Chapter 24

Alyson grunted in effort as she carried her mother off the floor and took her into the bathroom. She stripped her clothes off her and dumped it into the laundry basket.

The water was a bit a cold, she didn't have the time to heat it as her mother was already reeking of vomit.

She sprinkled the water on her mother's face hoping she would wake up but it was all vain.

"Ma, wake up!" Alyson said as she sprinkled more water onto her face but still she got the same result.

She washed her mother clean. It took her a lot of effort but she eventually got it done. She carefully half dragged, half carried her mother out of the bathroom into the bedroom where she dried the water from her body and put some fresh clothes on her.

Alyson would have thought her mother was dead if not for the rise and fall of her chest. She left her mother to sleep as she searched around the bedroom for her purse.

Her mother had hidden it well, and it took hours for Alyson to locate the purse. Finally finding the purse, she was surprised to discover only six dollars remaining out of the ten dollars she had given to her. This left her wondering where her mother was getting the money for all the drinks she purchased.

Alyson confiscated the six dollars, stuffing them into her jacket before leaving the room.

---

Alyson found herself struggling to sleep as she turned and tossed in bed. It was a Sunday morning which was her off and she needed all the rest she could get after a very busy week.

Not able to endure it any longer, she sat up wondering where the noise was coming from. It took a while before the sleep began to gradually dissipate from her eyes. She was beginning to make out the source of the noise. It was the voice of her mother ranting in the living room. In a moment her mother had barged into Alyson's section of the room screaming her name.

"Alyson, you wake up this moment!" Her mother yelled.

Alyson was baffled as to why her mother would wake her up and in this manner at four in the morning.

She rubbed her eyes once more as she searched for her lamp in the dark and switched it on.

"Ma? What's the matter?" Alyson questioned.

"How dare you?" Lucy fired, yanking the sheet Alyson was using to protect herself from the cold.

Terrified, Alyson stood up, the sleep had completely disappeared from her eyes at this point.

Furious, Lucy came at Alyson and shoved her daughter against the wall, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. "I know you did it!" Lucy yelled. "I found the empty bottles in the trash can."

Alyson was shocked, and she tried to pull away from her mother's grip. "Mom, stop," she pleaded. "You're hurting me."

But Lucy was too angry to listen. She kept shaking her daughter, her face contorted in rage.

"I wanted to forgive you for that but when I wanted to get more drinks, all my money was gone!" Lucy thundered.

Alyson tried to break free, but she couldn't.

"You wanted to get more drinks at 4am in the morning?" Alyson managed to exclaim.

Lucy's excessive alcohol consumption had scrambled her mind; this wasn't the mother she once knew. Her mother would never act in such berseck manner unless under the influence of alcohol. She was deeply afraid for her life at this point but she wasn't sorry for what she had done.

Alyson felt the sudden impact of her mother's hand against her cheek, causing her to stumble to the floor. Wincing, she held her cheek, the pain sharp and stinging. The tears that had welled up in her eyes had began to roll down her cheeks. Before she could recover from the first slap, her mother pounced on her, delivering another stinging blow. She screamed in agony at the impact of the blow.

Alyson felt her body go limp as her mother continued to assault her. After what felt like an eternity, Lucy finally released her grip on Alyson.

She sank to the floor, sobbing, as her daughter slid down the wall and landed in a heap beside her.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the sound of their labored breathing. Finally, Alyson broke the silence. "Ma, I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaking. "I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt by drinking yourself to stupor everyday."

Lucy looked at her daughter, her face soaked with tears. "I'm sorry baby," she said, reaching out to take her daughter's hand. "I didn't know what came over me. I...I was so angry that I couldn't think straight anymore."

Alyson nodded, she knew her mother had acted under the influence of the alcohol. Lucy crawled towards her. "Are you hurt? Did I... did I hurt you?"

Lucy knew Alyson had been hurt terribly. The side of her mouth was bleeding and they were marks from her finger nails on Alyson's face.

Lucy looked down at her own hands, which were shaking. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I just... I don't know what came over me. I never wanted to hurt you. I don't want to be the kind of person who does that."

"You're not," Alyson said, squeezing her mother's hand. "You're not a bad person. It was the alcohol, that's why I took it in the first place. we have to find a way to deal with your drinking habit before it gets out of hand."

Lucy nodded, wiping away a tear. "You're right," she said.

"It's all Richard's fault." Lucy broke into another round of tears. "If he hadn't stolen from me and left me, all these wouldn't have happened."

Lucy shifted back, letting go of Alyson's arms. Tears were streaming down her face, and she felt a deep shame. She had never wanted to hurt her daughter, but she had been so angry and out of control.

"I'm so sorry, Alyson," she said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I'm not that kind of person. I promise I'll never do it again."

Alyson looked at her mother, her own eyes filled with tears. "It's okay," she said, her voice shaking. "I'm not too hurt, I'm just... scared."

Lucy pulled Alyson into a hug, holding her close. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said. "I never want you to be scared of me. I promise I won't ever hurt you like that again."

Alyson hugged her back, still feeling shaken. "Thank you," she said. "But I have to be honest - I'm not sure I can trust you not to hurt me anymore. Not right now, at least."

"I know," Lucy said. "I understand. I'm going to work hard to earn your trust back. And I know it's going to take time. "But I want you to know that I love you more than anything," Lucy continued. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I know I shouldn't have let my emotions get the best of me. I promise I'll do better."

Alyson looked at her mother, considering her words. "Thank you," she said. "I do love you too. But I'm still not sure I can trust you right now. Maybe we can talk more about it later?"

Lucy nodded. "Of course," she said. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here if you need me."

"First you have to promise me that you'll stop drinking," Alyson said.

Lucy stared into Alyson's eyes before she looked down at her hands. "I haven't forgotten your father yet." She answered and Alyson already knew what meant.

"Ma, you have to. That's the only reassurance that I will be safe with you anymore,"

"Aly, I tried to. Honestly I tried but I just can't stop."

"Ma you have to try, please," Alyson pleaded.

The pain in Alyson's lip was becoming intense and she was growing tired of talking as a result of the pains all over her body.

Lucy could see that Alyson was already growing tired. She stood up and carried Alyson onto the bed.

"I'll fix you something to eat," Lucy said as she made her way to exit the room.

"No ma, I'm fine." Alyson said.

"O... okay," Lucy left the room and dashed into the kitchen to heat some water up. She poured the hot water into a bowl and took it to Alyson's room. She went back out and into her bedroom and got a towel and the first aid kit.

She took it back to Alyson's room. She rinsed Alyson's mouth gently before applying the antiseptic and covering it a sterile gauze. She dipped the towel into the hot water as she began to massage her face with it. She dipped it once more and adjusted Alyson's cloth from her neck as she cleaned the blood from the bruises.

As Lucy went on to nursing her daughter's injuries, she felt immerse regret for actions, she wished she could turn back the hands of time to when she had allowed Richard in on her bank details. She wished she could have made him to stay but unfortunately, the deed had been done and her daughter had suffered the consequences of her marriage to Richard.