I stand there, frozen in surprise, as my mom and the envelope stranger enter my apartment. The familiarity of my mom's face comforts me, but the stranger's presence is a jarring note in the symphony of our reunion. I watch her eyes scan the room, taking in the cleanliness and empty house that define my life.
A piece of me is happy my Grandparents aren't home right now. I just know it would have been a showdown the moment Mom came with the envelope guy. They seemed pretty shaken the last time he came. Maybe he has some history with my mother because my grandparents seemed to know who he was just by seeing his signature.
I'm assuming ex-boyfriend?
"Hey, kiddo," Mom says, her voice softening as she surveys the state of my apartment. "You've got a bit of a mess on your hands here," she points at the kitchen where I tried to prepare noodles for myself a while ago but ended up losing all my appetite and left them there.
