Zoe’s Tears

The sun was shining brightly when she arrived at the train station.  But for Zoe there was no sunshine.  Her world had turned blue!

Her trip back to school was happening much much sooner than she had planned.  Zoe never felt lower in her life.  Her heart was so heavy that she wondered if it would fall out of her chest!  As she walked toward the ticket window her mind replayed the ugly events of earlier that day.

It had not been an easy trip to make.  Dread filled Zoe as she approached her childhood home.  Her sisters had called for her to come right away so she knew it could not be good.

She had been told that her Mother’s health was failing.  The breast cancer was back and this time around the disease and the treatments were taking a toll on her Mom’s strength.  She had heard the fearful whispers from her sisters that maybe the doctors did not think she had long to live. Zoe was resolved to be an encouragement to her dear momma!  She would help her in the fight!  Even knowing all that, Zoe was not prepared to see her normally vibrant mother look so weary and worn.  She did her best to keep a cheerful face for her Momma.

Mom had asked for some time alone with her youngest.  Tea time with mom had always been Zoe’s favorite.  As they sat catching up, there came a long ominous pause. Mother sipped her tea and appeared to be groping for words.  “(sigh) Zoe darling,” she began softly,  “You know that my body is not tolerating the treatments well this time around.”  Zoe interjected positively, “It is ok Mom you are a fighter and  I …” Mom put her hand on Zoe’s arm to gently silence her.  Now Zoe listened in horror as her mom was telling her that she had opted for no more treatments.  She wanted to spend her last remaining days with her family, not in a cold hospital.

WHAT was she saying?  WHY?  THIS CANNOT BE!  Didn’t she know how much they still need her?  Zoe’s mind reeled and she could feel her face flushing red with desperate fury!  Lashing out at her mother with a barrage of words filled with wrath .. she had to make her see!

SELFISH … self-indulgent … inconsiderate … thoughtless … neglectful .. the words poured out battering her mom’s heart!

All of a sudden thru her blind anger she caught sight of her mother’s face and was stopped in mid-sentence.  Blue came crashing in upon her world.

She jumped up, grabbed her purse and ran from her home.  She did not deserve to be a beloved daughter after she had done this.  She would leave … now … go back to school!

She was so glad that the train would be leaving soon, she needed to get far away from what she had done.  The tears burned her eyes as she recalled the horrid angry things she had said to her mother.  What had she done? Why had she been so rash?

The pain from knowing that she would probably never see her mother alive again was too much to bear.

The anger that had overcome her was gone and now her sobs poured out of her heart like the tears that poured from her eyes.  They had become audible and a few folks stared at her.  She tried in vain to stop them but they just kept coming.  She was sinking deep into the blue and could see no way out.

“Zoe!” Was someone shouting her name?  She looked down the tracks and saw her sisters hurrying her way.  Zoe wanted to run, but hastily wiping her tears away she stood fast.

Her sister Jaimie was the first to reach her.  She threw her arms around her neck and clung to her.  Tears now flowed from her eyes too!  “Don’t leave us like this sister!  Please,” she pleaded, “we can work things out.”  Alexis and Deane had arrived and with tears streaming down their faces joined in the hug.  Alexis found words first,  “Come home baby sister.”  Zoe began to stammer, “Why .. why would you want me after what I have just done to our sick mother?  I was awful to her.”  Deane cupped her sister’s tear-stained face and looked into her eyes, “Because dear sister we are family and we love you.  We are all going to need each other to get thru this.”

“Come home with us Mom wants to see you.  She wants you to know she understands that anger is a very real part of grief.  Honey, she forgives you.  We all do.”

Her sister’s love brought back the color to Zoe’s world.  Yes, blue would come again but now she knows the way out.

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************************Credits****************************************

This story is a part of a monthly short story contest held on the EA Forum .. thank you to those who work hard to make it happen every month.  Playing with color this month was fun!  I chose red .. anger.

Special thanks to the wonderful builders who make my stories SHINE

Danke miene liebe freunde Elke Renz fur der aussergewohlich AlexanderPlatz   ❤

OID Simoniona

And to my friend TokuLee (who I will not even attempt to thank in his native language ❤ ) Thank you for the fab Lady Red ❤ .. Appropriate for this story featuring that color.

OID Tokulee

This month a special thank you to the Admins (Jaimie, Alexis and Deane) of Simmers United for the push to write this story (the condensed version has only 300 words and 1 screenie .. that was tough).  And especially you Zoe since you took the hardest hit LOL 🙂  I hope you all enjoy the sim interpretations of your selves and the long version of Zoe’s Tears.  ❤