Mom pulled free of my hand and stepped inside. She turned to face me and smiled.
"I'm going now."
"Go back inside. It's cold out here."
Standing there, watching my mother smile at me through reddened eyes as the doors began to close, something shifted inside me.
A bold plan took shape.
I didn't force her to come back to the apartment.
Instead, I took her to the best hotel in the neighborhood and booked a room.
Rather than make her sleep in that guest room with its stained mattress, I'd let her have one comfortable night.
After check-in, I walked her to her room.
She took in the elegant furnishings, then drifted to the window and gazed down at the glittering city lights spread out below. Her whole body went stiff with unease.
"Zoe, didn't Connor say there was a motel around here for sixty dollars a night? Why did you bring me to a place like this?"
"Look at this room. It must cost a fortune."
I took her hands, calloused and rough, and guided her to the edge of the bed. We sat down together, and I looked her in the eye.
"Mom, your daughter can afford it now. Just this once, let me take care of you. Okay?"