I Can't Remember To Hate U

CHAPTER 4

I need to find aunt Pauline.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask Jennifer but it seemed reasonable not to, even though I was remotely pleased with the information she gave me. It had grew dark and I needed a place to stay since I had nowhere to go. Whenever I visited my mom she always let us stay with aunt Pauline saying that she hadn't yet found her own place. Looking back, was it a lie too? How could she stay in a place for twelve years and not have her own place?

Jennifer kindly walked me to a cab and offered to pay for it in case I didn't remember to bring some money. I had some but I wondered if it was going to be enough for all the plans I had.
"You can stay with me if you'd like," Jennifer offered.
"Thank you but I think I already bothered you enough."
"You're not bothering me at all. Your aunt was a very good friend of mine and now that she's not here, I feel like she'd like it if I took care of you."
All that stood out to me in her words were the fact that she talked about my aunt like she was gone. Dead. Like my mom.
"Okay, if it's really okay with you."

It took about twenty minutes to reach Jennifer's place and it was as vibrant and lively as her outfits. The walls in her living room were painted different colors and the paintings on them were fascinating. The kitchen down the hallway was no exception, the turquoise blue on the walls matched the cabinets. She really wanted a bit of every color, I thought. I couldn't believe that her job as a waitress had gotten her such a fancy place.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"No. Thank you." I just needed a place to lay my head. All I wanted was to forget even for a second why I was in Venice.
"I have an extra room down the hall on your left. You should rest. You look exhausted."
It amazed me how quick she was to notice people's feelings so I smiled.
"Thanks. I'm really tired and tomorrow I'll be needing all the energy I can get. I have to say goodbye to my mother," my eyes filled with tears.
"I'm so sorry. You're right. Get some sleep. I'll accompany you tomorrow and we'll take care of everything."
I couldn't help but think that Jennifer was an angel. I wouldn't have managed on my own. I simply couldn't.
I didn't even bother to look around the room. I simply tossed myself on the bed. I awakened to the sound of a coffee machine and when I got up, I realized I had fallen asleep with the clothes I had on that night. I reached for my phone in my pocket and it read 10:31 a.m. I gasped. I rushed to take off my clothes and go to the bathroom next to my room to shower. I hoped I wasn't too late.
"Good morning. I hope you slept well."
"Good morning," I pulled a chair from the kitchen table.
Jennifer looked like she had woken up early and even prepared a lot for just two people.
"Eat. You'll need all the strength you can need." How thoughtful of her, I thought.
"We'll be heading to the police station in awhile so hurry up. We don't want to be late."
"What? Why?"
"It's a process you need to go through to recover the body of your loved one. It won't take long so don't worry about it."
A body? No. It's my mother. The person I love the most. She's really gone.
This time I stopped my tears from flowing and decided to save it for later. After I learn the truth about what really happened to my mother.