"Hey mom", Vanessa spoke into her cellphone. She tried to prepare for this. She had been practicing what to say to her mom for days, and she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She even had her fidget toy ready that Dr Drake recommended for her to get.

"How are you honey?", her mother, Carmen, replied in a high pitched, nasal, tone. She was pouring herself a cup of herbal tea as it was supposed to be good for the metabolism. "It's been a couple weeks since I've heard from you. Are you okay? I've texted and called and barely got any response."

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I haven't responded. I've had a lot on my mind."

"Oh really? Like what? Wait let me guess. Are you and Tony getting married?", Carmen said excitingly and hopefully, her drawn in eyebrows raising.

"No, mom. No. We aren't getting married", Vanessa said annoyed. Marriage was yet another thing that she had to accomplish to make her mother happy. "But I do have something to talk to you about."

"Have you thought anything about going on a diet?," Carmen interrupted. "I love you, but I seen your recent picture on Instagram. Sweetie you really need to take off about 30 pounds and you would be fabulous again."

"Actually, that is what I need to talk to you about", Vanessa replied, clenching her fist. She could already feel her blood pressure rising. Strangely, she was able to get off of blood pressure medication after she moved away from her mom, despite the doctor saying is was due to her being overweight. She grabbed the fidget toy and began tossing it to one hand and wrapping the string around her fingers.

"So you are going to improve yourself. I'm so happy to hear that!" Carmen typically heard what she wanted. She made things to be what she wanted them to be.

"Yes mom. I'm going to be improving myself. But not in the way you think", Vanessa said frowning.

"What are you talking about?", Carmen asked as she scrunched her eyebrows and took a sip of herbal tea from her stained glass tea cup.

"You've always wanted me to be what you've wanted. I've sacrificed a good part of my life to please you."

"I don't know what you mean.",  Carmen snarled. " I gave you a wonderful childhood. You had a promising career of being a model, that may I remind you, YOU ruined. You looked amazing because I disciplined you and kept you away from junk food. I did everything a good mother would do for her daughter."

Vanessa couldn't believe her mother. There was never any reasoning with her. "You put me on a strict diet when I was 12, and told me that my worth depended on what men thought of me."

"I was just trying to make sure you would be happy with a man someday", Carmen said as she tried manipulating her daughter once more.

I" am happy with a man. Me and Tony love each other", Vanessa stated firmly.

"But you just said you're not getting married", Carmen said rolling her eyes. "Trust me, you lose some weight and he'll be proposing in no time."

"Mom, I'm not going on a diet. Tony loves me exactly the way that I am. My weight has nothing to do with us not getting married. We're just not there yet in our relationship. This is what I wanted to talk to you about. I no longer want to do what you want me to do. I'm quitting the hair salon."

"So now you're wanting to become a nail tech?", Carmen asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm going to be doing something I want to do."

"Vanessa, we talked about this a long time ago", Carmen sighed. "There's nothing to discuss. You're having a woman's job."

"I'm 23 years old. I'm an adult. I don't want to live my life only the way you want me to, and I'm not doing it anymore."

"Then what's your bright idea, Vanessa? What are you going to do?", Carmen mocked, rolling her eyes.

"I'm going to do something forensics", Vanessa admitted bluntly, ferociously playing with her fidget spinner.

Carmen chuckled loudly. Her laugh sounding like a high-pitched hyena. "That's stupid. Who put such a ridiculous idea in your head? Was it Tony?"

"No. It was me", Vanessa admitted as she detested her mother trying to blame anything on Tony. "I want to do this. I want to help people who have been victimized."

"Vanessa, if you do this, I'm not helping you. You will find your own way to college."

"Mom, I know." She chuckled at the very idea that her mother thought that she would lean on her for any kind of support. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"How?", Carmen asked, putting her hand on her tiny hip.

"I'm not stupid mom. I've got money I've saved back from picking up extra shifts at the salon." This was the one time Vanessa knew she had her mother. She could no longer pull the strings.

Carmen pressed her thick, purple painted lips together in anger and squinted her dark, Spanish, eyes that were thick with pastel blue eyeshadow. "Call me when you've come to your senses", she snarled as she slammed down the phone.

Vanessa smiled, her white teeth glistening and he eyes sparkling with joy. It was the first time she felt happiness in a long time. "No mom", she said as if her mother could still hear her. " You call me when you come to your senses. "