Member-only story
Lifelong Trauma
A Nice Cup of Tea
An aged lady drifts back and forth between the past and present
A nice cup of tea — the great healer, equaliser, and all-round comforter…apparently.
“NO. Don’t take my baby.”
I scream, waking with a jolt.
Reality claws at my decrepit mind.
This nightmare had been my world.
The rumble of boiling water dampens my involuntary keening,
while a strange woman sits rocking me in her arms…
“It’s okay mum, I’ve made a nice cup of tea.”
She says…
I recline,
absorbed in the past.
At sixteen and seven months pregnant,
the distance between my parents and me became insurmountable.
A convent provided refuge, then stole my firstborn.
“He’ll be happier with a proper family,” the nuns assured.
Tears mingle with steam from the tea.
I blink and anchor myself in the present.
“He’s better off without me,” I whisper to nobody,
but the words ring hollow.
