Fiction under 250 words.
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“It’s about time you answered your damn phone.”
Lauren scowled and looked over at her sleeping daughter. She had been so distracted with her own mounting problems she hadn’t thought to look at her caller ID. She mentally kicked herself for her carelessness. She really needed to get a new cell phone number.
“Hello? Hello??” the voice snapped, rising with each shrill syllable.
“I’m here. What do you want?”
“What the hell sort of greeting is that?”
Lauren sucked in her breath and willed herself to think about their final destination – beautiful palm trees, the sounds of the surf gently lapping white sandy beaches … she checked her rear-view mirror before glancing at her daughter again. She deserved a good life, didn’t she?
She continued to stare straight ahead and cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder, her knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. She refused to get sucked into yet another drama fest, so, she remained silent. Experience had taught her that sometimes not saying anything at all was a more powerful weapon.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the voice demanded.
“Away.”
“You always were a smart ass,” the words dripped with sarcasm followed closely by a bitter chuckle.
Again, Lauren answered with silence. She veered off onto her exit and was merging with the traffic on the bridge before the voice spoke again.
“You won’t survive without us.”
Lauren opened her window and threw her cell phone over the bridge.
“Oh yes I will. Goodbye mother.”
Write From Karen 