the call is coming from inside the house

I recently finished reading What it Means When a Man Falls from the sky by Nigerian writer Lesley Nneka Arimah. Twelve short stories about family dynamics, sister and sister. Dad and mom. Mom and her sister. Mom and men who she does not know. Mom and a man she constantly wants and feels the need to please. 

Like my mind does when I read most books, I started to wonder about life outside the book and how my life and friends resonate with the characters in the book. I latched on to the theme of mothers not creating warmth and safe places for their children. So much effort is put into protecting girls from outside sources. There are many movies about the little girl who was snatched up while riding her bike down the street. Stories and tales about why daughters are not kept out of their sight. Ideas on why they can't walk past the man who stands on the corner daily. Nneka made me stop and wonder who protects little girls from their sisters? Their Auntie? Their Grandma and THEIR MOTHER's? WHO PROTECTS HER WHEN THE CALL COMES FROM INSIDE OF THE HOUSE? Verbally, Who protects them from a mother that knows best. A mother who tells you whatever happens in the house stays in the house. A mother dares you to answer the question, "You think I'm a bad mother or something?" (89) Dare mom to reflect on why she would ask that question. Dare mom to reflect on her own answer. Dare mom to reflect on the past decisions she has made.

Windfalls, the 6th short story in the book, made me weep. A tale of a mother using her daughter's body to make ends meet but also to full her greed. The Protagonist lost her dad to a boating accident. Her dad's death Brought a settlement and a new way to make income through freak accidents. Living from motel to motel, our Protagonist is stuck in a cycle. A cycle of putting her body on the line to make her mom money until her fall was not on purpose one day. It was an accident, causing her to lose the only thing in life that was set to bring her own warmth and purpose.

Mothers are present in young girls' homes, while young girls are missing the presence of their mothers.

*Although I used mothers and their daughters as a reference, the conversation still applies to any parental figure and all genders*