Mother's Day

[ArtieStroke]

Years earlier, but not many.

"I'm clocking out, Danny!" Rachel called out, hanging up her Waffle House apron. It was mother's day- she had plans, as she always did this time of year. Something of a tradition- albeit a somber one.

She stopped by a florist and bought dozen orange lilies. They were her mom's favorite- she was an interior decorator before she went the hero route. Rachel always made sure to get her favorite whenever she'd visit.

The walk was nice- helped Rachel clear her head. She still wished she had inherited her mother's flight abilities- her hero license may still be stuck in bureaucratic hell, but at least then she'd have something cool to look forward to. But as it was, she'd be confined to gravity for the duration.

By the time she got to the graveyard, there were other families visiting as well. People die every day- Rachel took some peace in the empathy of all their situations. Making her way past headstones, she finally made it to her mother's:

Cara Stokes
Beloved Mother and Wife
Courageous Hero

She was seven the last time she saw her mother. The memory never faded- it was a school day. Mom and Dad were arguing- Dad always tried to control all the going-ons in the household. He couldn't stand the idea of not being in charge. Slugging control freak. Mom kissed her goodbye as Rachel caught the morning bus to school- and that was it. When she got home from school, Dad told her the news. She wouldn't come out of her room for days- and of course she could never have gotten along with her dad after that. Mom was the unifying force in the household- the one who kept Dad's controlling habits in check. It was all downhill from there.

Rachel shook her head, laying the flowers by the headstone.

"Hey mom. Hope things are going well... wherever you are," it was silly to be talking to a slab of rock, but if there was a chance of her words reaching her mom, Rachel would take it, "School's going well. And I think I might be able to get my Hero License soon. I'll make you proud- I promise."

Rachel started sniffling a bit, and wiped away the quickly forming tears. her MeChip Jaine popped up, "There there, darling. It's okay to let it out."

"Thanks, Jaine." Rachel said. This was always tough for her. But honestly, it'd be tough for anyone.

Unless you were some emotionless jerk.

"Rachel."

Speak of the devil.

Rachel turned around- there he was. The old man actually made it to Mom's grave this year. Rachel blinked away the rest of her tears, straightening up, "What are you doing here?"

"Paying my respects to your mother," He said, walking past her and placing his own flower by the grave. A red rose- typical and cliche.

"I take it school's going well?"

Rachel snorted, "Save it- if you're gonna bullshit me with niceties have the decency not to do it by her grave."

Her dad nodded, "Still think I'm the badguy, huh?"

"You made it pretty slugging apparent that you ARE, dad!" Rachel shouted- the one person who seemed to ever incite her anger was him. She stopped trying to be patient with him by the time she graduated high school.

"You're the one who left the house-"

"Because you were CHOKING me with all your ultimatums! Your stupid rules- you try to control everything and EVERYONE you touch!" Her hands were balled up into fists by her side, and she cared less and less who would see this outburst, "And how many women have left you now because of that, huh? Three? Maybe more? You ruin people's lives!"

He stood there, continuing to let her scream and shout. That's what pissed Rachel off the most- he wouldn't even REACT to the fallout his antics created. If he would at least get mad or indignant at the blame then he would at least seem human to her, but no. He had to be the self righteous jerk he was.

"Are you done?"

Rachel stood there, panting a bit from her outburst. She straightened up again, and turned around, "I'm far past done. 'Done' was when I left home. Stay out of my life- you don't really care enough to be in it."

"If that's how you say it is."

Rachel gritted her teeth, but kept walking away. She needed to go home- go calm down.

Half an hour and one bus ride later, Rachel made it back to her dorm. She had one letter from the front desk- some kind of package. She tossed it onto her bed and flopped down next to it. Every time she talked to that man she lost her temper- years of bottled up anger bursting out again at him. She took comfort in the fact that she was free of him now, but it was still rough.

Rachel sighed, clearing him out of her head. It wasn't good for her health to dwell on him.

"Rachel, honey- I know you need a little time to calm down, but I think if you open that package you'll feel better. It's addressed from DRPR."

Blinking, Rachel sat up. The Department for the Regulation of Powered Resources? If that was the case, then...

Rachel tore open the package, and her intuition was right- it was her Hero License. She had done it- she was finally a super hero.

"She would be so proud of you." Jaine said, and Rachel nodded, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Happy mother's day..."