Ain't No Mountain High Enough

"Cry"

Both Arjun and his mom were skeptical when I told them what happened. Arjun literally laughed when I told them about how her phone had apparently broken.

"Yeah, right!" he said, shaking his head. "What probably happened is she was just buying time, trying to figure out what to do."

"I have to agree," Ms. Harlow said as she began cleaning the table with a little blue rag. "Maybe after that discussion you two had, she just took the first flight back here. I think she still wants to go through with what she said, but was worried you still don't believe her and she's trying to take some time to think things through. So she won't mess up."

I groaned. She had a point, and I guess I couldn't exactly expect my mother to be good at this. I wasn't good at this. We both had a long way to go before we were better off than we were. But...that was the thing. My mother didn't have much time left, so how long could I let this drag out?

"Well, I guess I'll take you tomorrow night," Arjun said. "I'll take Mom out to dinner, too. Not at the same place, but we'll be around."

"Good idea," Ms. Harlow, smiling. "And if you need to leave early, just say so."

Well...at least I had friends like these guys. "Thanks," I said, smiling. "I...don't think I could do this without you two."

"That's what family's for," Ms. Harlow said as she finished up cleaning the table. "And another thing family is for: they help clean the house."

Arjun rolled his eyes, though he chuckled. "All right, Mom, we get the hint." He headed into the kitchen, and I went into my room to tidy it up.

~ ~ ~

The next evening, we all got into the car and went down to the restaurant my mother told me about. My heart was pounding. My hands were sweating. I couldn't stop thinking of all the worst possibilities coming true. What if this was the wrong thing to do? What if it was pointless to try and be friends with her? Was this just a waste of time?

We got to the restaurant, and once I was back in my wheelchair, I checked my phone. There was a text from my mother telling me she was here and had already gotten a table, so all I had to do was go in and find her.

"Geez," I said, taking a deep breath. "You'd think I was about to confess to Valerie...a second time."

Arjun shrugged. "Mom and I will be around. If you need to leave, just say so."

"Thanks," I mumbled. I said goodbye to the two of them, then headed inside.

It was a pretty nice restaurant, with red walls and wood floors. I had been preparing myself for it to be loud, with people talking and music blaring. I was relieved to find that wasn't the case, and the noise was pleasantly dimmed. That would make things a bit easier, at least.

I was so busy gawking I almost didn't notice a waitress step up and ask, "Can I get you a table?"

I had to stare at her for a moment to comprehend what she was asking. "Oh...I think someone might have already gotten a table. Does a Ms. Maddison Gage happen to be here?"

The waitress went behind the desk near the front door and clicked around on a little monitor. After a few seconds, she nodded. "Yes, I can take you to her. This way."

I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I followed her to a table near the back of the restaurant where my mother was sitting, sipping water and looking about as nervous as I felt. She looked up when we approached. The smile on her face was one of relief. She stayed silent while the waitress moved aside the second chair at the table so I could just use my wheelchair.

"Randall," she said once the waitress left us. She acted like she would get up, but hesitated.

"Surprised?" I asked.

"I guess a little..."

I just shrugged. "Then that makes two of us."

An awkward silence fell over us. I had practiced all the things I would say, but everything had decided to leave my brain now that we were actually sitting together. I wrung my hands and surveyed the dining room, hoping she would start up a conversation first. Eventually, I got lucky.

"I'm really sorry about not telling you about the flight," she said, almost so softly I didn't hear her.

I gave her a look. "Your phone didn't really break, did it?"

I wasn't that surprised when she lowered her gaze. "N-no..."

My mouth was dry and I could feel my fingers going numb. My temper was rising, but I did everything I could not to blow up. I held my breath to the count of five, relieved to feel a little better afterwards, though not entirely. "I guess...I'm not much better." It was all I could get out, whether it was the truth or not.

"I just needed time to figure things out, after what you said." She brushed strands of her hair out of her face, blowing out a long sigh. "I'm sorry."

"I guess I get it," I said with another shrug. "This is a good start, though. I didn't expect we'd actually be...doing stuff together." I frowned at the hopeful look in her eyes. "But...this won't be an overnight thing, I don't think."

She nodded. "I know, I know. I'm expecting that."

I had to wonder how long it would take before it wasn't so awkward to be together. My mother was dying. We didn't have all the time in the world to repair our relationship. But as the night went on and we began to have real, actual conversations, this feeling of determination grew.

I wanted to make this work- for her, and for me.

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Thanks for reading!

Listen to "Cry" by Michael Jackson!

Peace✌️~ A.J.