Mom
I’m hoping this is still your number.
Mom
I know you said you never wanted to see me again…
Mom
But I miss you so much.
Mom
I’m better. I’ve changed. I promise.
Mom
Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
Mom
Please, please call me.
Ella looks down at her phone in distress.
Then she texts her best friend and roommate Ava.
Ella
It’s been a year now.
Ava
I know! How could I forget?
Ava
I’m coming home right now.
Ella
You don’t need to do that!
Ava
I’m afraid you might break down and contact her.
Ava
And you CAN’T do that!
Ella
Well…she is my mother.
Ava
How can you even think about contacting her…
Ava
I should have pressed charges.
Ella
I know. I wouldn’t have blamed you.
Ava
I’m coming home now so you don’t do anything stupid.
Ava
In the meantime, block her number!
Ella looks down at her phone.
She doesn’t block her mom’s number.
Something deep and primal within her…
Just wants to hear her mother’s voice.
And thinks back to that terrible night.
Ella
The graduation ceremony is about to start.
She texts her friend Ava…
Who graduated the year before Ella…
Waiting to see Ella get her high school diploma.
Ella
I don’t think my mom is coming…
Ella
On one of the most important days of my life!
Ava
She probably got drunk and passed out again.
Ella
But she stopped drinking.
Ella
She was going to AA…
Ella
And doing so much better.
Ava
She must have had a relapse.
Ava
Sometimes I’m glad I’m an orphan.
Ava
It’s better than having a mother like yours.
Just then, Ella hears her name being called.
She walks up to get her diploma.
A tear slides down her cheek as she walks back to her seat.
As she hears her friend Ava shouting her name from the stands.
Ava’s parents died in a car crash when she was young…
And she and Ella stayed friends….
As Ava cycled through a series of foster homes.
Ella has been staying at Ava’s apartment for the last six months…
Because of her mother’s drinking.
But she was hoping to be able to move back in with her mom soon.
Now, as Ella holds her diploma in her hand, she realizes
Ava is her only family now.
the evening of graduation
Ella is at Ava’s apartment…
Waiting for her to come home.
They’re planning a big night of celebration.
Ella feels a tinge of sadness as she thinks of her mother…
Who still hasn’t called or texted her…
But she tries to shake it off.
She hears a faint knock at the door.
She’s not even sure it is a knock…
But she opens the door just in case.
There’s a bruise on her forehead…
She leads Ava into the living room.
Ava collapses onto the couch.
Ava
I went to see your mother.
Ava
I was so mad at her for not showing up at your graduation…
Ava
That I went over to her apartment…
Ava
To give her a piece of my mind.
Ava
She said it was none of my business…
Ava
And that she had a very good reason for not going.
Ava
I know what the reason was…
Ava
It had to do with the empty bottle of vodka I saw on the table.
Ava
When I said you deserved better…
Ava
She started attacking me!
Ava
She tore at my shirt and pushed me….
Ella
You should never have gone over there.
Ella
We need to get you to a doctor.
Ava
But I want you to promise me something.
Ava
That you’ll never to see or talk to your mom again.
Ava
It’s for your own good.
Ella
What my mom did is unforgivable.
Ella has kept her promise.
She hasn’t contacted her mom
But now her mom has just texted her.
And now her phone is ringing.
Tears start coursing down Ella’s face at the sound of her mom’s voice.
Mom
I’m so sorry about what happened.
Ella
How could you have done that, Mom?
Mom
That I never meant to miss your graduation.
Ella
I’m not even talking about that.
Ella
But I could have forgiven that.
Ella
But how could you have attacked Ava like that?
There’s a shocked silence.
Mom
Ava came over that day.
Mom
She was going to drive me to the graduation ceremony.
Mom
And I didn’t wake up until the evening!
Mom
How could I have fallen asleep on your graduation day?
Mom
I was so embarrassed.
Mom
Then Ava came over later…
Mom
And said you never wanted to see me or talk to me again…
Mom
And that you were embarrassed that your mother was a drunk.
Mom
I’ll admit, I had a relapse that night because of what happened.
Mom
I was a drunk that night.
Mom
But since that night, I’ve never touched a drop.
Mom
I’ve stayed clean and sober ever since.
Just then, Ella hears the door open.
Ella
I’ll talk to you later.
Ava rushes through the door of the apartment.
Ava
You didn’t call her, did you?
Ella, sitting on the couch, looks keenly into Ava’s face.
Ella
No, but I wanted to.
Ella
I think I’m going to go over there and talk to her.
Ella
I need closure on this.
A look of panic crosses Ava’s face.
Ava
You can’t do that, Ella!
Ava
That woman is dangerous.
Ava
Remember what she tried to do to me.
Ella gets up from the couch.
Ava pushes her back down.
Ava
Wait. Let me fix you some tea…
Ava
And let’s talk this through.
Ava
Will you at least wait until we can talk it over?
A jolt goes through Ella’s body…
But she does her best to hide it.
Ella
Okay, I guess we can do that.
Ella silently follows her and spies on Ava from the hallway as she makes the tea.
She sees Ava reach inside a top cupboard…
And pull down a small medicinal-looking bottle.
She pours a liberal number of drops into one of the cups of tea.
And sees Ella spying on her.
Ella
That tea is for me, isn’t it?
Ella
You wanted me to pass out…
Ella
So I wouldn’t go see my mother!
Ella
You gave her those same drops…
Ella
To stop her from coming to my graduation, didn’t you?
Ella
And you lied about her attacking you!!
Ella
You tore your own shirt that night…
Ella
And that wasn’t a real bruise on your face, was it?
The look on Ava’s face is the only answer Ella needs.
Ava starts sobbing and her face turns red.
Ava
Your mom was getting better…
Ava
And you were going to move back in with her.
Ava
I was so happy living with you.
Ava
You’re the family I never had.
Ava
And your mom would have taken that away.
Ella looks at Ava in shock.
Ella
We could have still been close.
Ella
The three of us could have been a family.
Ella
And now you’ve ruined everything.
Ava
Ella, please forgive me.
Ella
What you did is unforgivable.
Ella rushes for the door.
She grabs Ella’s shirt, ripping it.
Ella escapes from Ava’s grasp…
Rushes to her car and drives straight to her mother’s house.
And she falls into her mother’s grateful arms.
