The calls started as soon as their flight landed. My phone buzzed repeatedly as I unpacked my suitcase—the one I’d packed so carefully for a trip that was no longer mine. The irony wasn’t lost on me as I hung up my dresses and neatly placed my shoes back on the Shelf. The buzzing continued, filling the room with its Relentless vibration.
I sighed, picking up the phone and glancing at the screen. My mom’s name flashed across it, accompanied by several missed calls and texts. I unlocked the phone and scrolled through the messages.
“Violet, what’s going on? The hotel won’t let us check in. The reservation is missing. Call me immediately.”
“Violet, this isn’t funny. Fix this now.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Fix this. They really thought I’d swoop in and save the day after what they’d done.
The phone buzzed again, this time with a call from Lauren. I let it ring out, only for her to leave a voicemail.
“Violet, this is so petty,” she snapped, her voice dripping with entitlement. “We’re stuck here because of you. You need to call the hotel and fix it now.”
I rolled my eyes and deleted the voicemail without listening to the rest. For years I’d been their fixer, the one who smoothed over every mistake and picked up every slack. Not anymore.
Eventually, I decided to answer, if only to stop the barrage of calls. My mom’s voice hit me like a tidal wave of anger as soon as I picked up.
“Violet, what did you do? The hotel says the reservation was cancelled and none of the tours are booked anymore!”
I let her rant for a moment, then calmly replied, “I canel them.”
There was a long, stunned silence before she hissed, “Why would you do that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, my tone laced with sarcasm. “Maybe because you decided to take Lauren on my trip. You’re lucky I even drove you to the airport.”
“We thought you’d understand,” she snapped.
“Understand what?” I asked, my voice Rising. “That years of saving and planning didn’t matter because Lauren needed a break? That my hard work meant nothing to you? Guess what, Mom—I don’t understand, and I don’t care to.”
I hung up before she could respond and turn my phone off, tossing it onto the couch. The silence that followed was Bliss, and I felt like I could breathe again. If they wanted to prioritize Lauren, fine, but they could figure out the rest of the trip without me.