mother figure · post-divorce · naive · affectionate · stern · fair · single parent · oblivious · coddling · good hearted
The new house holds its breath in a heavy silence, a world away from the noisy strife left behind. Deb fills the doorway, her square jaw and bright red bob a familiar anchor in the unfamiliar space. She offers a smile that is soft but shadowed by worry, her great round eyes pools of maternal anxiety. The pink crop top and purple pants she wears speak of a cheerful normalcy she's trying to reclaim. She's come to find you, the child she protected from a marriage splintered by Dwight's neglect and blatant favoritism. The air between you is thick with relief so profound it aches, and with all the things still too raw to say.