Every decision had revolved around her. Her schedule, her problems, her finances, her marriage, her comfort.
I had called that love.
Maybe some of it was love, but some of it was fear.
I had been terrified that if I stopped giving, Lauren would stop loving me.
Florida taught me something simple.
If someone’s affection disappears the moment you stop paying for their lifestyle, that affection was never what you thought it was.
3 weeks later, I finally turned my phone back on.
The messages came flooding in.
Lauren had written that she was sorry. Then she blamed Caleb. Then she blamed the stress. Then she said I had humiliated her. Then she apologized again.
Caleb’s messages were less emotional. He wanted to discuss financial arrangements.
I smiled at that phrase, financial arrangements, as though we were business partners.
I returned home at the end of January. The moment I drove through the gate, I noticed how different everything looked.
The decorations were gone. The driveway was empty. The main house was quiet.
I walked through the front door.
Lauren and Caleb were sitting in the living room. They looked exhausted.
Lauren stood immediately.
“Mom.”
I set my suitcase down.
“Hello.”
She approached me.
“I want to explain.”
“You can.”
She took a breath.
“That night got completely out of control.”
“I know.”
“We didn’t expect the card to stop working.”
“I know.”
“Caleb’s parents were furious.”
“I imagine they were.”
She lowered her eyes.
“We had to borrow money.”
I nodded.
Then I walked toward the coffee table.
I had already prepared everything before returning home.
I placed two envelopes in front of them.
Lauren looked confused.
“What’s this?”
The first envelope contained utility transfer documents. She opened it. Her eyes moved across the pages.
“Mom.”
“Everything connected to the house is being transferred out of my name.”
She stared at me.
“The electricity, water, internet, security system, and other services. But you’ll need to establish your own accounts.”
“We can’t do that immediately.”
“Then you’ll need to figure out another arrangement.”
Caleb finally spoke.
“You can’t just cut everything off.”
I looked at him.
“I’m not cutting anything off. I’m transferring responsibility to the people using the services.”
He said nothing.
Lauren opened the second envelope.
Her face changed.
“What is this?”
“A lease.”
She looked at me in disbelief.
“Elise?”
“Yes.”
“For this house?”
I nodded.
“Market rate rent, monthtomonth.”
Lauren stared at me.
“Mom, you said we could stay here.”
“I said you could stay here while you saved for your own home.”