Imagined Love

“And you think that makes it all okay, don’t you? What’s a few black eyes and busted lips when you can have nice things, right? As long as your beloved son-in-law pays your bills and showers you with wonderful gifts then who gives a damn what I go through. Who cares if I get bloodied and bruised . . .?”

"Oh shut up, Willa! It’s your own fault ’cause you ain’t learned how to keep your smart ass mouth closed! Miles work like a dog so you and Jade don’t want for nothing and all he ask is for you to stay home and take care of your family like you supposed to. If you didn’t want this kind of life then you shouldn’t have been laying up having babies in high school. But you did. So it’s too late to be out there chasing dreams and rainbows. Your sole purpose in life is to take care of your husband and children. That’s what you chose. So you better learn to keep your mouth shut and be grateful you got a man that really love you. He wasn’t like a lot of ‘em who would’ve ran out on you. He stood by your side and broke his back to take care of you and the baby. And then, after all that, you think he just gone sit back and let you talk to him any old kinda way?” Dorothea asked, incredulously. “You wouldn’t have nothing if it wasn’t for Miles. You oughtta be bending over backwards to make sure that man got everything he need. Everything he need! It’s the least you can do. So keep your ass at home and take care of your own man instead of running around that office catering to some other one for a few little pennies!” Dorothea sneered. “You better get your priorities straight, little girl, or you gone lose the best thing you got.”

Willa stood there shaking her head in disbelief. “I feel sorry for you, Mama. I really do. But I refuse to let your 1950's mentality and the fact that you have no self worth continue to influence my life. I’ve wasted a lot of years trying to please you when you’ve made it quite clear that I’ll never be able to. I don’t know what I’ve done to make you hate me so much but I’m sick of trying to figure it out,” Willa said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “Miles has done a lot for me but he didn’t buy me like you seem to think. And he doesn’t have a right to put his hands on me just because he doesn’t like what I say. You tolerated that mess because you thought you didn’t have a choice. Well, I do. And that’s why I served that abusive bastard with divorce papers and took my ‘few little pennies’ to get a place of our own for me and Jade. I’ll do everything in my power to show her she can stand on her own two feet and that she never has to settle for being with someone who mistreats her because she can’t take care of herself. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she never becomes you!”

“Well,” Dorothea shrugged, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “I guess you don’t need me to take Jade then.” She clutched her purse and left the office without another word.