Not Scared Anymore

Chapter 16 - Stephanie

After an incredibly busy week at work, Stephanie needed to relax and get a few more things organized in her house, so she went shopping for some new décor with her Mom. She was ecstatic to have the full colour spectrum to work with again; her colourless condo life was draining.

They were carrying their bags into Stephanie's living room when her Mom spoke up.

"I brought you a housewarming present."

Stephanie looked around and spotted the large gift bag near the front door.

"Awe, thanks Mom, you didn't have to do that. Should I open it now?"

"Of course. It's just a few things I thought you could use."

Stephanie grabbed the bag and headed to the couch. She pulled out all the tissue paper and saw the goodies below. There was a bottle of wine and some brie, a brie baker and a small charcuterie board.

"Oooh, fancy snacks today? Should we crack this open and enjoy some?"

Her Mom gave her a slight smile. "No, that's for you. I'm sure you'll have something to celebrate, and it's nice to have a good bottle of wine for that."

Stephanie's mood fell. "Oh, is today not a celebration? We can make it one!"

"No, I've got to drive back home later. I'd take a sparkling water if you've got one."

"I thought you weren't leaving until after dinner. We were going to go out."

"Yes of course, but we won't finish that bottle and I'd hate to waste it."

"Okay. One sparkling water coming up!" She bounced off the couch and into the kitchen, returning with her Mom's beverage.

"Thanks honey. Now there's a bit more in that gift bag, keep going."

Stephanie lifted out all of the wine and cheese, to find a stack of dish cloths and a dark purple bath towel. It cascaded over her arms as she pulled it out. "Oh Mom, this is gorgeous! Thank you!"

"I hope you like the colour. You said you were tired of all the grey in your condo."

"I love it." The towel was plush and luxurious. She felt warm all over that her Mom finally seemed to be accepting the break up. She saw the glint of something silver in the bottom of the bag, and reached in.

It was a picture frame, and the metal corner was sharp enough to cut her finger tip. "Ouch!" The blood welled up and she brought her finger up to inspect it. It sliced the length of her finger tip, and it was bleeding profusely. She rushed into the kitchen to rinse it, and then wrapped it in a paper towel.

Her Mom looked concerned, but Stephanie tried to make a joke about the situation. "Any chance there's a first aid kit in this bag?" It did not have the intended effect, as her Mom's face fell further. "Mom! I'm kidding! It's fine. I'll grab a band-aid as soon as it stops bleeding." She looked down at her finger again, frowning as it soaked through the paper towel.

She reached back into the bag more carefully this time, and pulled out the frame. It was a beautiful silver frame with an large photo already inside.

Stephanie's eyes widened as she admired the gift; a gorgeous photo that had been taken of their trip on a wine tasting weekend the previous fall: Stephanie, her Mom, and Mark.

It had been one of the best days the three of them had spent together. Once Mark realized the signal was too poor to get anything done, he had ignored his phone all day. They dreamed of future vacations just like it in Italy. Stephanie felt tears come to her eyes and she tried furiously to blink them away.