"Do you know what happened to Luke the day you left?" Cherry asked, her voice shaking with anger as she stepped out of the cafeteria and into the emergency exit hallway.
There was a short pause on the other line before her mother replied, "What are you talking about? Even if I stayed with him, he wouldn't get better. Look at that boy, he's like a dying leaf. I don't know why you're wasting time and money on him."
Cherry felt her knees weaken. Her mother's words hit harder than any insult from a stranger. She bit her lip, holding back the sob that threatened to escape.
What kind of mother says that about her own son?
"You're so cruel," Cherry whispered, her voice filled with quiet pain. "Are you even our mother? What did Luke and I ever do to you? Why do you hate us so much?"
Her mother's tone turned harsh. "You ungrateful brat! Since when did you learn to talk back like that? You should be thankful I didn't throw you away! I regret even letting you live!"
