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jolene. ( drabble )
“You’ve got to be f***ing kidding me?!”
It had only been a few days since Aria had been back in Los Angeles for good since the filming of season one of Fury wrapped in New Orleans last week and flying to DC to pick up her daughter from her father’s. She could relax and she was hoping she could -- well, her version of relaxing. She had a lot of things left to do before her son was born, and she was completely in nesting mood. Standing at the door with widened eyes, it was as if she had seen a ghost; though, technically, it was. Standing across from her was none other than the woman who didn’t win mother of the year -- Jolene Winters. The young mother took in the appearance of the older woman, noticing how different she looked. Sure, she aged, but it was clear that she had been clean from the drugs for a few years now….and had fashion sense? Who was this person? “How the hell did you even get through the gate? You’re not on the list,” she scoffed. She was agitated at the sight of her and all she wanted to do was slam the f***ing door in her face. She had nothing to say to her. Jolene grinned. “Honey, we’re Winters women. We can talk ourselves into anything,” she responded with a shrug. Her eyes fell to her daughter’s bump and she gasped. “My, you’re gettin’ so big.” She went to touch her belly, but was stopped by Aria smacking her hand away. “Don’t f***ing touch me,” she hissed, the tone of her voice said it all. Jolene’s lips formed into a thin line. “Same ole Aria, I see…” she said softly, and the blonde rolled her eyes. “Mind if I come in? It’s hotter than a whore in church out here and I could use some ice cold water.” “Well, you’d know so much about that, wouldn’t you?” Aria fired back, sending her a sarcastic grin before stepping back and allowing her mother -- she used that term lightly -- inside. As much as she wanted to send her on her way, she knew Jolene. She wouldn’t go away until she got what she wanted, and that stress was something she did not need right now. Shutting the door behind her, she sighed. “Make it quick, Jolene. I have things to do. What the hell do you want?” She got straight to the point. She wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t something she needed. They hadn’t seen each other in eleven years, and suddenly she showed up at her doorstep? Seemed fishy. But Jolene wasn’t ready to answer that question just yet. The older blonde looked around the house from the doorway. “Nice home you got here,” she said, her country accent still as thick as ever. Aria ignored her and waddled her way to the kitchen, pouring the both of them a fresh glass of lemonade. Jo followed her to the kitchen and took a sip of the lemonade. “Mm, this is delicious. Definitely tastes better than how I made it.” Aria rolled her eyes. “You never made it, Jolene. You bought it in a jug at the local gas station. You may have fooled dad, but I saw right through your bullsh*t.” She was getting impatient. Hunter and Eden were home, just in the next room and she didn’t want them to see Jolene here. Or better yet, want Jolene to see them. She didn’t have the right to see her grand-daughter in the flesh. At the mention of her father, she noticed Jolene flinch, holding onto the glass a little tighter. “Well, he never complained, so…” she finally breathed out. That only caused the actress to roll her eyes again. “Enough with the small talk, Jolene. Why are you really here? Surely, it’s not to rekindle our relationship, because let’s be real, we never had one to begin with. You were never a mother to me. You cared more about your next high and f***ing strange men in your husband’s bed even when he was alive. You were selfish, and quite frankly, if this is you wanting to make amends, you can f***ing forget it because I don’t want to. I don’t need you. I’ve done a pretty damn good job without you. I have the career of my dreams and I’m still doing more, I have a nice home and a beautiful daughter whom I love more than anything on this Earth, which is a lot more than you can say about me. I’m about to have a son, and I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me and friends who support me. So, yeah, if making amends and starting over is what you want, then you can forget it because I don’t want it.” She inhaled a deep breath after her rambling, taking note of her country accent coming out as she kept her eyes on Jolene. Aria felt no ounce of remorse for her words. “I’m nothing like you, and thank God for that.” Jolene didn’t even hesitate to respond. “You’re nothing like me?” she laughed. “You’ve gotten knocked up by a married man twice. That screams Jolene.” Aria inhaled a sharp breathe; Jolene always knew where to hit her. She gripped the counter top tightly to refrain from smacking her across the face. “I am nothing like you!” she yelled, her jaw tensing as she slammed her glass of lemonade into the sink, causing it to shutter from her anger. The loudness of her voice and the glass breaking made Hunter run into the kitchen, eyeing the two women with furrowed brows. “Is...everything alright here?” he asked cautiously, looking between them. Hunter knew a little about her mother and he knew better than to ask. After taking a few seconds to simmer down, she looked over at Hunter with a smile. “Everything’s fine, babe,” she said, her eyes narrowing at him. “Can you take Eden to the backyard and keep her occupied, please?” Hunter nodded, knowing better than to question her. He could sense the tension in the room. Once he disappeared, Jolene let out a whistle. “Damn. You get to sleep with that every night? I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of him. He’s delicious.” She waved her hand on her face. “And he’s with you even though you’re having a baby with someone else? You better keep him, honey, because he seems to be the only one who can deal with you and your neurotic ways-“ Why was she allowing her to talk this long? “I swear to God, Jolene…” she cut her off, trying to keep her temper in check. “If you don’t tell me why you’re here, so help me, I will throw you out of here and-” “I have cancer, Aria. Ovarian…” Jolene finally said, cutting her off as she looked at her daughter, face serious. Aria looked up at her and was quiet for a few moments before she burst into laughter, head falling back with amusement. “And I’m supposed to care, why?” Harsh response, but she didn’t care. Most people would respond with sympathy, no matter what that person had done, but not her. Call it immature of her, but she had no sympathy for her. Not one ounce. “You’re supposed to care because I’m your mother and I’m dying…” “Hm, yeah, you look like you’re dying,” she fired back, rolling her eyes. “Is this another one of your bullsh*t scams? Cry wolf so people feel sorry for you and give you whatever you want? Tough sh*t, Jolene, it’s not going to work on me.” She really wished she could have something strong right about now… The woman’s lips formed into a line as she looked down at her hands, eyes watering. “Crazy to think that you’d care about me during this time…” she spoke softly, shaking her head. “Whether you believe me or not, here are the facts.” She stood up from the bar stool and placed her freshly manicured hands on the counter top. “I got clean about five years ago, found me a rich man who loves me-” Aria scoffed at that. “I have two step-children, they’re twins and are finishing high school. I found out I had stage three ovarian cancer about a year ago. I’ve tried chemotherapy and surgery, but nothing worked. The cancer is too wide spread and it’s rapidly spreading at a rate that no doctor wants to touch it. I have about a week or less left and I….” she broke off, swallowing hard. “I guess my coming here was for selfish reasons. I wanted to see you before I’m dead, just to see how you were doing and it’s nothing less than what I expected.” Jolene smiled. “You have a beautiful home and a beautiful family. You may be like me in some ways, but you’re so much better than I could ever be. You’re a great mom, Aria. You’re doing just fine, and you’ll do just fine after I’m gone.” “Damn right, I will,” Aria remarked, arms crossed as she looked at Jolene with arched brows. “Is there anything else, or are you done?” She was acting insensitive and rude, but she had every right to be. With Jolene, she never knew what to believe so everything she said, she took with a grain of salt, especially when she was younger.  She watched as Jolene pulled out a closed envelope from her name brand purse and held it close to her. “I wrote you a letter. Everything I can’t say to you in person is in here, along with my funeral arrangements. You are the beneficiary and although I have no money to my name, my husband will take care of the costs of everything. I just need you to plan it because he’s not really good at planning anything and I know you are, so...if there’s one thing you can do for me, please plan my funeral. You can make your speech as harsh as possible because let’s be real, I’m a horrible person and I deserve it.” She shrugged, placing the envelope on the counter in front of Aria. “Please make sure you read the letter. There’s a lot that you don’t know that you need to.” Her eyebrows furrowed. What did she mean by that? “But don’t open it until after I’m gone. All the answers will be in the letter.” And with that, the older woman went towards the door, stopping as she opened it. “It was good to see you, Aria,” she said with a sincere smile.
Aria’s lips pursed together, her tongue running over her teeth before responding, “Wish I could say the same…” Her eyes met Jolene’s. “Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.” One last look from Jolene before the door finally shut, allowing Aria to finally breathe. “Un-f***ing-believable..” She leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. She wasn’t going to freak out. Her mother was dying, so what? She didn’t feel anything, other than anger. She should be sad -- crying, even. But nothing. Not a single trace of sadness within her. Maybe she was a heartless bitch after all. After she got herself together, the blonde made her way to the backyard, coming up behind Hunter who was sitting on the outside furniture and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Hunter turned to smile at his girlfriend. “Hey, everything go okay?” he asked and she sighed. “No, but I wasn’t expecting it to,” she answered honestly, sighing again as she hugged him close to her. “I’m just...glad I have you and Eden. Y’all are all I need.” Another kiss on his cheek before she sat down beside him, watching Eden jump on the trampoline in front of them. She would inform Hunter of everything that happened, but not right now. Right now, she was going to enjoy her time with the two people she loved most in the world. She would worry about the funeral when it happened. If it ever happens, that is.
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