Mother's Day

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"Mother's Day" is the first chapter of Into the Forest. It is the first chapter to be narrated by Astair Ibrahim.

### Chapter Quote

"Rogue intensities roam the streets of the ordinary." - Kathleen Stewart

### Summary

The chapter opens up on May 10, 2014 at 23:32:10 in Los Angeles, California. Astair is trying to sleep but keeps being woken up. She notices that the doors and windows in her bedroom are open. She goes downstairs and sees that the doors and windows are also open in all of those rooms as well. All of the closets, cupboards, and drawers are also open. Still tired, she decides to just return upstairs and go back to sleep.

On the morning of May 11, Astair sees that everything is still open. At first she suspects an intruder entered their house last night but she notices that nothing was displaced. She goes around the house and closes everything. When she goes over to close the living room coffee-table drawer, she sees a small box filled with purple-tipped matches, a purple ribbon, and a postcard from Istanbul. This was sent from Dov to Xanther some time ago. Dov also gave Astair a gift: a glass with two wolves on it. Astair keeps it on the mantel.

Astair passes by the dog bed and realizes that the cat isn't there. She goes to Xanther's room to confront her. She discovers that neither Xanther nor the cat are in there. Xanther has made her bed before leaving. Astair finds it odd because Xanther never makes her bed and she never wakes up so early. Shasti, Freya, and Anwar are all still sleeping. Astair walks around the house again to try and find Xanther. She checks the backyard but does not find her. When Astair goes to the front yard, she sees Xanther at the curb. She is holding the cat and watching the sunrise. Xanther wishes Astair a happy Mother's Day, but Astair tells her she should not leave the door open.

Later on, the twins run over to Astair while holding Anwar's laptop so they can show her a video of the AMAs (American Music Awards). She slams her palms down on the kitchen table and shouts that she is trying to work. Anwar sends the twins out of the kitchen and suggests to Astair that she should take a nap. Instead, Astair calls her friend Abigail. They talk, but when Abigail boasts about how she recently beat Astair in a game of "Words with Friends," Astair loses her temper again and makes a comment that offends Abigail. Astair apologizes.

Astair tries to get Xanther to go with her to the supermarket but Xanther protests, saying she does not enjoy grocery shopping and she does not want to leave the cat alone. Astair convinces Xanther to go along, but as soon as they leave the house, Xanther begins complaining. She claims to have a high temperature. She asks Astair to feel her forehead, but when she does, she tells Xanther that she feels fine. Once they're in the car, Xanther starts feeling even worse. By the time they make it to Trader Joe's, Astair can see that Xanther looks sick. As they walk around, Astair spots a "hiring" sign and thinks that she might end up having to. She is still worried over Anwar not being paid when he was supposed to be. They purchase a few items then leave.

On the way back home, Astair spots a dog running along a sidewalk. She slowly drives alongside it. Xanther tells her to drive to the end of the street before the dog can reach that point. Astair listens. Xanther exits the car and the dog runs into her arms. The owners of the dog catch up and tell Astair that the dog is eighteen-years-old. They have had him since he was a puppy. They thank Astair and Xanther for catching the dog and they offer Xanther money as a reward, but she rejects the money.

As soon as they make it home, Xanther returns to the cat and she stops feeling sick. Her temperature returns to normal. Astair is still bitter over how they never got the dog yesterday. She tries to calm down by doing Tai Chi but it doesn't help. She receives a call from Taymor, who asks her about the conversation between her and Abigail earlier. Astair says she still feels bad about upsetting her, but Taymor is only interested in hearing about the dog. Astair doesn't want to talk about it with her and she decides to hang up. Their phones are still constantly ringing due to Mefisto's prank.

Anwar takes the car so he can visit Ehtisham so they can discuss their money situation, but Ehtisham cancels the meeting while Anwar is on his way. At dinner, Astair prepares food for the twins while Xanther feeds the cat. Astair decides to go to bed early. When she wakes up in the morning, she still feels the same bitterness she has been feeling ever since Xanther first brought the cat home.

The chapter ends on May 12, 2014 at 07:07:13.