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Responding to: 10. what direction did Mom take after leaving Junior? Thoughts?

Let me overthink this one. I’m going with “She suffered the turmoil of a hard decision and will never feel whole again.”

So, here’s the deal: Just like nobody is one hundred percent pure, villains aren’t fully awful. Trey and Arianna’s mom abandoned her kids and became the bad guy here from the vantage point of anyone worried about the children’s well-being. But FAKER wasn’t told in multiple perspectives, and “Mom” didn’t get a chapter in this book to give her side of the story. She probably had reasons and probably weighed the effect of staying versus leaving. And then chose to leave. I will at least entertain the possibility it was a selfless decision. 

After she ran off, I’m going to guess Mom mourned her broken bonds and spent a long time unable to imagine a new life for herself. Maybe she even broke her own resolve early on and decided to go back to her family, but couldn’t find them as they were escaped to an island paradise or immersed in a new alias. She spent time picking up the pieces of a shattered existence and now manages to get through some days without being racked by uncontrollable sobs. But she hopes one day she’ll see her kids again, and that they will forgive her, or even better be able to recognize why leaving was a sacrifice made for them.

Hmmm… today you get Dark Raymond. Is it my turn for a discussion prompt tomorrow? I promise I’ll be a bit more chipper. (Are we finishing up the FAKER Book Club this week? @Jade, do you want to pose a final question later in the week to close it out?)