October 2024 Flash Lit 10:1 - The Face on the Screen

It was supposed to be just another Zoom call, checking in on her mother and the cats.  Lily didn’t actually give a shit about the cats, Pan and Wendy Darling, but the cats knew in their cat way, so they always swarmed the computer when Lily called.  They wanted her to know who was in charge.

Lily didn’t mind the cats being in charge.  It was better than the other alternatives—Lily herself, or, worse, her mother.  It was worth the fuzzy view for the first minute or so.  Pan nearly disconnected the call in his stroll across the keyboard and Wendy Darling mewed loudly whenever Lily’s mother started to speak.  Then, having demonstrated their power, the lost interest and retired to the windowsill to plot escape and eventual world domination.

 

Now that Lily could see her mother, she found her frail.  For years, she had been cultivating a scatty little old lady persona to induce people to take care of her, but it seemed to have become real.  The chat was a jumbled thing, full of half-recounted trips to the doctor, random details of neighbors, the shocking price of cat food, and the peccadillos of Mrs. Hook the cleaning lady.  All boring and normal.

 

The Pan and Wendy Darling swiveled their heads toward the door.  The doorbell rang.  Lily’s mother went to open it.

 

The face of Lily’s horrible ex-husband filled her screen.  Jack said, after kissing her mom’s cheek, “I’m Johnny, your mom’s boyfriend.  Nice to meet you.  We have plans, so she’ll talk to you later.”

 

The call ended.

 

Lily knew she was supposed to feel panic, but she didn’t.  Those two deserved each other.