Jordan lazily walks up the pebble covered pathway back to her old fashioned cottage on the top of the hill. It was a breezy summer day in her rural town, and she was enjoying every breath of fresh air. She reaches the porch and plops down on the old floral rocking chair that sits lazily in the corner. Her mom Isabella catches a glimpse of her daughter’s golden hair and makes a dash for the screen door. She grabs its rusty brass handle and yanks the door open.

“Where have you been?!” Isabella demands, with a look of pure concern in her eyes.

“I was just walking around the pond Ma, why are you so annoyed?” Jordan questions.

“Jordan I have been looking for you for the past hour. You didn’t answer your phone when I called and I was worried sick. Don’t you dare ever do that to me again!” Isabella yells furiously.

“Okay Mom I’m sorry, it was an accident I had no idea you were even looking for me. I left my phone inside because I wasn’t planning to go far from the house,” Jordan explains.

“You can’t do that Jordan! I was going to call the police at one point; I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. You are so lucky nothing happened to me, otherwise you would be in so much more trouble than you’re already in,” Isabella replies angrily.

“Oh my goodness Mom I didn’t realize you were so worried. I’m truly very sorry but you really should not have gotten so concerned,” Jordan assures her mother, “I was just getting a breath of fresh air since this weather is so warm. I was just coming inside to ask if you wanted to come and sit with me by the pond”

“You know Jordan, you assume that I’m okay with a lot of things that you do and that needs to stop. You’re being an ungrateful selfish brat by just wandering off and thinking that you can go about the town and do whatever you please. Try and start thinking about other people besides yourself,” Isabella insults.

She searches her daughter’s eyes waiting for a response. Her words were a little harsh, but she figured they needed to be said and sometimes the truth hurts.

“Mom, how could you say something like that to me? Do you honestly think deep down that I’m a brat and selfish? I walked back to the house to see if you wanted to join me so we can spend some quality time together, how is that selfish in any way?” Isabella replies, her voice thick with tears.

“Jordan, you have proved to me many times lately that all you care about is yourself and whatever pleases you,” Isabella blurts out, “I understand that your intentions to spend time with me were a kind thought, but you didn’t think that you just disappearing would cause me any unease, which to me quite frankly, is very selfish.”

“But Mom you just said it! My intentions were good and that’s what I was aiming for! I wasn’t trying to upset you and I don’t mean to be selfish. I never thought I was, but from now on I promise I’ll be more aware of it. I’m really truly sorry Mom, please forgive me?” Jordan pleads, with a longing tone hidden in her voice.
Isabella turns her back towards her daughter; a million thoughts cross her mind as she tries to find her next words.
She then turns back around and quietly murmurs, “Just get out of my face Jordan. You’re a rotten daughter and I don’t want to have to look at you for the rest of the day.”

Jordan’s eyes widen and her jaw slightly drops. She redirects her gaze to her knotted shoelaces and a single teardrop trickles down her red puffy cheeks. As she glances up to face her mother, her ocean blue eyes glisten from the tears that are now cascading down her face.

Jordan stutters as she mumbles her next words, “Okay Mom, I’ll just leave, maybe you’ll get lucky and you’ll never have to see me again.”

Little did she know, that might be exactly what would happen.

Jordan stands up and storms off her porch, her hands covering her face as she quietly sobs.
*
*
*

That was the last conversation Jordan and her mother would ever have. Those hurtful words carelessly thrown between the two of them would be a haunting memory for her mother. In the bleak darkness of the morning, the doorbell rang loud and clear, and Isabella leaped out of her bed completely startled. She swiftly ran to the door and opened it cautiously. To her surprise two policemen stood at her doorstep dressed in their familiar attire. Slowly and precariously they began to explain. Isabella was soon informed that Jordan had been hit by a drunk driver around midnight while she was wondering alone on the side of the road. Once those words left the policeman’s mouth, Isabella broke out in wailing sobs. She realized that when the policemen had no positive information to provide Isabella, that the fight with Jordan was the last time she would ever see her daughter. She realized that she would never hear her daughter’s angelic voice ring through her ears anymore, and she was left with a loud silence. Her fingers would no longer run through Jordan’s golden locks, nor would she meet those piercing blue eyes. She realized that her daughter was not some selfish brat, but a truly beautiful and unique individual girl that she would never watch grow up. Isabella was now left with an open wound in her heart, one that would never be filled for the remainder of her life.