Who’s Your Mommy?
“Mom. We need to talk.”
My son’s breaking up with me, Emma thought. But gauging his seriousness asked, “Everything OK, Danny?”
“No.”
He’s coming out. Or he got a girl pregnant! Oh, please let me him gay! “Sit down and tell me what's wrong.”
As her son sat, she noticed he wasn’t shaking. This is a good sign. Right?
“I’ve realized you're not my real mother.”
None of those words were what she was expecting to hear. “What?”
“You’re not my mother!” It sounded like an accusation.
Luke, I’m not your mother.
“Why on Earth would you think that?” Emma asked, her tone somewhere between anger and confusion.
“I have no actual proof that you gave birth to me.”
“I do. They're called stretch marks. Want to see them?”
Emma reached for the top of her jeans. Her son recoiled.
“No!” he snapped. “But there's nothing correlating them with my birth.”
Is this boy on drugs?
“How about your birth certificate?”
“Can you prove it’s not counterfeit.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
Why are you doing this when your father’s not home? Because he’d laugh you into next week, that’s why.
“We've got everything from ultrasounds to baby pictures to the blanket I brought you home in,” she reminded him.
“Why should I believe any of that stuff is real?”
“Because it is!” she almost screamed.
Surprisingly, Danny remained calm. “I don't believe you.”
“What do you want? A DNA test?” Not that I’d allow one in a million years.
“Do you know how easily those are faked?”
“I don't know what else to tell you.” I really don’t.
“Because you've run out of lies.” Danny stood and towered over her.
He's gotten so big, Emma thought. Stupid, but big.
“I'm going to figure out who my real parents are and you can't stop me.”
“I wouldn't think of it,” Emma said. “And when you do, I'll send them the bill for raising you!”
Danny stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
He inherited the mental instability from his father’s side.
So… how much did it cost to raise him…
Tom Misuraca studied Writing, Publishing and Literature at Emerson College in Boston before moving to Los Angeles. Over 80 of his short stories and two novels have been published. Most recently, his story, Narcissus was published in Art Times Journal. He is also a multi-award winning playwright with over 100 shot plays and 9 full-lengths produced globally. His musical, Geeks!, was produced Off-Broadway in May 2019. When he's not writing, he works as a graphic designer. For more information please visit www.tommiz.com.