Coming home late from the bar one night, Aurora tumbled out of the taxi, and stumbled through the front door. As she walked into the living room, she saw a woman sitting on the couch with her back to her. Completely forgetting that there was who was home, she reached over, gently grabbed the face of the figure in front of her, and placed the sweetest deepest kiss she could manage with her breath reeking of rum.
When Lana heard her mother enter the house, she was already half asleep herself. The jingle of keys made her sit up, and by the time she had rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes, somebody’s tongue was down her throat. It was over before she could think to react, and as they pulled away from each other, she saw her mother look at her with mild surprise.
“Oh, fuck, sorry sweetie…. You just taste so much like your mother.”
Aurora spoke before her mind could catch up with her, and as they both realized what was said, their faces lit up in deep crimson. In her embarrassment, she ran up to her room, locked the door, and tried unsuccessfully to sleep the booze off. When her mother ran off, all Lana could do was sit there, and touch at her lips, a fire having been ignited in her chest.
In the days that followed, Aurora did everything she could think of to make it up to her daughter. Dozens of explanations, hundreds of apologies, and a morning after filled with incoherent sobs of shame.
Her wife had left many years ago. It was mutual, a difference life plans split them apart, but her ex still sent money home after the divorce. Unfortunately, Aurora couldn’t ever recover her dating life. All the while, Lana brought girls home at least once a week during college. She hated to admit that she was jealous, and the only thing she could think was that she would lose the one person she cared about more than anyone else in the world. All because of something she would’ve never done sober in a hundred million years. It wasn’t long before every drop of alcohol in the house was poured down the drain.
Lana was incapable of comforting her mother in her time of need. Every apology, every sorrowful look, every gesture made the conflict inside her burn ever brighter. It was all she could do to keep herself from saying how she truly felt, and as the days dragged on she could feel her reluctance start to give way. It happened 9 days after the first kiss.
It happened a week later. As Aurora was cooking up another of her apology dinners, Lana slid her way into the kitchen behind her.
“Mom? We need to talk….”
“Y-yes, sweetie? Is it about… what happened?”
“Yeah… I have something I need to tell you…”
“Are- are you leaving?”
“No mom, I would never…. I just wanted to say you can stop with all of this stuff. I forgive you. I was never upset to begin with, in fact… if I could, I would do it again. It was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
“What? Are you serious? Did you feel this way the whole time?”
“Yeah… I just never didn’t know how to tell you…”
Aurora was across the kitchen in a flash. Hugging her daughter with all her might, she kept going until Lana’s back was up against the wall, their lips together in an instant. She kept her tongue in her own mouth this time, but it was a close thing. As they came back up for air, they were both crying.
“I was wrong… you taste nothing like your mother. You taste so much better.”
