked her up from the airport himself.
My mom’s face turned bright red. She left in a hurry, humiliated.
My tongue went numb. I looked over at Gavin. But he acted like nothing happened. He turned around and helped Brenda sanitize.
I didn’t hesitate. I turned and ran after my mom.
“Mom, I’m coming with you.”
***
She ended up pushing me back.
She shoved me away stubbornly, smiling on her face but with tears in her eyes.
I stood there watching her heavy figure leave. Stood there for a long time.
Then a sharp ringtone snapped me out of it. “When did you go out?”
I looked down at my watch. Almost two hours had passed.
It took Gavin that long to notice someone was missing from the house.
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, he added, “Brenda wants the kettle corn from downstairs. Go buy some.”
The words I wanted to say died in my throat.
When I came back upstairs, Brenda was tossing out the cup my mom had used. I reached over and took it.
“What’s wrong with this cup?”
Brenda looked a little embarrassed, but still smiled. “It’s old. Amber just bought a new set, so we’re replacing them.”
“Don’t throw it away. I’ll use it.”
She shut up, took the snack bag from my hand, and turned to leave.
Just as she was about to walk off, I said, “Here’s the receipt.”
She paused. Didn’t take it. Looked at Gavin.
Gavin had just stepped out of the shower. His voice was casual. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a few bucks. Keep it.”
Twenty-two fifty.
Not a lot. But that was the ninth time this month. Total came to over two hundred dollars.
He hadn’t paid me back a dime.
And just now, he wouldn’t even buy my mom a bus ticket.
When I tried to buy it myself, Gavin said, “Your mom gets her retirement check, doesn’t she? She can pay for it herself. Besides, it’s our money we’re talking about.”
My mom’s bus ticket was suddenly a family expense.
But when his precious Brenda wanted kettle corn, marital property suddenly became “just a few bucks.”
Before I could say anything, Brenda grinned and walked back to her bedroom.
I stood there, holding the receipt, my arm frozen in the air.
I took a deep breath and asked, “When is Brenda moving out?”
“Amber’s still looking for a place.”
He’d been saying that for three months.
“She’s been looking forever. Can’t she just find somewhere, anything? Or stay with a relative?”
Gavin paused, towel still in his hand. His expression turned weird. “Why are you so worked up? Is someone coming to stay with us?”
Before I could answer, he sighed. “Even if someone is, there’s still an empty room.”
Right. There was an empty room. So why couldn’t my mom stay?
My fingers clenched. The receipt crumpled in my palm.
Then it started raining outside.
Thunder cracked, lightning flashed. My ears rang.
My mom had been terrified of rain ever since she slipped off a hillside in a storm as a kid. Sometimes her panic attacks got so bad she’d bite through her tongue.
My head pounded. I called her right away.
The phone rang twice. When someone picked up, it wasn’t her voice.
“Hello, the owner of this phone passed out at the Central Bus Terminal. We’re taking her to the hospital now.”
Cold sweat ran down my back. I stammered out a thank you.
I ran into the bedroom, changing clothes as I shouted to Gavin in the living room. “Gavin, something happened to my mom. My car’s at the Auto Repair Shop. Can you drive me to get her?”
But when I finished changing, Gavin was gone.
I called him three times in a panic. No answer.
Then Brenda walked out. Without Gavin around, her face was all impatience. She scolded me like I was a child.
“Paige, it’s not like you’re disabled. Gavin’s picking up Amber. Figure it out yourself and quit nagging him!”
Her tone was nasty, dripping with possessiveness—like Gavin was her son-in-law.
