Not Some Princess ✓

33. Acceptance

33

Acceptance

You know I got to get away
To find some peace and sanity
I've been playing hide-and-seek too long
Shaking, making, everybody waking
Setting the hi-fi bleed
Keeping me back
While you're spinning my track
—Raise Em up
Alonestar

RAYMOND HAD never packed so fast in his life.

He was going back. It took every ounce in him to not scream and just focus on getting out of here and to her. Just thinking about seeing the one person that has been on his mind nonstop these days had been more of a torture than anything else. The apprehension still instilled a fear of the uncertain events but he tried hard to not press much into that aspect.

"I need to meet her soon." Elena spoke. Raymond raised his head to see his mother standing by the door. Without saying anything else, with a compassionate look, Elena picked up some clothes and started to help him pack. Meanwhile, Raymond just stared at her in utter bewilderment.

"How'd you-you know what? I don't think I can understand even if you tell me." Raymond raised his hands and resumed back to his packing frenzy.

After getting all the clothes in, Raymond turned to smile at his mom when he caught her staring at him with a smile.

"What?" He pursed his lips and braced himself for some kind of embarrassment.

"You look alive." She smiled and said it so low it took Raymond a second to comprehend what she said.

Raymond looked down and a dark thought crossed his mind.

"What is it?" Worry marred Elena's voice.

"I don't know if I should go back. I want to but-

"You think it might not turn out the way you want it to." Elena sighed and settled on the edge of Raymond's bed.

"Precisely." Raymond nodded, this thought had been nagging him for since long. He couldn't ignore it any longer. And the thought just won't stop bothering him. It was like an itch he couldn't reach. He wanted to get rid of it but he just couldn't.

"Honey, it sounds simple but its life. It's anything but that. You'll never know if you won't go." She raised an eyebrow. The challenge in her eyes was enough to get Raymond to nod and get back to packing.

Getting over with the packing, Raymond pulled on the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. And trolled the other bag behind him.

"Say bye to dad for me," Raymond said when he hugged his mom goodbye.

A pained look made its way to Elena's face as much as she tried to hide. She masked it with a smile and nodded.

Raymond gazed at his mother and smiled. Smiled. Elena hesitated to return the smile. She tried to whisk away her tears. But they didn't miss Raymond's eyes.

"I'll call you when I reach back." Raymond said softly. It seemed like a normal thing for a son to say to his mom. But for them, it was a huge feat. For them, it was a new onset. And both of them were relieved with contentment. Things were finally mending between them. Elena wasn't scared anymore that her son had died with her daughter. She knew there was hope after all. And he was going back to her. Her son was back. And she couldn't have asked for more.