Puzzle Pieces: VIII: Towel

I remember standing at the top of our golden wood stairs, yelling down to my mom where she stood at the bottom of the stairs. I don't remember why i was angry with her. I remember her face, she was drowning, her eyes squinched, her shoulders squared back, hands on her hips, staring up at me. Any other day, any other moment and i would have seen that she was really angry and backed down.

That's not what happened that day. I don't know why i was so angry or what made me say what i did. I screamed down to her that she wasn’t my real mom and i didn't have to do what she told me. As soon as those words left my mouth, my mom’s face dropped. Gone was the anger and in its place was a deep sadness. I will never stop regretting those words.

I have no recollection of what happened next. There's no memory of leaving the top of the stairs or her response. The next thing i remember is standing in my parents’ bedroom as my mom was getting out of the shower. I don’t know if this happened on the same day or at a different time. She walked out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around her. I remember her taking my hand and leading me to sit down with her on the bed. Words that she spoke are gone from my memory. All i know is that a sense of peace had come over me during this conversation with her. Although i don't remember the words exchanged, the feeling of peace in that moment has stayed with me through the years.