We were taking the clothes out of the dryer again. She used to let me help because I liked to. As she stooped to retrieve our garments, she resembled a wilting flower. She was beautiful but she was beginning to droop a bit, no longer the robust mother I remembered. I couldn't remember when exactly she began to look so weathered.
"You going to help me or not?" She clucked sharply. She didn't yell as much as she used to. She just liked to remind me she can.
While folding the clothes, I glanced toward the paintings on the wall. She followed my eyes and quickly returned to her task. Her brow was furrowed, she just wanted to do the laundry.
"Mommy, you ever going to paint again?" I asked.
"I don't know. ...No time." She mumbled as she looked longingly at her artwork displayed on our wall.
This time she stopped folding. She didn't want to fold anymore. She wanted to look at her pictures. Pictures of regal women, tropical paradises, and tranquil streams. I looked at her. My mother, the wilting flower.
She looked at me and smiled. I didn't know at the time that that was the smile you got when someone admits defeat. That was the smile you get when you know you had a season and it was over.It was the grin of resignation. She knew she was never going to paint again. She knew she was a wilting flower. At the time I didn't know. I knew she wasn't the same, but I didn't know she was different. I never knew she gave up, because she never gave up on me. As a child you only pay attention to the love and care you need.
When you're a child, mother's can't wilt...but they do.
When I heard that K-Ci and Jo-Jo were coming out with a reality show documenting their experience going through rehab, I was excited. The first thing I wanted to know was which one was K-Ci and which one was Jo-Jo (yes, it has been that long since I have seen let alone heard of them since highschool). I always loved Jodeci and when the two lead singers of the group branched off and made a few ballads I looked forward to hearing more, but more never came. Years passed by and I continued to play their hits and came to terms with the fact that this group was never going to reunite and the two brothers whose vocals lead the group to super stardom with were coked up and out for the count. Enter K-Ci and Jo-Jo: Coming Clean. I figured they were going to finally boot the snow blizzard that packed their nostrils. WRONG. They are kicking the alcohol habit. They claim that there was never a drug problem. We all have heard otherwise, but they insist. If moscato can turn me into what these t...
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