Chapter 25

                                    

                                          
                                                         "Parents"
                          


                          


                          
          I just stared at my mom in shock. I hadn’t seen her in years. My dad was standing in the background next to John just staring at me. I didn’t know why they were here but I wanted them to leave. They had no right to be here now.
                          
            “Are you feeling ok Clary,” mom asked as she approached me.
                          
            “Yes. What are you doing here,” I asked.
                          
            “We came to check on you. John told us about what happened,” she said with a look of pity on her face.
                          
            “Well I’m fine. John took care of me like always,” I said.
                          
            “That’s another reason we’re here,” she said.
                          
            “What do you mean,” I asked looking at John.
                          
            “John hasn’t been able to really live his life because he’s been taking care of you,” she said.
                          
            “Whose fault is that,” I asked looking her right in the eyes.
                          
            “We know we made mistakes,” she said with a bit of irritation in her voice.
                          
            “You aren’t taking me with you and you aren’t putting me in a home,” I said.
                          
            “We will do what we want,” she said.
                          
            “You can’t. I’m eighteen. You should have tried earlier,” I said with a small smile.
                          
            “I’m still your mother,” she said finally angry.
                          
            “No you aren’t. You were never a mother and you shipped me off the first chance you had. You can’t come back in now and order me around. If John wants me out of his house then I’m gone. I refuse to go with you though,” I told her.
                          
            “I don’t want you to leave,” John said from behind my mother.
                          
            “Thank you,” I told him.
                          
            “You’re just going to let her and her disability ruin your life,” my mom yelled.
                          
            “She doesn’t have a disability and she isn’t ruining my life. She’s a lot better,” John told her. I could see that he was getting a little angry.
                          
            “She just tried to kill herself. Everyone is looking down on our family,” she yelled.
                          
            “Helen,” my father finally said. “Enough.”
                          
            “What do you mean enough,” she asked as she turned on him.
                          
            “This isn’t Clary’s fault. And they don’t look down on us because of her. They look down on us because of you,” he said calmly.
                          
            “Me,” she said seeming shocked.
                          
            “You shipped your children away so that they wouldn’t burden you. And you have a disability of your own,” he said.