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It’s nearly one in the morning as a ghost is trying her best to cook food for when her daughter inevitably comes home drunk or high or both. But then she remembers that ghosts can’t really eat, but then she starts to question how her daughter can drink alcohol like nothing and can’t eat anything. The anatomy of a ghost is something that still perplexes Nadja even though she’s been one for who knows how many years.
Nadja is currently boiling some pasta that she now knows will just go to waste when the front door bursts open. Polly floats in singing a quiet tune to herself. She goes into the kitchen knowing that her mom would be in there. It’s become a routine at this point. Polly comes home in the early morning in an anything but sober state, and she rambles about her day with her mom for a good hour. But there is a huge change here. A change that her mother immediately picks up on as soon as she sees Polly. “Oh my lord! Are you sober?!”
“Hehe, yeaaaah. I did have a couple of drinks, and I snorted some crushed up diet heroine off an ogre’s stomach, but nothing too extreme.”
“How do you even snort hero-“
“Is that pasta?! Oooo, I can’t wait to not be able to eat it!” She serves herself a plate and sits down at the family table. She gives the pasta a good sniff before immediately throwing it in the trash. “Oh man, that was great! I’m sure it would’ve tasted good too.”
Nadja throws her own serving away as well. “I always know what you like.”
“Well I’m stuffed. Night mom! Well, morning but ya know what I mean.”
“Wait wait! Aren't you going to talk about your day?”
“Uhh, Nothing really happened. Went on the usual wacky adventures with my friends, nearly destroyed the school again, made out with a hot skeleton. Nothing special.” She tries to float away from this conversation, but Nadja isn’t going to let it go.
“Honey, I actually spoke with some of your friends a couple of days ago. They asked about what happened before the... well, the accident.”
Polly stops right in front of the door. She stays there for a few seconds. Enough to actually worry her mother.
“Polly?”
“I know.”
“You do?”
She turns around. “Yeah, I already told them everything. Well, not all of the details, but they know what happened.”
“Oh...oh honey I’m sorry.”
“No, no it’s not your fault. I guess they got a little curious after I hinted about how I actually died and had a rampage around the school for a couple of days. It happens.” She shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but Nadja knows how difficult those days must have been for her daughter.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah! Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Polly…”
“...” She sniffs, and suddenly she feels the tears sliding down again. “It was hard...telling them everything.” She covers her face with her hands. “I-I thought it would have been easier. I’ve already told all of my friends before. It’s been years since the crash, but even when I just think about him m-my whole chest a-aches!”
Nadja flies towards her daughter and gives her a loving hug. “Oh sweetie it’s alright. Just let it out.”
Polly lets herself cry, the tears falling through her mother’s shoulder. Nadja simply holds her tightly as she hums soothing tunes. “You know, I hear that when it hurts it means you’re still breathing.”
Polly laughs quietly. “Well that’s a load of bullshit.” She pulls away from her mom. “Thank you. For always being there for me. Even when I come home drunk and making a mess all over the house.”
“It’s my pleasure, sweetie. Even in death you’ll always be my little girl.”
It’s not the first time Nadja has said those exact words, but they always make Polly smile. “I love you mom.”
“I love you too Polly.”