Stolen Nine Years, Courtesy of My Mother

Mom appeared behind me before I even noticed. She frowned, staring intently at the words.

My heart raced. I wanted to explain, but Mom just smiled and pushed a bowl of stew toward me. The smell hit me, and my stomach churned.

Her smile froze. She grabbed me and led me to the full-length mirror. The reflection staring back at me was just a thin shadow of myself.

"You weigh less than 50 pounds now. Anyone looking at you would think I'm abusing you," she said with concern. "I make this for you every day to help you get stronger."

I stared at the mirror, at her familiar face, and at the worry in her eyes. The tight knot of fear in my chest finally broke.

"Mom, don't you understand why this is happening to me?"

It was the endless blood draws, the surgeries, the procedures…

Her eyes flickered for an instant. "You're imagining things again. Rest well. In a few days, there's something more important waiting for you," she said.

My breath faltered at her words, and tears pricked my eyes. I wanted to ask what she had planned for Anna Hawkins next. She had already taken my blood and bone marrow, and I feared there was more she would take from me.

Mom left, and I turned to the bowl of golden stew. My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to clench my teeth and head downstairs.

Voices drifted from the living room.

Mom said, "If Anna gets a kidney transplant this time, she should be okay."

Dad took a drag from his cigarette. "I hope so, but can Jenna's body handle it?"

Mom's icy words came through the door. "What's there to fear? She's always been stubborn and competitive, even before she was born. She's strong. She won't die. If she hadn't taken what was meant for Anna, my daughter wouldn't have had to suffer like this.'"

Anna's small voice came next, carrying a note of pleading. "Mom, what if I'm still not better after the kidney?"

The room fell silent for a few seconds. My heart sank, then rose in that same moment of pause.

Then I heard Mom's matter-of-fact reply. "Then swap another one. She has two kidneys anyway."

The words hit me like needles.

Dad lowered his head and took a drag from his cigarette, saying nothing.

Anna let out a tiny, relieved sigh. "Thanks, Mom. The stew smells amazing."

Mom said, "That stew's too greasy. It's not healthy for you. Eat more fish instead. Fish makes you smart."

Anna's eyes brightened. "If I eat fish, can I be first in my class?"

Mom chuckled and replied, "You're my daughter. Of course you can!"

Something inside me shattered with a snap, yet in the fragments, a small ember of defiance and a faint plea still burned.

What if Mom still cared about me, even just a little?

I forced my weak body upright and walked toward them. The warm yellow light of the dining room fell over the steaming dishes on the table. Mom was carefully placing boneless pieces of fish onto Anna's plate.

My throat was dry as I said, "Mom."

Both of them turned. Mom's gentle expression hadn't fully faded, but when she saw me, she froze, then frowned deeply. "Why are you out here?"

I stared at the fish on Anna's plate, licking my cracked lips. "Mom, I want to eat with you."

Mom's face stiffened for a heartbeat.

Dad stubbed out his cigarette and beckoned me over. "Come on. Sit down with us."

I stepped forward, but Mom cut me off.

"No."