“The next time you decide to drive out of here like a dummy with a lead foot, you make sure I’m not around. You could’ve killed yourself Christina!”

“I know momma. I’m sorry if I scared you.” she threw her hands down to her sides in frustration and turned to go into the house when Tina spoke softly, “She’s gone. She left me for good now.”

“Well it’s just as well, you didn’t want her around here anyway.”

“I wanted her here momma.” Tina said frustrated. She was becoming increasingly angry with people telling her what she wanted and how she should feel.

“You sure didn’t act like it now did ya? I seen the way you’d stomp away from her and the way you used to argue with her. Now what’s the sense of sticking around for that?”

“You don’t understand momma, it’s complicated between us.”

“Well you just simplified it , didn’t ya?” she walked closer to the door as she heard Tina slam down on to the porch in frustration. It stopped her progress as she turned and saw Tina slam down her keys next to her. She walked back and took a seat next to Tina on the porch. She stretched her arm around her shoulder and rubbed her back softly. Tina laid her head down onto her mother’s shoulder and let her soft hands rub her gently, something in the simplicity of the small gesture made Tina sob softly. “ Aww, baby. You gotta let go.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Sure you do. You just forgot, that’s all.”

“Momma it’s to late for us now. I drove her away, she won’t forgive me. I know how I treated her. It’s like I saw myself saying and doing these awful things to her and I couldn’t do anything to stop myself. And now…” Tina quit speaking and buried her face a little bit more into her mother’s embrace.

“Now come on Sweetie, you can’t give up. You have to believe that what y’all could have is stronger than any fear you may have ‘bout anything. If everybody gave up so easily, love wouldn’t be worth fighting for.” she put her hand under Tina’s chin and lifted her face so she could see her eyes and sincerity when she spoke to her, “Now you may not be ready to go to her now but you will be. And when you do sweetheart, it’ll be worth every bit of strength you used to go after her.”