My Mom Hid Gold In Her Truffle Box Chapter 10

My Mom Hid Gold In Her Truffle Box Chapter 10

Weeks later, Dad called.

“Eleanor, your mom’s back in the hospital.”

I held the phone to my ear and said nothing. The ache was still there.
Quieter now, but still there.

Dad sighed. He sounded hollowed out.

“Chloe did this to her.”

“She won’t even come home anymore. Says she’s done with us.”

It made sense. Once I stopped sending money home, Chloe’s private cash flow dried up. Mom had always sent money her way, but the savings were gone. There was nothing left to give.

Without the money, Chloe dropped the act entirely.

“She throws fits every day. Breaks things. Keeps screaming about how your mother always loved you more.”

Dad’s voice wavered.

“She says if Mom loves you so much, if she spent all that energy shaping you into who you are…”

“Then you can take care of them when they’re old.”

“She won’t admit your mother ever favored her. Says only a fool would take care of parents who played favorites.”

“Told us to go to you for everything from now on. Said she has her own life to live.”

None of it surprised me.

Chloe was never going to step up. She’d never been that kind of person. She’d just found a prettier way to say she didn’t care.

“Eleanor.” Dad’s voice dropped to a plea.

“You can’t cut off your own mother forever.”

“Her health has gotten worse. She can’t take much more.”

“Just come see her. She misses you. She does. She’s just too proud to say it.”

Before I could answer, I heard Mom in the background.

“Arthur, what are you begging her for? I’m not dead yet!”

“Even if I were dying, I wouldn’t want her here. Tell her to stay away!”

“Ungrateful brat! I wasted my whole life raising her. I should have never bothered!”

That voice. Sharp, mean, exactly the same as always. My mouth twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Dad.” I cut through his silence.

“All those years Mom was sending money to Chloe. Giving me a broken scooter while she got a car.”

“You knew. Didn’t you?”

Silence. The only sound was Mom, still ranting in the background.

It took him a long time to answer. When he did, his voice was raw.

“Eleanor, that’s in the past now…”

“Not for me.” My voice didn’t leave room for debate.