Always on the Run

17. A positive change

Hi guys! I'm back at work but still managed a reasonably quick update. Enjoy!

I've updated on my phone so sorry for any formatting issues. Will fix them once I'm home.

***

Grabbing a slice of five cheese pizza, I sit back and wait for mum to speak. She's just finished a piece and is now sitting rigidly on the couch opposite me staring into space. A scrunched up serviette is in her hand and she's grasping it for dear life.

Since her arrival, I've tried not to be impatient. We started off with a cuppa and a general chat. Then the pizza arrived and now it's been an hour since her arrival and we haven't talked about what's important. It's time.

"So, what do I need to know about Penelope?" I ask outright, bypassing anything else for now. We'll cover the rest later.

Mum looks up at me, her eyes full of concern. Sighing, she places the scrunched up serviette on the table then stands and paces the floor. I take a bite of my pizza and chew slowly as I watch her. This is my second piece and as I look down at the box I notice mum has only had one piece. She loves her pizza as much as me. If she only had one slice, something is definitely bothering her.

"Penny and Warren had a fling upon a time," Mum starts, still pacing. "When I met him, they hadn't been together for nearly three years but he was still recovering. It wasn't a fling to him, he fell for her hard. As I said, when I met him he was gay but I could tell he wasn't comfortable in his new skin. It didn't appear natural for him. When we got to know each other more, he confided in me and said he was trying to 'find himself'. He never had an interest in men but after Penny..." Mum trails off, stops pacing and turns to look at me with a shrug. "...he wanted to be loved but didn't want to be heartbroken by a woman again."

My heart breaks at this. I mean who chooses to be gay just to avoid getting heartbroken by the opposite sex? What did Penelope do to make him like this?

I'm about to ask Mum this but I sense she's really worked up so I hold my tongue.

"Warren helped me out so much, Teresa," Mum continues. "What I told you about him was all true. What I didn't tell you was that we..." she pauses and runs a hand through her hair. Looking me directly in the eye she added, "We fell in love, Teresa. He wanted me to stay with him but I couldn't. We both knew I had to run away after everything that happened. It was such a hard decision."

I'm staring at Mum in shock at this revelation. She was in love with the gay man who helped her embezzle money from a rich guy? I settle back in my seat and wait for her to continue.

"The day I left though—" when Mum's voice cracks, she stops midsentence and clears her throat. After taking a deep breath she adds, "He died."

The moment the words sink in, which takes a couple of seconds, I gasp and jump out of my chair. Mum is crying so I rush to her and embrace her tightly. We may have a lot of secrets but this is one I was not expecting.

"What happened?" I ask once I pull away from her. I lead her over to a couch and we both sit down.

Mum dabs at her eyes. "Heart attack," she says in a shaky voice. "It was very unexpected. The night before we came up with a plan and he was going to come for me once the situation we were in had died down." She gives me a watery smile. "Obviously it never happened but..." she trails off and shuffles uncomfortably in her seat. In the end she stands and walks over to the window. Staring out of it she says, "I fell pregnant to him, Teresa."

She turns back to me and I just stare back at her, my mouth agape. So many questions are running through my head but I can only ask the most obvious. "What happened?"