[interesting]

Justine was sitting in the kitchen, staring at the wall. After giving a bath and special attention to her daughter in the bathroom, she had helped her get out and then dry herself. It had all come quite naturally, without even an afterthought. Tina had retreated to their shared bedroom and was now finishing drying herself up. And Justine... she was lost in her consciousness somewhere, in memories of her younger self and in a potential future which she could yet see.

Slowly, she was attempting to come to terms with what she had done. And just because she had done it without flinching, just because she felt it was something she could probably do again, if the need arose, didn't make it any less convoluted in her mind. Odd words, whispered only behind closed doors, etched their way into her brain, forcing themselves to the surface until she could not deny their existence.

Yes, she had given a bath to her Tina. Yes, they had kissed. Yes, her daughter ha suckled her breast. Yes, she had touched Tina's genitalia, first with the washcloth, then with her fingers. True, it had been Tina guiding her hand the whole time... perhaps it was why it felt so disconnected.

Tina walked into the kitchen, the towel wrapped around her body, and she saw the absent stare of her mother. She immediately understood what it was about and, while she did not feel the same sense of confusion as her mother did (and Tina actually wondered why this seemed to bother her less than her mother), she knew better than to intrude on her private thoughts. Instead, she poured herself a soft drink and sat across her from the table.

Something had changed, Tina knew, and it had everything to do with her mother's decision to come here, to this new place. Tina wasn't complaining at all, but she understood that everything new that was happening hinged on this truth. And while she was still thinking of how she was going to pay back her dealer's provider the two thousand dollars she owed, her immediate concern was her mother. More than anything, Tina realized, she needed her mother beside her. Their encounter in the bathroom, only a few minutes ago, proved it, at least to Tina.

As Justine's gaze shifted to her daughter, she felt the urge to speak.

"Well... that was a nice, warm bath..."
"Yes."

Justine was looking at Tina, but she was really staring past her.

"And... you're feeling better, Tina?"
"Much."
"You want to tell me what this is about?"

Tina was trapped. She felt like, by accepting the previous interaction with her mother, she had signed some form of contract that bound them together. She couldn't really explain why she felt that way, but it was undeniable.

"I... ran into some trouble at school."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Nothing much... some of my schoolmates... took advantage of me."
"Took advantage? How?"

Despite this bond, there was no way Tina could tell her mother the truth, not after such an intimate moment. She was convinced it would not only tear them apart, but that her mother would lose it. The lie had to be convincing.

"Well... they... pretended to like me and there was this guy..."
"Oh."

It was almost like Justine was disppointed, Tina realized. She carried on with her explanation.

"Anyway, they had me get a little physical with him and... humiliated me afterwards."
"Well," Justine said, her eyes still lost somewhere past her daughter, "you don't need them."
"Of course, mom."

For a moment, both sat in silence.

"uh... mom?"
"Yes, dear."
"Now that you have a job and all... um... could I get an allowance?"

The question caught Justine completely by surprise and her brain started to do some math. Her daughter had never before asked her for money. And yet, there was no question she needed it. New clothes, new shoes, new backpack... Justine, staring at her daughter and truly seeing her, realized the depth of how far they had sunk before coming here.

"Of course, dear... How much?"

This was a question Tina was actually dreading. Getting two thousand dollars in a week was impossible, of course... and how much could she really ask for? She decided to try out a number.

"Um... I don't know... maybe... a hundred for the week?"

It was a guess.

"What is it for?" Justine asked.

Again, Tina froze. How could she tell the truth? The lie was the only option.

"Maybe some new, um... shoes? Or school supplies."
"We can go buy them together."
"Yeah, we could... yeah."

Justine got up and reached for her purse. She took the leftover money there, some forty dollars, and gave it to Tina.

"Here... start with this for your school supplies. This weekend, we'll go shoe shopping."
"Ok... Sure."

Justine smiled. Suddenly, the act which she had performed in the bathroom seemed insignificant over the smile of her daughter - even if it did look like a confused smile. But it didn't matter. Tina was happy. Again, this emotion swelled up. It was all Justine needed to justify everything.

Except that she now needed to have a new talk with August Rand.