Now her mother wanted to help? She thought about all the times over the past few years when she could’ve used her mother’s support. Someone to offer advice and encouragement. Someone who would tell her even on the hardest days when Ash was angry and ungrateful that this was normal teenage stuff and it would pass. She wanted her mother to say, “You’re doing a good job.” None of that happened. As it was, Becca could still recall the dinner where Virginia revealed her true colors. It was almost a year and a half ago when Ash was still struggling. She was supposed to be at a friend’s doing schoolwork. Instead, Ash stumbled in, strung out and emotional, making a total scene. Becca knew that in Ash’s condition that a lecture was useless. She helped Ash up to bed, giving her water, Advil, and a promise that they’d fix whatever was troubling her. When Becca came back downstairs, Virginia was livid, grabbing Becca by the shoulders and shaking her. “You have to stop this right now. After all that you’ve done for that child, this is how she repays you?”

Becca tried to explain yet again the depth of trauma Ash endured, the suffering she’d experienced in her life. Virginia wouldn’t hear it. “She’s ungrateful. That’s all there is to it. She’s not worth the heartache, Rebecca. Send her back where she came from.”

Send her back… like she was a puppy Becca rescued from the pound, not a child. Becca understood it wasn’t just about Ash; it was history bubbling up. Resentment and blame for the things they couldn’t change. But Ash was at the heart of the matter. No matter how solid Becca’s argument, Virginia refused to accept that Ash was capable of change.

In the end, Becca’s only solution was to keep her distance. She still saw her father every few weeks for brunch or dinner or the occasional Dodgers game. But Becca made it clear that until Virginia apologized and accepted Ash as part of the family, she had nothing to say to her. Her mother was equally stubborn. Now she wanted to show up and act like no time had passed at all.

“And what about Freud? Where is he?” Virginia said. Becca hated that her mother seemed more concerned about her dog than about Ash. She recalled how annoyed Virginia was when Becca decided to keep him, listing all the reasons having a dog was a bad idea. “You and Christian are so busy. A neglected dog, especially a neglected pit bull, is bound to hurt someone. Think about it. Their jaws lock, Rebecca. What about when you have a baby?”