My name\u2019s Jovie, and I\u2019m 16 these days. When I was ten, cancer chipped away at my mom bit by bit, taking her from me one round of treatment after another. Those years left marks that still pull tight across my early days.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s name was Seren. She was the sort of soft woman who made you hush without trying. Just being near her felt like a quiet song.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d weave my hair into braids for school pics and tuck short notes in my lunch that read things like \u201cYou\u2019re strong. You\u2019re sweet. You\u2019re mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
On lazy Sunday mornings, she\u2019d hum Fleetwood Mac tunes while we whipped up lemon squares, flour all over her apron and a spark in her eyes.<\/p>\n
Dad loved her with everything he had. He\u2019d slip a wildflower behind her ear at the store, just to see her grin. Those small moves showed me what real care looked like.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d sneak peeks at them swaying slow in the kitchen after supper, like every radio hit was made for them. I figured their bond kept us safe from anything.<\/p>\n
Cancer didn\u2019t crash in loud.<\/p>\n
It slipped in quiet and stuck around. First the doctor runs that never ended, then the bright scarves to hide her thinning hair. By ten, I\u2019d picked up words no kid should know.<\/p>\n
Some days, Mom was still her. Her eyes would light up with her jokes, and she\u2019d crack up at Dad\u2019s lame wordplay. But others, the whole setup felt off-kilter, like we were hanging on to keep from falling.<\/p>\n
Dad gripped her hand at every check and figured out her scarf knots just right. His gentle side became what kept us from breaking.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d murmur, \u201cWe\u2019ll push through, Seren,\u201d even when the doctor\u2019s face said the rest.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll never shake that mild October day when Mom had me sit by her bed and flipped open a little velvet case. The look in her eyes said this was one to hold forever.<\/p>\n
Nestled inside was a slim silver chain with a small oval pendant, edges worn smooth and carved with a light forget-me-not.<\/p>\n
When I popped the pendant open, a snapshot of us three at the fair stared back. I had gaps where my front teeth went, sticky candy on my face, and Mom and Dad cracked up like they\u2019d cracked the code to joy.<\/p>\n
The inside back read in small, neat script: \u201cTake me to your days ahead. \u2013 S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers trembled as she clicked it around my neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have this on,\u201d she said, nestling the pendant to my skin, \u201cyou\u2019ll hear my giggle. Smell our kitchen when we scorched the treats. Know the spot where you felt most safe.\u201d She touched over my heart. \u201cThis isn\u2019t the end, honey. This pendant keeps us close always.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had that pendant on nearly every day since. I had no clue it\u2019d one day light a fight I never wanted.<\/p>\n
A few months on, still just ten, cancer took her for good.<\/p>\n
One evening, Mom was there, breathing hopes into my curls, and by morning light, she was gone. Everything turned sharp and empty, even in the sun.<\/p>\n
She went in the lilac dress she picked out, and that silver pendant turned into the last bit of her I could keep close.<\/p>\n
Two years later, Dad wed a woman named Calista.<\/p>\n
They crossed paths at a town event where Dad\u2019s work chipped in cash. Calista caught eyes right off. She was sleek, sure of herself, the type who owned any space. Around her, I always felt faded.<\/p>\n
After seeing Dad\u2019s sorrow eat him up for months, she looked like a way back to life. For that, I tried to feel thankful.<\/p>\n
A year in, they said vows in a quiet setup. I wore a soft blue dress and faked smiles for the shots, telling myself it helped Dad. But inside, a quiet worry had started.<\/p>\n
At the start, Calista wasn\u2019t mean outright.<\/p>\n
She kept things cool and stiff, like we were folks she watched from afar. She settled in with her tidy bags and spotless ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll build our own setup here,\u201d she said, showing off those bright teeth. \u201cClean and new.\u201d<\/p>\n
I talked myself into thinking that meant mending.<\/p>\n
But bit by bit, the front wore thin. And when it fell, it stung worse than I\u2019d guessed.<\/p>\n
It kicked off with quick, sharp digs.<\/p>\n
If milk splashed at breakfast, she\u2019d huff big. \u201cYour mom must\u2019ve skipped the grace lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n
If I pulled on one of Mom\u2019s old sweaters, she\u2019d tug the cloth. \u201cSo last year. Just like her picks.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I tripped on words in schoolwork, she\u2019d actually chuckle. \u201cNo shock you sound so rough. Some folks just miss the basics.\u201d<\/p>\n
She picked on my necklace most. Every time I fiddled with it without thinking, her stare would slice. Like the pendant was out to get her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need something fresh, Jovie,\u201d she\u2019d say all sugar. \u201cTruth, hanging on to old stuff isn\u2019t good for a teen.\u201d<\/p>\n
It ramped up when her mom, Nimue, started dropping by often. If Calista was a blade, Nimue was a full edge. Side by side, they turned nonstop.<\/p>\n
If a spoon clattered at supper, Nimue would smirk. \u201cPoor kid missed real raising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calista would laugh along. \u201cWell, with her kind of mom, what\u2019d you wait for?\u201d<\/p>\n
They\u2019d cackle as one. At me, and at Mom\u2019s shadow. Each one chipped her away more.<\/p>\n
Dad missed it all. Long shifts left him drained by evening. By door time, Calista flipped back to warm tea and smiles. She nailed her act when he was near.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s settling in fine, Rafferty,\u201d she\u2019d purr. \u201cI\u2019m easing her through the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rare times I tried spilling to Dad, Calista had her shield up. She cut me off before I finished.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d kick off with, \u201cDad, Calista said something about Mom today,\u201d and she\u2019d slide in soft. \u201cOh, sweet Jovie\u2019s hurting bad. She twists help into hits sometimes. I\u2019d never knock Seren, Rafferty. I know her spot with you two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad would breathe heavy, rub his brow, and nudge me to cut her slack.<\/p>\n
He craved calm at home, and Calista timed her show spot-on. Like she\u2019d run lines.<\/p>\n
So I quit telling. I started hiding the pendant under my tops, safe from Calista\u2019s mean looks.<\/p>\n
I figured that fixed it. But then Dad\u2019s birthday hit, and it all went south. A night for cheers turned into the break point.<\/p>\n
Calista threw a fancy supper with family pals. The table shone with her fine plates and glassware. She\u2019d slaved all day on food and blooms, owning her hostess gig. The place gleamed like her spotlight.<\/p>\n
I passed starters and aimed to fade. Guests laughed and talked, thrilled for Dad\u2019s day. Their cheer just made me feel more off.<\/p>\n
I perched quiet in my seat, twisting my fork while chat buzzed on.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I slipped. And Calista jumped it.<\/p>\n
Without a thought, I reached for my pendant under my sweater. Just a tic when I felt shaky or missed Mom. The cool touch always settled me.<\/p>\n
Calista\u2019s keen eyes caught it fast. She leaned my way with that phony sweet grin for show, but her bite came low and hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat tacky chain again, Jovie. Looks so tacky. Ditch it now before folks spot. You want them thinking we\u2019re broke or what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nimue, right next to Calista, piled on with her sour smile. \u201cYeah, lose that junk fast. All\u2019ll mock you for hauling some worn-out junk from a lost mom. Quit the sad act and quit shaming us.\u201d<\/p>\n
My neck locked, but a fire deep down broke free. I straightened and met Calista\u2019s stare head-on. The quiet I\u2019d kept for years fell away right there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my mom\u2019s pendant,\u201d I said clear for the whole table. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll keep it on always.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room froze, stares heavy like weights.<\/p>\n
Calista\u2019s fake grin twitched bad. Then she fired back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m your mom now, Jovie,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve given more in four years than she did in ten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpot on!\u201d Nimue sneered. \u201cQuit dissing my girl with this mushy junk about your \u2018dear mommy.\u2019 Calista\u2019s your true mom! She\u2019s the one handling you day in, day out. And you sit here, thanks-less and self-centered like ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks-less and self-centered? It rang in my ears, cheeks hot with shame, hands shaky. The hits threatened to stick.<\/p>\n
Guests shifted uneasy, eyes on plates.<\/p>\n
Then a deep, rough voice sliced the quiet. The kind that shook the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad loomed in the kitchen arch. Birthday cake still in hand, but his face stormed dark. Eyes burned with a rage I\u2019d never clocked.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d caught every bit. And for once, Calista\u2019s front broke clean.<\/p>\n
Calista and Nimue gawked at Dad like he shouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cRafferty,\u201d Calista stuttered, faking a laugh, \u201cwe were just chatting a bit\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChatting?\u201d Dad echoed. \u201cBashing my girl and trashing my wife\u2019s memory is your chat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nimue sat tall. \u201cOh, Rafferty, don\u2019t overdo it. We\u2019re just steering this kid right. Clearly, her mom couldn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot one word.\u201d His tone boomed now. Neck veins popped like cords. \u201cDon\u2019t breathe Seren\u2019s name here again. Not that way. Never.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped over, hand light on my shoulder. Not to hold back, but to back me up. Then he jabbed at the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut. You two. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calista\u2019s jaw dropped shocked. \u201cRafferty, you can\u2019t mean it! This is your birthday meal!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Dad said, rock-steady. \u201cThis is my home. And my girl\u2019s the only kin I want here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nimue choked mad. \u201cRafferty, this is nuts\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
But Dad swung the door wide already. \u201cOut. Or I dial cops for trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calista\u2019s glare boiled, but she knew defeat. Nimue snatched her bag with stiff, furious grabs.<\/p>\n
All watched as they stomped out, shoes clacking sharp on wood. The door banged hard, rattling panes.<\/p>\n
For a beat, the house hung dead quiet but for Mom\u2019s hall clock\u2019s soft ticks. Like time held breath too.<\/p>\n
Then Dad dropped to my side.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, kiddo,\u201d he breathed. \u201cShould\u2019ve heard you way back. But swear, this ends here.\u201d<\/p>\n
When guests saw the storm pass, they stuck around and pieced the night back. Dad rose with his glass and toasted words that stung my eyes. His voice hit not just ears, but right to my core.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight was for my birthday,\u201d he said, eyes on me. \u201cBut the real star here\u2019s my tough, sweet girl who holds her mom\u2019s glow every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in four years, I didn\u2019t tuck my pendant away. I let it sit open where Mom set it, right at my heart.<\/p>\n
Looking back, it\u2019s almost a laugh how Calista figured she could wipe Mom\u2019s trace from us. All she did was wipe herself out. And in that, she handed me my say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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