Chapter 3 Homeless

Every day went by quickly, and Edna kept noticing changes in herself. She found them delightful and wanted to keep experiencing them. Things were still tough, though-she had decided not to go back to her job until she felt better. For the first time in her life, she was even defying her mother-something she'd never done before. But with the changes she was going through, changes that felt necessary and freeing, Edna wanted to stay in that space until her mind caught up with her heart.

Lily, on the other hand, found Edna to be a hard nut to crack. No matter how much she tried to open her up, Edna always closed herself off again-tighter than before. Edna hadn't agreed to hang out with her since that day at the coffee shop.

"Maybe my smile really chased her away," Lily thought, feeling a little defeated.

"Quit Notice." The words were boldly written in red on a white sheet glued to the front door. Clothes were scattered across the floor, and her boxes stood open, spilling their contents. In the corner of the room, Edna sat curled up, crying. She had just fought with her landlord, who told her he couldn't keep a jobless tenant.

Who had told him she was unemployed? As far as Edna could remember, she didn't have enough people in her life for that kind of gossip. So who?

Just when things seemed to be looking up, life hit her in the face again. She had called everyone she could think of to tell them her situation, but their responses were always the same: "Get your sh* together,"* without a single solution offered.

"Aren't you getting up?" a voice asked.

It was familiar. Edna looked up and saw Lily standing there. Her face stretched into a forced smile-one just good enough to convince Lily she was okay, in hopes that she would leave.

"Oh, now you can smile," Lily said softly as she began picking up Edna's clothes, folding them neatly back into the boxes. She helped Edna to her feet, took her hand with one of hers, and carried a box with the other, saying nothing.

As they walked down the road, Edna's mind raced. What does this lady want from me? She remembered calling Lily and giving her the address-without saying anything else.

"You must have figured it out after all," she said quietly, half-smiling.

She wanted to cry, but she didn't trust Lily enough yet to break down in front of her.

At the end of the street stood a quiet bungalow with a country flag waving on a pole in the front yard. The image reminded Edna of her grandfather's place. The surrounding houses looked familiar too. Then she remembered catching a glimpse of the gate: "Trav's Estate."

"It's from my parents," Lily said, noticing Edna's puzzled look. "They gave it to me as an inheritance."

The door creaked open. "Get in," Lily said gently.

Everything was blurry-probably from crying too much. Edna sank into the living room couch and drifted off to sleep until evening.

The warm aroma of properly cooked macaroni and cheese pulled her back to reality.

"Oh, you're awake. Come and eat," Lily said, calling from the kitchen as Edna rubbed sleep from her eyes.

After eating, they sat across from each other, a strange silence hanging between them as they waited for one of them to speak.

"I need to leave," Edna finally said.

"Why?"

"I can't stay here. I'll figure this out... somewhere."

"Like?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Stop being dramatic."

"At least I'm not pretending," Edna said with a sigh.

She picked up her box and walked out the door. She just couldn't trust anyone-not yet. She had found it hard to trust since her parents' divorce. And now, she was afraid she was beginning to trust Lily... and that scared her even more.

"Who is there?" a voice called from inside.

Peeking through the peephole, Lucy's expression twisted in distaste when she saw who it was.

"Edna?" she said coldly as she opened the door.

Edna carried her box into her room. When she came out, she found the dinner table had been set.

"Oh, Mum. You made dinner," she said, surprised. It was her favorite dish. She decided to eat, even though she was still full from Lily's cooking.

"You are not welcome here," Lucy said suddenly as Edna cut into her steak.

"Mum?"

"Yes. You can't."

"Why?"

"Because you can't be a failure like your dad!" Lucy snapped. Then, in a calm voice, she added, "Baby, be who I'm molding you to be. That's the only way to be better. And you even came in a taxi-that's disgraceful. What do you think Aunt Frida will say?"

Tears streamed down Edna's face.

"For who? I've always done what you wanted. I built my goals around yours so I wouldn't disappoint you-so you'd think I was enough. But now, I'm facing something that feels like it's breaking me, and all you care about is what Frida would say, and whether Grandpa will still pass the inheritance to me?What of me? Why can't you think about me ? Do you know why I'm sad? It's because now I can see what I've always refused to see that you are the selfish mother that only cares about herself."

She went into her room and returned with a pile of certificates. She threw them down one by one.

"Here-for becoming a doctor like you wanted. Here-for winning the pageant. And here-for going to business school like Aunt Frida's married daughter!"

"Leave!" Lucy shouted, slamming her fist on the table. "I ratted you out to your landlord so you'd be more sensible. But it seems you've finally lost it. You've gone 'daddy' over your life-and I'll let you go, just like he did. I refuse to be your mother anymore."

Lucy pushed Edna out, box and all, and slammed the door in her face.

Edna laughed maniacally. Her home no longer welcomed her, she thought as she walked with no destination in mind. Her feet carried her to Lily's door before her brain caught up. She knocked.

The door swung open, and Lily immediately pulled her into a tight hug.

Tears flowed uncontrollably from both of them. That night, they returned to Edna's old apartment and packed the rest of her belongings without saying a word. Edna cried the whole time.

Suddenly, she embraced Lily. More tears followed. Lily gently pulled her to sit. The silence between them held more meaning than any words could. Edna began to share her story-and as she did, Lily cried too. She saw the side of Edna that had been buried beneath and struggling.

Edna paused in the middle of her story, and they looked at each other in complete understanding.

In that silence, Edna realized something she hadn't before.

She had found a home.