The Earthquake Exposed My Mother’s Lie

1 The earthquake hit when I was nineteen, shattering the elaborate self-deception I'd built over the years. I woke to a violent tremor, still half-asleep. Through the haze, I saw Mom move with a speed I’d never witnessed before. She grabbed my younger sister, Rose, and bolted downstairs. She was a blur, nothing like her usual slow, absent-minded self. I just stood there, frozen, watching her disappear down the stairs. In that moment, a belief I’d clung to for so long crumbled to dust. Mom wasn’t slow to react. Her lightning-fast reflexes simply weren't for me. When I was a little kid and a stray dog knocked me down, tearing at my arm, she stood nearby, her eyes blank. Only when a neighbor rushed over and pulled me to safety did she snap out of it, gasping, “Selene! What happened? Why didn’t you dodge it?” Later, when I gained weight and became a target for bullies, they’d corner me right outside our front door, beating me up. She’d watch the whole thing from the third-story window, silent. When I finally dragged myself home, bruised and battered, she’d rush over, her face a picture of innocent concern, asking, “Were they hitting you just now? Why didn’t you call me for help?” I used to tell myself she just had some kind of physical condition, that she couldn't react quickly. But now I understood. Her "slowness" was reserved exclusively for me. In that instant, I just couldn’t take it anymore. ... The ground shook violently. A loud crash from behind me—the wardrobe toppled—snapped me back to reality. I scrambled downstairs, fleeing for my life. Downstairs, Mom was panting, still clutching Rose, her eyes scanning my sister for injuries. When she saw me, she let out a surprised yelp. "Oh! Selene, you're home too? Mom completely forgot. I thought you were still at college!" My face felt pale. A jagged nail had scraped my back as I ran out, leaving a stinging cut. Her words twisted in my gut. "Mom, I've been home for two days. Didn't you know?" She didn't bat an eye, pouting as if it were the most natural thing. "Didn't know, honey. You know Mom sometimes takes a while to react. Selene, are you blaming me?" I swallowed, my throat dry. Just then, Dad, rushing home from work, saw the whole exchange. He walked straight up to me, slapped my shoulder hard without a word, his expression icy. "Selene Miller, did you waste all your education? Or did college make you think you can talk back to your mother like that?" His slap landed directly on my fresh wound. I gasped, a muffled cry escaping my lips. I looked up at his stern face. It had always been like this. My slow-to-react mother, coddled by my doting father, only grew more innocent and helpless over time. That time I was attacked by the dog. I’d once asked Mom why she hadn't protected me. Before she could answer, Dad slammed his chopsticks on the table, his face dark. "Selene Miller, I'm only saying this once. Your mother is naturally slower to react than others." "Even if you’d been mauled to death today, you'd have no right to blame her!" I flinched, my nose stinging, but I dared not cry. I just kept my head down, burying my face in my porridge, stirring it with my chopsticks. After that, I understood Mom's "condition" and stopped blaming her. But this time... "Sis, don't be so dramatic. You know Mom's situation. Are you really going to pressure her?" Rose emerged from Mom's embrace. As the clear beneficiary of the situation, her face held only a haughty contempt for me. Mom nodded in agreement, her gaze on Rose even more tender. I bit back the pain, took a deep breath. "Mom, you said you can't react quickly. So why were you so fast when you saved Rose?" She frowned, snapping back, "I'm slow, not an idiot. Rose was right there; what, was I supposed to just leave her?" Her words made my wound ache even more. "But I was home too. Why didn't you call me? Why did you forget me?" Mom choked, clearly caught off guard by my uncharacteristic assertiveness. She stammered, unable to find an answer. I managed a weak smile. "How many times, since I was born, has this happened?" "Mom, are you truly slow to react, or do you just not care if I live or die?" The more I spoke, the more the unfairness swelled, my voice rising, choked with emotion. Neighbors had started to gather around. "Selene, why is she acting out today? We all know about your mom's condition; why bother with this?" "I think it's because Rose is so smart and pretty. She's just jealous and making a scene." Everyone chimed in, dissecting me from head to toe. My fists clenched, my face growing paler. Mom stood by, watching silently, not defending me, but rather nodding along with their criticism. Dad gave me a shove. "That's enough. Apologize to your mother, and cut out the attitude. It's not a good look!" I pressed my lips together. This time, I didn't back down as usual. Instead, I jutted out my chin and said, "I did nothing wrong, and I won't apologize!" Dad's face darkened instantly. His short temper flared, and he slapped me across the face with all his might. Already in pain and weakened, my vision swam. To the shock of the onlookers, I collapsed with a thud, fainting at Mom's feet. 2 I woke up two days later. The doctor said I'd fainted due to tetanus, an infection from the wound. I glanced around the empty bedside and asked, "Has anyone come to see me?" "Yes, your father just left. He went to pay the bill." I was silent for a moment. "No one else?" He nodded, gave me some instructions, and left. I let out a self-deprecating laugh, still foolishly hoping Mom would show up. I opened my phone. A new update on Mom’s social media: photos of her and Rose at a resort, all smiles. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. I looked up as the door burst open. It was Mom, flustered and anxious. To my surprise, she rushed to my bedside. "Oh my goodness, Selene, you actually fainted? That day, I thought you just suddenly fell asleep!" "Your back is hurt? Was it because of the earthquake?" "It's all Mom's fault for reacting so slowly, otherwise I would have been here to take care of you right away." I watched her quietly, then laughed, a hollow, absurd sound. I just couldn't believe anyone could be that slow to react! Especially if I hadn't seen her social media updates, showing her and Rose on vacation for the past two days, I might have actually believed her concern. But now, it seemed she'd had her fun and was only deigning to visit me, conveniently manufacturing an excuse for her absence. "Mom, where have you been?" Rose, beside her, beamed with a triumphant look. "Where else? Mom took me to..." Before she could finish, Mom pulled her arm and flashed me a forced smile. "Nowhere, just at home." I scoffed, opened the social media post, and tossed my phone onto the bed. "If you're going on vacation, you could at least block me." She froze, then flushed, stammering for an explanation. Finally, like Dad, she dropped the act, her patience completely gone. "So what if I took your sister on a trip? Do I need your permission to go somewhere?" "Besides, I wasn't intentionally not visiting you! I told you, I didn't realize you fainted!" "Selene Miller, why are you so pushy, so unreasonable!" Her voice was loud, jarring. Her aggressive deflection chilled me to the bone. "Forget it," I said with a scoff, lifting my head coolly. "Just leave. You don't need to pretend to care." Mom's face stiffened, and the room's atmosphere plummeted to freezing. Just then, Dad and my aunt, Aunt Carol, walked in. Aunt Carol frowned, stepping forward to scold me. "Selene, you should be respectful when speaking to your elders." Seeing she had backup, Mom immediately burst into tears, hiding behind them. I felt a weariness deep in my bones. "Aunt Carol, do you know what happened? Dad probably didn't tell you, so I will." Dad frowned, too late to stop me. My aunt, hearing the story, turned a disapproving gaze on Mom. "Sister-in-law, that's a bit unfair, isn't it?" Mom choked again, unable to explain, her anger flaring. "I am slow to react! I could only save one, and I just didn't remember Selene was home! Can you blame me for that?" She then rounded on me, scolding, "Selene Miller, I came to see you out of kindness, and instead of appreciating your mother's efforts, you team up with everyone else to complain about me!" "I didn't do it on purpose!" "I think you've just held a grudge against me all these years!" I took a deep breath, shaking my head. There was no getting through to her. "Think what you want. After I'm discharged, I'm moving out, so I won't be an eyesore." But at that, she immediately exploded. "What do you mean? You're moving out? Are you trying to make the neighbors gossip about me, say I'm a cruel mother?" I paused, realizing I just wanted to leave. Then I cast her a cold glance. "Mom, how come your reaction time isn't 'slow' this time? You're thinking faster than I am." Aunt Carol looked at Mom suspiciously, and Mom's face paled. 3 She bristled, glaring at me. Dad, who had been silent, finally lost his temper. He kicked my hospital bed. Bang! The jarring impact sent a jolt through me, almost knocking me off the mattress. "Selene Miller! What kind of attitude is that?!" I fell silent. Mom seized the opportunity, squeezing out a couple of tears. My sister, Rose, immediately went to protect Mom, adding fuel to the fire. "Sis, did the earthquake hit your head? What's wrong with you, attacking Mom like this?" "I can't stand it. Don't you know that Mom is like this because of you?!" I frowned, confused. Mom's expression grew even more aggrieved. Rose, her face flushed, blurted out everything. "Mom almost bled out giving birth to you, and her brain was damaged, which is why she reacts so slowly!" "She pitied you, afraid you'd blame yourself, so she never said anything." "And you! Just because she didn't grab you, you won't stop nagging?" My face went blank. "What?" Aunt Carol looked surprised, then immediately shifted sides, becoming Mom's ally. "Selene, that's not right of you." Dad's expression was equally grim. He held Mom tightly, who remained tearfully silent. I pressed my pale lips together, still unable to speak. Mom sniffled, then magnanimously reassured me. "It's okay. Mom doesn't blame you. You're upset. Mom will come see you in a few days." With that, they all left one by one. I looked up just in time to see Rose and Mom exchange a knowing, enigmatic smile. I didn't dwell on it, lost in the words I'd just heard, my thoughts tangled. The next day, after being discharged, I tossed and turned all night. My mind felt restless, so I got out of bed and went to the kitchen, wanting a glass of ice water to cool down. As I stepped out, I heard hushed whispers from the balcony. "Good thing I made you come up with an excuse earlier, otherwise your sister would have been all over me again." "That Selene girl, I don't know what's gotten into her. Ever since that earthquake, she's become so petty." My steps faltered. The ice water in my hand sloshed out. Rose, curious, asked, "So, Mom, is your reaction time really slower than most people?" Mom paused, cleared her throat. "Of course. But no matter how slow, if my precious Rosebud is in danger, I can react instantly." Rose immediately threw herself into Mom's arms, laughing and cuddling. My eyes froze. I quietly retreated to my room. Sitting on the bed, I let out a sharp, cold laugh. My entire day of guilt felt like a cruel joke. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the front door, followed by familiar curses. "Open up! Rachel, I'm your brother, are you really going to let me die?!" Rachel was Mom's name, and the frantic man outside was my uncle, a gambling addict deep in debt. I jumped, reflexively shrinking into a ball in the corner. When I was little, my gambling uncle, owing a massive debt, came up with the idea of selling a child. He set his sights on me. He arranged for someone to easily take me from Mom, using a flimsy excuse. I was terrified, sensing something was wrong, and cried desperately. My cries alerted a passing police patrol, who rescued me, but I already had several injuries. Mom arrived at the police station, looked at me, and after a long moment, exaggeratedly covered her mouth. "Oh my goodness, Selene, he was trying to sell you!" "It's all Mom's fault. I only just realized I shouldn't have let a stranger take you." But later, when Rose was born, she never allowed my uncle or anyone else to even get close to Rose... Lost in thought, the knocking stopped. I sat by the bed all night. When the sky began to lighten, I finally stood, dragging my numb body to pack my bags. A little while later, I opened the door, bag in hand. That's when I saw the living room filled with neighbors and relatives. 4 Dad frowned. "What's gotten into you now? It's your mother's birthday today, hurry up and help with the cooking!" Mom saw my bags and also froze, then started complaining. "Selene? Are you still throwing a tantrum? Everything I do is because of you. You're choosing this exact moment to leave, just to make the neighbors say I'm a heartless woman?" Rose, eating her favorite shrimp dumplings, glanced at me without a word. My fingers clenched. I was allergic to seafood and hated shrimp dumplings, yet Rose loved them, and Mom made them every day. The favoritism had always been woven into the fabric of our daily lives. "Selene, you're such a hothead," Old Mrs. Jones from next door pouted. "We all know the ins and outs of what happened. You're really being unreasonable." "Yeah, nineteen and still so childish. I guess she went to college for nothing." Mom didn't say a single word in my defense. She knew the truth, yet she let them scold me. Facing their accusations, I scoffed. "You're all just here for the drama! This is my family's business, what do any of you really know?" Old Mrs. Jones immediately bristled. "Huh! What do you mean we don't know? We all know about your mom's condition, why are you blaming her?" "Sure, she almost let you get kidnapped, and you were bitten by a dog, but your mom just couldn't react in time. She was upset and hurt too." "You're nineteen, it's time to grow up. Rose is even better than you." Rose, hearing this, looked smug, adding fuel to the fire. "Exactly, sis. You're too petty. I can't believe you're still like this, even after knowing the truth about Mom's condition." "I feel bad for Mom." Mom looked at me, her expression disappointed. "Selene, I've never deprived you of food or clothes all these years. I took care of you with all my heart, and I can't believe that just because I didn't react in time to pull you during an earthquake, you hate me so much." I clenched my fists, looking at them standing opposite me, while I stood alone and helpless. My gaze grew darker. "Think what you want. From today on, I will never return to this house." "It'll free up space for your family of three." Dad's face turned grim, and Mom sighed. "Fine. If you insist on leaving, then you'll need to sign an agreement." I frowned. "What agreement?" She pulled something from behind her, as if she'd prepared it in advance. "An agreement stating you are voluntarily disowning us." "To prevent people from talking behind my back later." My fingertips gripping the paper turned white. I suddenly laughed, my eyes filled with mockery. "Mom, at a time like this, your reaction is surprisingly fast." Her face stiffened at my sarcasm. Old Mrs. Jones, who already disliked me, began inciting the others to verbally attack me. "What a heartless girl. Rachel, I told you it wasn't worth it, getting your nerves messed up for her sake!" Aunt Carol, who had just walked in, also looked at me with displeasure. "Selene, apologize to your mother right now. We'll let this go." She turned stern. "I hear you're applying for a national scholarship, right? If you're so unfilial, I don't think you deserve that award." Aunt Carol taught at my university. If she wanted to, she could really sabotage the national scholarship I had worked so hard to earn. Faced with their relentless pressure, I lowered my eyes, then let out a cold laugh. After a silent pause, I tossed a yellowed report onto the table in front of everyone. In the next second, I saw Mom's face drastically change.