Her Mother's Child

Short Story Press Presents Her Mother's Child by Jasmine Bowen

Once upon a time, he was a heartthrob, on top of the world, finally with the woman he loved

Ever since he saw Joy across the street, at fifteen, he couldn’t take his eyes off her

Their fiery passion and attitude were a match for each other

The Hotel became a second home, a place of fights but also of discovery, of personality clashes that turned into friendships, of a fantasy life free from the stresses of the world

They may have fell in love in Queens, but they stayed in love in Hotel Gaelon

One day, hotel staff opened the paper to find Joy was dead and buried, across the world, at only 26, her widow beside her grave at 23.

At that age, if you were lucky enough to find the love of your life by then, you were supposed to living life up to the fullest, romance, flowers, late night clubs, easy living. Your whole life was in front of you.

The things you weren't supposed to be doing were the things Todd did, essentially. Bury your love, become a widower and a parent, with a child he would likely one day bury as well.

When a grieving Todd brings Veronica, the secret daughter of Joy to the hotel, and introduces her to the world in the same spot her introduced her mother, they can’t help but be shocked

As their visit goes on, the staff feels like they are seeing ghosts, transported back to a time five years ago when Joy was alive

Veronica’s looks, movements, and actions imitate Joy’s so much it sends shivers down their spine. She truly is “Her Mother’s Child”