The Judas Kiss (Part 2)

I invited them here to come and talk to you.”  Morgan stood up and
walked towards the window, pulled the curtains slightly ajar.

"I don't understand why would you do something like that? You've
completely betrayed us. You know how hard I've worked to keep us all
together, I was doing fine until this morning.”  “No Morgan,
you're not fine, not at all.  I may be ill but I'm not blind.
You can't manage to take care of the house and look after me and
Tyler as well, you're fifteen years old for goodness sake. So I've
made plans for you and Tyler to be looked after. I can't look after
you properly right now, but there is someone who can. Once I'm well
again we'll be a family again. The plans I've made are only
temporary.”

Morgan stood up and walked towards the window, “what do you mean, there's
someone who can?” She started to pull the curtains, her tone full
of suspicion. “What's going on mum, what have you done?” She
lowered her head, trying to avoid eye contact. “I've not been
totally honest with you Morgan. Ever since I was diagnosed I
anticipated we would need some extra help at some point. So I
contacted Tyler's father a few months ago, and explained the
situation to him.  He's prepared to take care of both of you
until  I'm well again.”  Morgan remained silent,
staring at her mother in disbelief. “He really wants to help
Morgan, he owes us.”  

 Her daughter's silence disturbed her, she pulled Tyler in closer to to her, anticipating the furore
that was about to come. Without warning Morgan pulled the curtains
off the rail, and screamed at her mother, “What the hell have you
done you stupid woman? I'll take care of Tyler, not his dad. You
can't really expect us to live with him? Don't you remember he
buggered off years ago, and now you expect us to play happy families?
What a joke.” Tyler hid under a pillow, he'd never seen his sister
so enraged before. Morgan walked over to the bed completely ignoring
her mother and grabbed hold of Tyler's hand, “come on Tyler we're
going, it's time for school.”

That evening tensions were still running high. Ever since Morgan's
outburst, her mum had hidden herself away upstairs, as was her usual
behaviour. Once Tyler was fast asleep, she approached her mother's
bedroom and stood in the doorway. They both stared at one another for
a couple of minutes, until Morgan made the first move. “Look
mum, I don't want to fight with you. I'm really sorry about my
outburst this morning, I know you only have our best interests at
heart.”  Her mother sat upright, rather surprised at what she
was hearing having anticipated another argument. “You're absolutely
right, I should be enjoying my teenage years. I've got too much
responsibility on my shoulders.”  She edged in closer, sitting
on the the bed. “So, if you need us to move in with Tyler's dad
temporarily then I'm fine with it. After all it's not forever is it?”
Her mother nodded her head slightly, still slightly dumbfounded by
her daughter's sudden change of heart.  Morgan  approached
her mother, and for the first time in ages  kissed her gently on
the cheek, staring longingly at her,  “good night mum, sleep
tight.”

The following morning she was up bright and early, and feeling a bit more
positive about things, her children were still fast asleep. Wanting
to surprise them, she crept downstairs to prepare a cooked breakfast
for them. Totally absorbed in her task she'd lost track of time
suddenly realising it was past eight o'clock. It was unlike Morgan to
be late, she was naturally very meticulous about time keeping.
 Anxious they'd be late for school, she went upstairs to wake
them. As she walked into Tyler's bedroom she quickly pulled the duvet
off the bed. “Come on Tyler, time to get up you'll be late for ….”
She stopped mid sentence trying to catch her breath, she thought her
eyes were deceiving her. The bed was empty, a pile of clothes had
been carefully shaped under the duvet to resemble the body of a small
child. She frantically searched under the bed and in the wardrobe,
but to no avail. She ran into Morgan's room only to be met with the
same grim discovery. It then hit her like a slap in the face, Morgan
had been feeding her nothing but lies last night.  It all
started to make sense, her sudden change in attitude and even worse
the kiss on the cheek last night, a Judas kiss. Now she was out there
somewhere with Tyler only God knows where.

With only her dressing gown on she ran outside along the street barefoot wailing like some
crazed banshee. She didn't get very far, she just collapsed
on the pavement with her head in her hands, and let out an almighty
cry for all to hear, “Morgan! Morgan! I'm sorry, so sorry, please
come back.”