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feet. Gross! It landed in a pile of hair and I felt my own stomach turning.
    “Really? Why can’t you go do this in your own place!” Dragging her away from the puke puddle and up the stairs into my apartment; she still hadn’t said anything which was unusual for her, I expected a slew of swear words and curses all about me being a shitty daughter but there were none, for now.
    I placed her next to the toilet bowl, cleaned her shoes and went to get her a glass of water. “You’ve got to stop doing this, you can’t just drink your emotions away. “ She took an unsteady breath and heaved into the toilet.
    “You act all high and mighty but you can’t talk for shit. All you do is bury and run away from yours!” She looked up at me once she’d stopped heaving. She was right but it still got my back up.
    “And I suppose this is where you try to lecture me about not caring? You forget I’m a grown woman, with a business and place of my own. No thanks to you of course. If I hadn’t have had my head screwed on, I’d have been following in your footsteps.”
    She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and propped herself up against the bath. “No, instead little miss perfect is burying herself in work and shying herself away from living in the real world. I know what I am, Sammy, and I’ve learnt to live with that. You? You don’t have a clue who you are or what you want. I may be a drunk but I’m not stupid.”
    She was wrong, I knew who I was and what I wanted. Didn’t I?
    “Why are you here?” It came out a little more menacing than I meant for it to be but my mom just brought out the worst in me. I resented her for everything she’d ever put me through; put Tommy through.
    “It was eight years’ yesterday. I woke up and picked up a bottle straight away. But you know what? I couldn’t take a drink. It made me feel sick to my stomach.”
    I scoffed at her, as if that would ever happen. “Forgive me for not believing you because you sure found it today didn’t you!”
    Looking up at me through tear filled eyes, she held back a sob. “I don’t want to be like this anymore, Sammy. I’d give up every single drop for one more day with my son, yesterday was a bad day, I couldn’t function properly so I had to have a drink today.” Her voice lowered to a whisper.
    I felt a strange combination of furious and upset as I knelt down in front of her. “Tommy. Is. Gone. But I’m right here, mom. Why can’t that be enough for you? I was never enough for you, we were never enough for you, so nothing would change even if he was here and you know if he was, there would be no way he’d want to be anywhere near you. You’re a disgrace and I want you out of my apartment.”
    I stood up and stormed out of the bathroom before I said anything else. I heard her trying to get up and huffed out a large breath before going back to help. “I’ll take you home now.” She stumbled and gripped onto my arm.
    “Don’t put yourself out, Sam, I can find my own way home.” I wasn’t arguing now, I was emotionally drained and I just wanted her out.
    “Just lean against here while I find my car keys.” I left her against the wall, grabbed them and came back to her staring at a photo on the mantel, it was of me and Tommy at my sixteenth birthday picnic that my best friend had arranged for me.
    “I’ve always hated that photo; it reminds me how I wasn’t ever there for you both. Take me to the bar, Sam, I don’t want to go home.” Her voice was somber.
    Oh, hell no!
    “The only place I’m taking you is home and if I have to lock you in there myself, I will! Now take my arm, we’re leaving.” She continued to spout a load of expletives at me. She told me how she was a grown adult and I couldn’t keep her under house arrest. “Watch me,” I gritted out, fed up that I was having to do this yet again.
    I was exhausted by the time I got home. She passed out as soon as I got her into bed and then I really got a chance to look