Her colleague from work

Rebecca was someone you had heard a lot about, but only met a handful of times. Her relationship with your mom could be best described as ‘tumultuous’, with the two of them alternating between cool indifference and fervent arguments. They both worked in the same department and had regular interactions, so it was a common occurrence for your mom to come home seething about some new slight (real or imagined) that Rebecca had inflicted.

You weren’t about to get in the middle of what could be a colossal shit storm, so you held back and watched them from the doorway, holding your breath and bracing for the worst.

“We need this report done by the end of the week, Victoria,” the woman hissed. “I know you’ve had your personal thing, but the world doesn’t just stop because you do. I’ve got David breathing down my neck enough as is.”

Your Mom’s mouth twisted in distaste. “My ‘personal thing’ was the **** of my father, so have a little tact, Becky. And I’ve gone over all the data and made my notes. I even emailed them to you yesterday, so if we’ve being held up it’s entirely because of you.”

“Yeah, I got your email and it was typically half-assed, you need to revise the whole thing.”

“Maybe you can get all the way off my back,” your mom countered. “I went over everything.”

Rebecca stared your mom dead in the eye and when she spoke, there was a low hatred dripping from her voice. “Look, I worked for my position. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get where I am, and I’m not going to let some nepo baby like you fuck this up for me.”

“Oh fuck you,” your mother hissed back. “ Is that what this is about? I worked hard too, Rebecca. I’ve worked this job while being a single mom for eighteen fucking years, and I never slacked off!”

The other woman scoffed. “Oh, you’re gonna play the single mom card? You had a rich and influential daddy to look after you, ‘ Vicky’. Just because you were a slut who got knocked up doesn’t change how privileged you are.”

The sound of Mom’s hand striking Rebecca was enough to stop your heart.

“ You hit me!” Rebecca nursed her cheek, eyes watering and teeth grit with rage. “You fucking bitch!”

The two women glared at each other, teeth bared and breathing heavily. It was about to be a fight, you were going to have to break up a fight.

But then another voice whispered in your mind, why not use the ring? It was an insidious thought, but as the two women continued to argue you felt the idea becoming more and more appealing. But could you really do that? To your own goddamned mother of all people too? You had to decide.