Chapter 3 - Awakening the Fierce Woman Within
I left the apartment later that afternoon to visit my longtime friend Wanda at her cozy downtown café. I poured my heart out over a warm drink, listing every single grievance from the past few months.
Wanda listened carefully before slamming her coffee cup down onto the wooden table with a loud clatter. “Nora, you’ve known me for over fifty years!” Wanda exclaimed passionately. “Where is the fierce woman who once stood up to that nasty drunk bully in the grocery store parking lot?”
“That was a very long time ago, Wanda,” I smiled sadly at her dramatic reaction.
“It was the absolute truth, and it’s high time you remembered who you are,” Wanda leaned in closer to speak directly to me. “You are being treated like a common servant inside your very own home.”
When I returned to the apartment later that evening, I accidentally overheard Crystal and Brandon arguing heatedly inside their bedroom. They were whispering furiously about fifteen thousand dollars that Brandon had recently lost to his secret gambling addiction.
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs as I stood in the dark hallway, realizing the immense depth of the lies being told to keep me in the dark. A week after that painful realization, Crystal cornered me in the hallway with a cold determination in her eyes.
“I got a big promotion at work today,” Crystal declared haughtily without congratulating anyone else. “I need a dedicated home office, so I’m taking over your primary bedroom, and you can move your things into the small storage closet.”
“No, Crystal,” I stood my ground firmly for the first time in years. “That is absolutely not happening.”
“It’s not up for discussion, Nora,” she scoffed loudly while looking down at me. “You’re just an old woman hopelessly clinging to the past.”
“You are actually right about facing the harsh truth,” I looked directly into her eyes, seeing her true nature clearly for the first time. “I paid for this entire apartment with my own money, and you only moved in here because you were utterly desperate, so I am completely done being your doormat.”
Crystal went completely pale from shock, while Brandon looked down at the floorboards in deep shame. I turned on my heel and walked into my room, feeling a strange, cold clarity settle over my mind.
The very next day, after my daughter in law called me an old menace during cleanup, I visited a local attorney and officially served them with legal documents. When I returned, I had the locks on the front door completely changed by a professional locksmith.
Crystal screamed at me in total shock when she saw the legal paper in her hands. “You can’t possibly do this to us!” she shrieked hysterically.
“You have thirty days to pack your things and leave,” I looked at her steadily without flinching. “That is far more time than the law strictly requires me to give you.”
Brandon looked completely defeated as Crystal stormed out of the apartment in a rage. Faith and Toby, having realized the truth of the situation, explicitly chose to stay right here living with me instead of following their mother.
I walked over to the stereo system and put on a classic record of lively jazz music that Raymond had always loved. For the first time in many long and painful years, I started to freely dance around the center of my living room.
Brenda watched me from the kitchen doorway with a bright, beautiful smile on her face. “I haven’t seen you dance like that since I was just a little girl, Nora,” she said softly.
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“It’s finally time to remember how, Brenda,” I spun around gracefully and laughed out loud with pure joy. “It’s time to remember exactly who I am.”
THE END.
