Ease My Mind | Finley & Harlyn #1.5

Chapter 8

Harlyn

July 28th

1:55 PM BST
Finley:
One definitively good thing to come from my parents coming with me?

1:57 PM BST
Me:
What's that?

2:01 PM BST
Finley:
We're coming a week earlier than planned.

2:07 PM BST
Me:
Really????

2:09 PM BST
Finley:
Bridget moves into her dorm Sep 20th
Finley:
They want to get back with enough time to recover and get her up there
Finley:
And they want to spend at least a week in England to make it "worth it"
Finley:
So we're looking at the 8th, instead of the 15th

2:11 PM BST
Me:
You mean I get to see you a whole seven days earlier?

2:15 PM BST
Finley:
Yes

2:17 PM BST
Me:
❤️❤️❤️

2:20 PM BST
Finley:
38 days, sweetheart

Mum, sitting on the other end of the couch, studies me. "How are you taking that? Having his parents come?"

"I dunno." I shrug. "It's exciting, kind of. Meeting the parents is a big step. Another thing to make it feel real. And... I don't know, seeing us together and seeing him here might make it easier for them to accept that him coming back is a good idea. But also..." I look at Elly, who gives me a sad smile. "You haven't seen them interact, Mum. That phone call at the end of term, the things he's told me since he's been home..."

Mum shakes her head. "Anyone who could look that sweet boy in the face and not trust that he's doing everything he can to..." She shakes her head again and tucks her feet under her. "I just don't get it. Now I'm nervous to meet them."

"So am I," Elly chuckles.

I check the time on my phone. "Well, it's happening. It's past two thirty. Is Nan still calling?"

"She's probably having a hard time with Zoom again." Mum chuckles. "We got it the other day, but that was only once. It'll take a few times to get it right. I'll text her."

"Oh wait. She's here." Nan's face pixelates into view on my laptop. She is definitely Mum's mum. She has her long nose and blue eyes. And her silvery hair is still streaked with bright blonde. "Hi, Nan."

Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out.

"She's muted again," Mum groans.

It takes ten more minutes, a few texts, and a regular phone call to finally get audio and video going at the same time.

Nan is obviously annoyed, pursing her lips and fidgeting with her pink horn rimmed glasses. "I don't know why you insisted on doing this now, like this, Harlyn. A regular phone call would have sufficed, I'm sure."

"Well, I wanted to talk to you face to face," I remind her.

"I'll see you in two months at Marley's wedding. You could have told me then," she informs me.

"It's important, Nan," I say. "I didn't want to wait that long."

Maybe it would've been better to do this over the phone. Everyone else lives close enough that I see them semi-regularly. But Nan lives up north. We don't get up there often. Maybe I should've taken a weekend off to go up and visit instead of doing this. Maybe I should've waited until she's down here for the wedding. But no. I don't want to wait that long. And I'm here now. And I have Mum and Elly with me for - what did Finley call it? Moral support?