When Cora hears a radio advertisement about Mother and Daughters, she feels compelled to spend time with her husband’s daughter, Mia. But as she prepares for their bonding trip, Cora gets more than she bargained for. If Mia’s not the daughter, who is she?
“It’s time to reconnect with your daughter! Mother-Daughter brunch specials are now on…”
The radio host’s voice trailed into oblivion as I removed the keys from the ignition and opened the car door. Some bonding time with my stepdaughter, Mia, wouldn’t be the worst idea. She had been living with my husband, Richard, and me as our child, and we had yet to connect.
I remember the day Richard told me about her. It was out of the blue. He said that he had been a rebellious teenager, learning about the world of women from his slightly older neighbor, Wilhelmina, Mia’s would-be mother.
He said something about how she tracked him down, and since Richard had been absent Mia’s entire life, he felt it would be great to have her with us and bond.
I love Richard, so having a piece of him in the house was a no-brainer. Mia moved in two years ago. At first, I thought she was staying for the summer, but that quickly changed when Richard bought a brand-new bed for her room – which came with an entire room makeover.
My husband said Mia decided to transfer schools closer to us to finish her art degree and had gotten a job at a gallery. She had come so far that the gallery gave her the chance to show her pieces at an exhibition. Richard was so proud, and I was too, except I didn’t know if I had any right to be. I regretted not trying harder.
There was more to Mia than met the eye. I only knew the everyday things about her, things that a classmate or babysitter would need to know – favorite foods and allergies. But I had yet to discover what made Mia – what were her hopes and dreams? Most importantly, was there something we could bond over?
“Cora, is that you?” Mia’s voice came from the living room. I knew she would sit across the couch with a fashion magazine and a glass of peach iced tea.
“Yes,” I said, putting my purse and keys on a nearby table. “Going to get dinner going soon. Do you want to help?”
“Sure. What are we eating tonight?”
“Well, this morning, your father said he wanted that French stew I made a few weeks ago.”
Mia walked into the kitchen with her contagious brightness. I couldn’t help but smile, pointing towards the cupboards where the pot I always used was. She jumped to get it, and I thought this was the perfect time to tell her my idea.
“So, I was thinking,” I began as I cut into a large onion. “We should go away for the weekend, just the two of us. We can spend some time together and finally connect. I know it’s been busy for you lately with your exhibit at the gallery and the new photography course for art school.”
Mia looked like a deer caught in headlights, those big brown eyes round in surprise. I didn’t blame her. I knew I was easy to get along with, but which young adult wanted to spend the weekend with their stepmother?
“Um, sure, I guess,” she hesitated. “It’s just that…I may have a second exhibit. And a guest photographer may do a special seminar within the next month. And I wanted to spend some time researching new internships. And I promised my mom that I’d see her soon. She’s been hounding me for a while now. There’s just a lot going on, you know, Cora?”
I felt my eyebrows pop up at the string of excuses she gave me, but I nodded in understanding. She was a student. Graduation was right around the corner, and things would only get busier afterward.
“It was just a thought. The radio was promoting all these specials for mothers and daughters to do together,” I said, motioning with my hands, “and you’ve been here for a couple of years now, and we haven’t bonded. I know you’re a young woman. You have your mom. You don’t need me. But I wanted to be your friend.”
