My Girl

35 | coming home

"I can't believe that we're going to college soon." Keisha sighs dreamily as we walk along the hallway after the last class of the day.

I smile softly. The graduation ceremony is just around the corner, and soon, we're not high schoolers anymore. A lot of memorable things have happened during my last year in high school, especially meeting Cal. I've never thought that it would be a turning point in my life.

"Have you talked to your parents again about college?" Keisha asks, and when I just shake my head, she lets out a sigh. "I know that it might not be easy to talk to them right now, but I hope that everything will be settled soon."

She's right. Even though Dad practically kicked me out of the house, I know that deep down inside his heart, he didn't mean it. I've overheard Keisha's mother talking to Mom on the phone a few times -- they've been checking on me.

Yet, I don't know if I have enough strength to face the conflict again after what happened last time. It has drained me mentally -- shouting to my parents, seeing Dad lash out at me with his bloodshot eyes, and seeing Mom crying because of me. It's all too much to take.

We head to the parking lot, and Keisha unlocks her car. "I'm going to go buy some groceries first for my Mom." She leans against the door to the driver's seat. "Are you going to see Cal again?"

I shake my head. "I'll just hang out with Jasmine in their apartment today while waiting for him to come home from his afternoon shifts."

"Just get married already," she chuckles, while I just roll my eyes, biting my smile. She steps into her car and rolls down her window, popping her head out. "I'll see you later, babe." With that said, she drives her car out of the parking lot.

Just when I'm about to turn the other way, my phone rings. I take it out of my pocket, and my heart thuds as I look at the caller.

Mom.

My breathing is short and fast as I arrive at the hospital. Never have I thought that Mom would tell me to come here.

After parking my car at the hospital parking lot, I'd run here as fast as my legs could bring me.

I snap my head around the corridor, searching for the designated room. Once I finally find it, I barge in.

"Dad." I pant, running to the bed. Tears fill my eyes when I find Dad lying there, looking so weak. He's sleeping.

"He has stabilized," Mom says from the couch, and I snap my head toward her.

"What happened?" I approach her, panic evident in my voice.

This is the first time that I've seen Dad collapse to the point that he had to be admitted into the hospital.

"I mean, the blood sugar level--"

"He's been having a spike in his blood sugar level these days," Mom says.

When I stare at her face, I notice how weary and tired she is. My heart sinks. It has only been a while since I last saw them, but why does she look much older, much vulnerable, and much fragile than before?

"What caused him to have such a spike?" I keep blurting out the question.

Dad has a diabetes disease, but it has never been this bad. I wonder why it suddenly attacked him. Many factors could contribute to that, and the most prominent one is his eating habit.

As far as I remember, Dad has been maintaining a well-balanced diet to manage his diabetes.

"Did he change his diet recently?" I ask.

Mom only lets out a soft sigh, tearing her gaze away from me. When she returns her eyes to me, I see the sadness in them.

"Come here, Mia." She reaches out her hand, and I take it, sitting next to her on the couch. Her eyes glisten with tears, and that makes me swallow a lump in my throat. "How have you been doing? How long are you going to stay in Keisha's house?"

I don't know how to answer her. Nothing comes out of my mouth, and she squeezes my hand gently.

"Come home, Mia. We miss you."

My lips tremble, and my voice is shaking when I say, "But he kicked me out."

Mom shakes her head slightly. "We both know that he didn't mean that. He's very angry, yes, but he can't stop thinking about you, Mia."

The tears pooling in my eyes threaten to fall while I'm trying to hold them back. "But as long as I'm still with Cal, we would only--"

"You and your father are both very stubborn, don't you know that?" A sad smile touches her lips. "But I know that you two just can't stop worrying about each other. I know you two so well, Mia."

I bite my lower lip, knowing that everything she said is true.

How long am I going to stay with Keisha, with guilt still haunting me every time I think about them?

"Please, Mia," Mom's voice breaks as she begs me to come back to them. "Come home with us. Talk to your father again when he gets better. We really missed you."

I know that I can't say no. I don't want to say no. I missed them too.

Moreover, Dad is sick. There's nothing else I want to do but to stay with him now.

Mom is right. I can talk to him again about Cal. About my college. About where I want to be in the future. It's not the right time to argue now, with him lying on the hospital bed.

I'm torn between my parents, who are the most important people in my life, and the guy I love. But we will find a way to sort things out. I believe that there's still light at the end of the tunnel.

I nod, giving Mom my answer, a tear finally rolling down my cheek.

I'm coming home.

***
AN:
It's a triple update for Chapter 35-37, so keep scrolling :)