Treasured Gifts of Many

Chapter 5
Chapter Four

Chapter Description: Jane tries to get her daughter to leave the house weeks after being locked in her room, hoping that May's best friend may help soothe some of the shrinking girl's fears

Treasured Gifts of May:

Chapter Four Jane stood outside May’s door, a sympathetic frown on her face. She raised her right hand, but couldn’t bring herself to knock on her eldest child’s door. “...But how old is she?” Jane asked herself softly. Since the meeting in the den, May had basically locked herself in her room. Despite her yearning to help her daughter, Jane remembered what she felt when she looked into her husband’s eyes all those weeks ago. It hurt Jane more than anything, but she decided to give May her space, allowing her time to process everything. But that had created its own set of problems. About the only times May had ventured out of her room were in the rare moments when she decided to take a shower, allowing Jane to quickly clean her room. Still, the Bridge’s mother hadn’t gotten a good look at her child to gauge how young May had become. Jane sighed and lowered her hand to her pants pocket. She fished out her phone and opened the messenger app. On it was a string of messages belonging to Bethany. Jane read the messages softly to herself, frowning at the last one, which was marked for the current day, August 11. Jane read the message softly to herself, her frown growing. “Please, Miss Bridges, send May my way. She can’t stay in her house at the moment; it would only cause her emotions to get worse. But if she gets an outside source to comfort her, it might help improve her mood.” Jane stared at the message, a conflict building on her face. Shortly after the comfort in Martin’s den, Bethany had contacted Jane, revealing that May wasn’t talking to her anymore. Jane had reluctantly told her daughter’s best friend what was happening to May. Bethany had taken the answer immediately, trusting Jane completely. A small smile worked its way to Jane’s lips. Talking with Bethany had become a grounding force for the worried mother. It gave her a sense of peace knowing there was someone outside of her family that she could confide in during these uncertain times. The smile died on Jane’s lips rereading Bethany’s last message a few more times. Part of her was hesitant to let her daughter out of the house. May was in a delicate state, and Jane didn’t want to expose her daughter’s condition to the world. Still, she trusted Bethany; May’s best friend was going to study psychology in college. More importantly, Bethany was the one person who knew May just as well as any member of the Bridge family. If anyone could help May work through some of her issues, it was Bethany Winters. Jane, feeling her resolve steeled, locked her phone and pocketed it. She looked at May’s door, and with a quick breath, reached out and gently knocked on the door. “May? Can I come in?” Jane made sure her tone was even, trying to sound like she was talking to a sensible adult woman instead of a frightened teenage girl. Jane heard a series of noises, a groan that led into a grumble, before May finally answered her mother. “Why bother knocking? You’re free to come into a child’s room without their consent!” Jane frowned as she recognized the bitter scorn in her daughter’s voice. She also noticed that May’s voice was higher, not by much, but just enough to be noticeable. Jane filed this development and looked at the door’s handle. She gingerly grabbed the handle and gave it a light twist. She was surprised to find the door unlocked. Jane took a second to mentally prepare herself for what may lie in her oldest daughter’s fortress. She sighed mutely, then opened the door, gingerly stepping into May’s room. The Bridge’s mother needed to squint when she was met with near-pitch-blackness. The only light source was a lamp over May’s study desk. Jane cast her eyes to May’s bed, where she could barely make out her daughter. She could feel that May's eyes were on her. Jane turned instinctively to her right and reached out with her left hand. She easily found the light switch and turned it on with a flick of her wrist. Light flooded the room, allowing Jane to take in the room’s state, and what she saw was disheartening. It had been four days since May last ventured out of her room and since Jane had given it a quick cleaning. During that time, it was as if a twister had torn through the room; clothing littered the entire floor. On closer examination, Jane noticed that some of the dress shirts had been torn at the neck and the sleeves. Probably more disheartening was the state of May herself. The poor girl set in the center of her bed, her knees to her chin, and her entire body from her neck to her toes was covered in a bed sheet. May was looking ahead, staring blindly at nothing but the wall. Jane noticed that May’s back was facing the mirror, and her body was in such a position that May would need to turn her head a full 360 degrees to look in her mirror. It was like May was afraid of her own body. With a silent sigh, Jane’s eyes lingered on her oldest, trying to figure out how far May had changed. May’s face looked a little softer, not by much. But for someone who had raised their child throughout their life, Jane noticed the change. However, she couldn’t gauge how young May had become. Done with her examination, Jane turned her attention to other matters. She walked over to May’s desk, feeling her daughter’s eyes following her with bitter scorn. Jane fought back an urge to abandon her search and try to comfort her, to tell May everything was going to be okay. Jane had to remind herself that May was eighteen, and mature enough to know when to accept help from her mother. May scowled as she watched her mother go through her desk, but didn’t try to stop her. She wanted nothing more than to yell at her mother, to tell her to leave. But seeing her mother looking larger and more intimating then she had in years, stopped May from lashing out. Jane frowned when she couldn’t find whatever she was looking for in May’s desk. She then moved on to her daughter’s dresser. She looked through three drawers and found whatever she had been looking for. With the item in hand, Jane walked over to May. She softly took a seat on the edge of May’s bed and, placing the object on the bed, she offered her daughter a small smile. She reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of her daughter’s face. May flinched from her mother’s touch, but didn’t try to stop the gesture. “May…” Jane said softly, “You missed Bethany’s birthday. She’s worried because she hasn’t heard from you in over three weeks.” May scoffed at the idea, looking at her mother with her eyes. “Why would someone going off to college want to do anything with a freak like me?” May asked scornfully, her voice creaking. Jane fought back a frown and an urge to scold her child for the tone she was using. She needed to remind herself that the person before her was an eighteen-year-old young woman. A feat, she realized, was becoming hard to do. When Jane spoke, she did so slowly, thinking about every word carefully so as not to sound like she was trying to lecture a child. “Please, dear. You know Bethany wouldn’t be like that. She has been your close friend since second grade. She’s just worried about you, and went to see her best friend.” May finally turned to look her mother right in the eyes. Jane could see the conflict mounting in her oldest’s eyes. May wanted to go and see Besty, but a deep fear was keeping her rooted to her bed. “...Even if I consider going,” May said sullenly after a long period of thought. “I don’t have anything to wear.” Jane frowned and cast her eyes around the room. She studied the various clothing littered about before turning her attention back to May. “I think… there might be some of your clothes left around from when you were younger in the attic,” Jane said slowly, then offered her daughter a supportive smile. “Please, May. Getting out of the house for a while might do you some good. Plus-” Jane picked up the item she found in her daughter's dresser, showing it to May. It was a small silver box, with a small peach ribbon on top and a tag that said “Happy Birthday, Besty” hanging off of it. “You worked throughout winter to buy this. It would be a shame if Besty didn’t get it,” Jane finished gently. May stared at the box, the birthday gift she had worked so hard to buy, for a few seconds. She then looked her mother in the eye, the conflict in them growing. Jane could tell her daughter wanted to argue, to do anything to avoid going out. But as the seconds ticked by, May couldn’t find any sort of defense against her mother’s argument, and she let out a defeated sigh. “...Fine,” May groaned. May threw off the sheet she had used to cover herself and slid off her bed. Now standing at her full height, Jane could get a good read on how far her daughter had slipped. May was using her college sweater as a nightshirt, and the article of clothing looked even more comical than before. It hung low on May’s body, reaching below May’s waist, and the sleeves of the sweater nearly covered May’s hands entirely. May must have shrunk nearly six and a half inches since the time in Martin’s den. Her legs had lost some sharpness, with just a hint of baby fat starting to emerge. “...May,” Jane said calmly, standing. “You might want to think about a shower before leaving; it’s been a few days.” May stared at her mother for a moment, then turned her attention to her attire. She sighed faintly and nodded, not looking at her mother. May grabbed a bathrobe, gave her mother a sour look, then headed to her door. May left her room and her mother not too far behind her. The two went their separate ways, with May going to the upstairs bathroom and Jane heading to the attic to find something for her daughter to wear. (SC) 15 minutes later, mother and daughter were back in May’s room, preparing for the next step. The shrinking girl couldn’t help but scowl at the outfit her mother managed to find. Jane, reading her daughter’s expression, spoke before May could say anything. “That’s all I could find in the box of clothing I didn’t donate.” May looked at her mother, her scowl deepening with childish rage. Jane realized that she might have just used a tone that might have offered her daughter. But it was too late to do anything but offer an apologetic smile to May. May growled, turning her attention back to the outfit her mother dug out. She moved the lilac panties and bra off the pile and looked at the shirt. It was yellow with the words “Triple Boyz” on the front. A dusting of pink highlighted May’s face as she recalled having a crush on one of the members of the boy band back when she was around 14. She and Besty had spent hours arguing over which of their crushes were cuter. May shook her head to banish those old thoughts, and with a scowl, took off her oversized bathrobe to change. After getting dressed, May reluctantly stood in front of her mirror for the first time in weeks. What she saw caused her breath to hitch. The cut-off denim shorts with jeweled decals and the pale yellow tank top fitted her without a fault. She couldn’t find a single piece of fabric hanging off her frame, and this was an outfit she hadn’t worn since she was fourteen. May’s panic started to rise as she looked herself over. She saw that her limb was shorter, lacking the refinement of the mature features of her near 19-year-old frame. Her face had softened, not to help that her hair had grown out. Even her chest and hips seemed smaller than before. The oldest Bridge child realized why her outfit fitted so well was because she currently had the body of a fourteen-year-old teenager! May’s breathing began to come out as rigid, uneven breaths, her heart beating against her chest like a wild beast. Her knees were starting to shake, and it was taking all over May’s strength not to collapse to the floor. “God…” May suddenly breathed out, “God, oh god, oh god, ohgod, ohgod, ohgodogodohgod!” Jane, seeing that her daughter was close to a panic attack, got behind May. She slowly and softly wrapped her arms around her daughter’s shoulders, aligning May’s head so she could turn and bury her face in Jane’s right shoulder needbe. May didn’t hesitate; she turned her head and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. Jane could feel her daughter’s entire body shaking. “I-I can’t go out there!” May said through shaky breath. “I can’t let people see me as a 14-year-old freak!” Jane comforted her daughter by softly running a hand through May’s hair, whispering soft shushes into her ear. “Shh, shh. It’s okay, dear,” Jane whispered. “Remember…despite how you look, you’re still May Bridges…one of the most intelligent and bravest young women out there.” Jane reluctantly pulled away from May, using a hand to lift May’s chin so they were making eye contact. When the mother spoke, she softly used the words her daughter’s best friend told her during one of their phone calls. “May…” Jane continued, voice softer than before, “You need to get out of the house. You being here is doing nothing but suffocating yourself. You need to get some air; use it to clear your head.” Jane ran a hand softly through her daughter’s hair, continuing to speak softly so as not to upset her daughter. “Bethany’s house is just three blocks away from ours. Take that time to get her head clear, but if things become too heavy, to drowning, call me or Bethany. We would drive you home, and you never have to leave this room until you’re ready.” May stared at her mother, feeling something building in her chest. She was comforted by her mother’s words and soft strokes and felt her breathing evening out. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She turned and faced her mirror. It was still unsettling to see a fourteen-year-old teenager instead of an eighteen-year-old woman staring back at her. May nearly lost her nerve again at the sight. Suddenly, a memory came flooding to the front of May’s mind. She remembered being sick when she was around 15, and her parents had been out. Besty had come over to her house and took care of her. Besty never left her best friend's side, even if it meant getting sick herself. The memory helped to soothe some of May’s worries, and she let out a small sigh. She looked at her mother, confidence building in her eyes, and gave her a quick nod. Jane returned the gesture with a supportive smile, happy to see her daughter shining again. May grabbed Besty’s gift and, with one last look at the mirror, left the room. May was halfway down the hall when her nerves started to go again. Now out of the presence of her mother, she felt alone, and she realized just how scary things would be once she stepped out into the world. So, she made a quick detour to her younger sister’s room to borrow a ball cap. May also wanted to see if Michelle had an extra bag she could borrow. She didn’t want to risk losing Besty’s birthday gift on the walk over.