One Summer Only

Chapter Four

Luke and I separated from each other as we heard my dad release a few curse words. When we got upstairs, everyone was standing around the island in the kitchen. " It looks like we're experiencing a blackout at the moment," Kelly commented. "I'll go get some candles to place in some of the main rooms," Mom said softly before leaving the kitchen. "I'll help," Bri said, disappearing with mom. "Kelly and I are gonna see if anyone in our neighborhood knows anything about the blackout." My dad commented as he put on his shoes to go out.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to bed." Raine said with a yawn.

Zac and Caleb both agreed with Raine and shortly after, headed off to the upstairs level, where their rooms were. "You heading off to bed as well?" Luke asked me, leaning against the counter next to the island. "No. I can't fall asleep this early." I said looking at the clock that read 1 am.

"This is early?" Luke asked with a smirk. "Yeah, unfortunately. I haven't been able to fall asleep before 3 since the day mom was told she didn't have long to live." Luke noticed my grim expression. "How's she doing?" He asked, talking about my mom's health. "She's tired...she sleeps all day and all night. The radiation appointments have caused her to become weaker and more fragile as time goes by. She's here, but she's not by all means her usual chipper self." I crossed my arms over myself, feeling vulnerable. "I'm sorry." I looked up at Luke. "What?" I asked, unsure of what he could be sorry for. He didn't cause my mother to get sick.

"I'm sorry you have to watch her go through this." I stood up straighter. "What you actually mean is that you're sorry I have to see her die." I retorted. "That's not what I meant."

"That's exactly what you meant. Nobody has looked at me and not meant what I just said. The truth is...you'll never understand what it's like to see your mom in such a state like my mom is in. I know she's dying, and I know she's in pain. Anyone with eyes could figure that out. Just because she doesn't say anything about her pain and suffering, doesn't hide the fact that she is slowly withering away every day. She sleeps ALL day! She's in pain ALL day! And I KNOW she doesn't want anyone to know that because that's...just...mom." By the end, tears were streaming down my face. Luke walked forward and engulfed me in his arms.

The truth was I knew my mom was gonna die. I had come to terms with that, but that didn't stop the pain from surfacing.

"I don't want to lose her." I whispered, too exhausted to speak any louder.

"Who says you're losing your mom?" I looked up at him with an expression that read "Are you stupid?"

"I mean...yes, Eleanor is dying from cancer, but that doesn't mean you are losing all the memories you've shared with her. Her memory will live on in this house." He said, glancing around the room. "I remember two summers ago, we were here for a week and your mom thought it would be a good idea for all of us to bake cookies together." I started giggling, knowing where this story was leading. "And we were mixing the flour and eggs and then someone...I don't know who...decided that throwing a hand full of flour at me was a good idea." I laughed harder, knowing that that special someone was me. "In my defense, you had been picking on me that whole entire day." I reminded him. Luke rolled his eyes at me, continuing the story. "And of course, the only reasonable solution to being smacked in the faced with flour was to return the favor."

"I had flour in my hair for days!" I exaggerated.

"Serves you right!" Luke said with a big grin on his face. "Then once Eleanor caught on to what we had done, she began chewing us out...but not for long." I was now hysterically laughing. "Zac had thrown flour at the back of mom's head when she was turned towards us." I said, adding onto the story. "Then the rest joined in on the fight."