Mom Killed Me To Teach Him Chapter 2

The world seemed to stop. The frantic noise of the highway faded into a chilling silence.

Tyler was shaking so violently I thought he might drop me. His grip on me tightened.

My mother glared at Mike, her voice rising to a shrill, hysterical pitch. "Who the hell are you?! I don't know you! Why would I let my daughter get into a stranger's car? For all I know, you’re a predator!"

Everyone froze. Even Mike looked like he’d been slapped.

"Lydia? What are you talking about? It’s Mike! Mike Miller! Tom and I grew up together. We literally had dinner at your house three weeks ago. Have you lost your mind?"

My father stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders, his face a mask of shock and fury. "Lydia! Stop it! You know Mike. He was at the hospital when Daisy was born, when Tyler was born. We spend every holiday together. You’ve known him for twenty years!"

"I don’t know him!" she shrieked, shaking his hands off and planting her feet. She wouldn't budge from the door.

"The world is full of look-alikes! Why should I trust him? What if he’s a liar? If anything happens to my daughter, are you going to take responsibility?"

Tyler collapsed to his knees right there on the asphalt, still holding me. He began to beg, his voice thick with tears. "Mom! Please! She’s stopping... she’s barely breathing! Mike is Mike! He wouldn't hurt us! Please let us go!"

She didn't even look down at him.

My father’s hand went to his chest, his voice dropping to a dangerous, ragged growl. "Lydia, what is this? That is your daughter. She is dying. What do you actually want?"

"What do I want?" Her voice suddenly peaked, dripping with a strange, poisoned combination of self-pity and spite. "This is your fault, Tom!"

My father looked bewildered. What did Mike trying to save me have to do with him?

Under the confused stares of the paramedics and police who were finally closing in, my mother finally spat out the truth.

"Last Thursday was the twentieth anniversary of the day we first met! I told you two weeks in advance I wanted to go to that French place downtown. And you forgot! You didn't even say 'Happy Anniversary'!"

"Tom Miller! You claim you have a bad memory? You claim you can’t keep track of the things that matter to me? Well, now you can see exactly what happens when you’re 'careless.' This is the consequence of your negligence!"

My father looked like he was watching his entire world crumble.

"Lydia... are you serious? Do you know how many anniversaries you make me keep track of?"

"The wedding, the first date, the first kiss—hell, the anniversary of the first time we held hands! I try, Lydia. I really do. But I just started that new project at the firm. I’ve been sleeping two hours a night. I was exhausted! I gave you my credit card and told you to buy whatever you wanted to make up for it. Why are you bringing this up now?"

Seeing him push back only fueled her fire. "Don't you dare raise your voice at me!"

"If you make a mistake, you pay for it! Accepting a 'gift' doesn't mean I forgave you. And don't act like I’m the problem now—you used to call me 'romantic' when we were dating. Now I’m just 'too much'?"

My father realized there was no reasoning with her. He looked down at me—my eyes were rolling back, my consciousness flickering like a dying candle. In a desperate move, he turned and dropped to his knees before the police officers.

"Officers, please. Arrest me. Do whatever you have to do. But please, take my daughter. She drank weedkiller. She’s fading. Please don't let her die because of this."

The two officers hurried to help him up. They looked at my limp form in Tyler’s arms, signaled to their backup, and lifted me into the back of a squad car.

With the sirens screaming a deafening, mournful wail, we tore through the traffic toward the emergency room.

I thought that once I passed those sliding glass doors, I would be safe. I thought the nightmare was over. But my mother wasn't finished.