Brought to Light

Chapter 3

KILLING THREE BIRDS WITH ONE STONE

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RIVER

"I—where are you? I'm coming to you now!" I haven't heard his voice in over a year and it's like I just heard it yesterday. It was as if no time past at all and it warmed me to my toes. Not wanting to be detected by my mom, I slip through the door across from hers that I now notice has the letter 'R' on it for River. I close the door softly behind me and I let him know that I am safe and am one hundred percent myself. It took much persuasion to convince him I am his once comatose daughter, and by the end of the call I had him in tears.

I almost chickened out by ending the call without asking what happened to their marriage and our family, but I found some leftover courage at the last moment.

"Dad, why aren't you here? Or better yet why aren't we at home?"

"Oh, baby girl, your mom hasn't told you. How long have you been awake? Are you okay? Where are you? Why didn't she call to tell us?" he asks, growing angry by the end of his interrogation.

"I woke a couple of weeks ago. I'm doing fine and –what else did you ask? Oh right, I'm with mom and she said she wanted to give me time to recover without being watched."

"I'm coming to get you; I'm headed out the door now. Send me the address Riv—River is awake! I'm heading to her now; jump in the car, Kal. River send me the address please honey."

"River who are you talking to?" A scream lodged in my throat causing me to choke. I heard a distant thud, realizing my phone had fallen to the floor on the soft, but cheap carpeting. Hand to my chest, willing my heartrate to slow to a normal pace, I eventually find my voice again.

"Mom! My god you scared the life out of me. Pun almost intended." I try to deflect her question with a joke, but I can tell I was unsuccessful. We both start for my phone, hearing my dad's booming voice roar through the phone. I bend to retrieve it, but she beats me instead. Placing the phone aggressively to her ear, she harshly asks whom she's speaking to. I can't hear his response, but judging by the look on her face, she knew who it was before she snatched my phone.

A cloud of darkness stretches across her features, and she fixes her gaze on me. Chills crawl across my body slowly and I feel my blood begin its descent to the soles of my feet. Her gaze unwavering as she goes to hang up the phone while I still hear my father yelling. I've never felt uncomfortable in the presence of either of my parents, until now. "I'm going to hold onto this for a couple days. I'm sure he'll tell everyone, and I don't want you bombarded while you're trying to recover." There's that word again. "They aren't welcome here. Ever. Now get ready for dinner," she concludes. She leaves the room, stuffing my phone into her jacket pocket and closing the door behind her.

The finality of the door closing, the resounding click, made me feel like I was in captivity; however, I knew this not to be the case. I knew my mother wasn't capable of that, of mistreatment. But it suddenly dawned on me that I haven't know my mom for two years, and a lot can change within that time. Like our family falling apart and living at odds. I wonder if I stayed around, what side I would've fallen on. Or if I stayed, would this have even happened?

Studying the room, my room, gave me a chance to distract myself and delay our meeting at dinner. The walls were the same off-white as in the living area; however, I had a turquoise accent wall where a computer desk sat against. There was an empty charcoal gray bookcase next to the only window in the bedroom, allowing minimal sunlight to shine through. A simple matching gray twin bed-set sat in the room with a white and turquoise bedspread. No photos, nothing from my old bedroom that was thrice the size of this, no books, nothing. I ease myself into the desk chair and spin slowly a few times, trying to collect and control my thoughts, but fighting a losing battle. My rapidly shifting focus turns to the drawers on the desk, and I commence opening and closing them to keep my hands busy.