Love Always Wins

Chapter 3- Breakup

CHAPTER 3
"Lydia, I missed you so much." Nora said after kissing me. "Can't believe that you're moving into town."
"Well to me it's back into town." I said. "Mom's in the back yard."
"Who's that?" She asked pointing to Connor.
"Oh that's Agent Conner Richardson." I answered. "He's my mom's boyfriend. Long story."
"Oh. Hello." She waved to him. We walked over.
"I hoped that's what you meant." He lied.
"I know what you hoped, Connor." I said. "Best Friends."
"Yeah. Your mom doesn't know. I'm not sure how she'll take it though." He looked at me cautiously.
"If she loves me... She'll take it just fine." I said.
"Rather confident." He sighed. "Come on."
"What a buzz kill." Nora laughed. "If anything... It will be ok."
"I know." I grabbed her hand. "Let's go out back."
"Ok." She giggled. Her carrot orange hair flew behind her as we ran inside. Connor followed us in. We stopped to wait on him to catch up and tell us it was time to go out back and surprise mom.
"What are you waiting for?" He asked when he caught up to us. He waved towards the back door. "Go."
"Thank you." I said and ran out back. His back yard was huge, and it sat on the even bigger lake. There were many people, and only a few of them were dancing to the music Jamie had gotten going. The others were sitting or standing, and some were eating while others were drinking and talking. I saw mom sitting in the Gazebo on top of the lake ten yards from his back door. She was sitting next to Jamie and they were talking. Nora and I walked down the dock, but only Jamie caught us coming. She smiled and waved for us to come closer. We walked up to them, and when we got to the end, mom had finally noticed us. She realized who I was, and her jaw dropped in shock.
"Lydia." Then her eyes jotted between me and Jamie. Jamie gave her an 'uh huh' look and nodded. Then mom stood up and wrapped me in a large tight hug. Then her arms got tighter and tighter around me. I almost couldn't breathe.
"Can't... Breathe.... Please... let... go..." I managed. She finally let go of me and smiled.
"Sorry." She said.
"It's alright." I assured. "There's someone I want you to meet."
"The red-head?"
"Yes." I said grabbing Nora's wrist. "Mom this is Nora..."
"Nice to meet you, Nora." Mom said, shaking Nora's hand.
"My girlfriend." I finished. At the same time, Jamie gasped dropping her cup, and mom froze with her eyes widened. I was a little nervous, and I began to nervously bite my lip. Nora stood there nervous. She'd let go of mom's hand. I didn't know what else to do, but continue. "Nora had moved to town about a month ago. She used to live in the same city as my ex-foster family."
"Really?" Jamie asked. "What a strange coincidence."
"No kidding." Mom finally said. "Well, um... Lydia, how did you... um..."
"Find out I was Lesbian?" I finished. Mom, Nora, and I sat down on the bench next to Jamie.
"Yeah." Jamie answered. "I wanna know, too. You didn't mention that to me before, when I banged on your door."
"Well... It um... it started with me realizing how much I paid attention to girls instead of guys. At first I just pushed it off, and continued out my day. Nora was just my friend at the time, but then we both snuck out to a party. And of course where there's a party... there's spin the bottle." I explained, and Nora chuckled. I spun it and it landed on Nora. I was afraid at first, but then I thought, 'it was a party... screw it' and we kissed."
"Well now that that's in check." Jamie said standing up. She started walking down the dock. "Connor's probably having trouble with mom and dad... Might as well go get them off his ass."
"Ok." Mom said confused, as Jamie walked down the dock where we couldn't hear her feet tapping the wood. Mom turned to me. "Well..."
"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I wasn't trying to run her off."
"Jamie just doesn't know how to handle it." Mom assured. She wrapped her arm around me. "Don't be sorry."
"You're not mad?" I asked.
"Of course not, Lydia." She answered as though she were shocked that I'd ask such a question. "I love you for who you are... No matter what."
"Um." Nora began, but stopped. I turned to her.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, I was kind of hungry..." She began. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all." I said, and she got up and walked back up to the yard. Mom grabbed my hand.
"Well anyways. Lydia, you are a strong and amazing young lady. There's nothing that could ever change that, and you deserve to be treated like one. I don't care who you're with, unless they don't treat you right or they get you pregnant." Mom joked on the last part.
"Mom." I laughed.
"I'm just saying." She defended and tilted her head behind us. I looked in that direction she wanted me to look. I saw Nora dancing with another girl. No plate of food. Not even a drink. It upset me a little.
"Mom, I- I don't believe that's what it looks like."
"Why? Because you don't want it to be like that?" She asked looking at me serious. "It may not be, but what if it is?"
"Then I..." I stopped, and looked back at Nora dancing with the other girl. I remembered how she used to do that all the time in San Francisco. It upset me, but I was afraid to confront her about it. I sighed and looked back at mom. "Then I... may have to leave her."
"I didn't say that." Mom said. "Be reasonable, Lydia."
"I am being reasonable." I replied. "I have to leave Nora. This isn't the first, Mom. I want it to be the last."
"What a day." Mom sighed.
"What?" I asked looking at her.
"Nothing." She replied. "I was just saying. I didn't expect you to walk down that dock to begin with. Then you walk back with a girlfriend, and now you're leaving the dock to go and break up with her."
"Well you're right." I said. "I deserve to be treated well, and Nora's always doing that to me."
"She is?" Mom looked at me with a concerned look.
"Yeah." I answered. "Always."
"Then what do you truly think you should do?"
"I've already told you." I answered. "I have to leave her."
"Then go and get it done." She got up and walked down the dock. "I'm gonna go find Connor."
"Hey do you think dad would've minded?" I asked before she got to where she couldn't hear me. She stopped and turned back around. She looked shocked and walked back over to me, then she hugged me.
"I'm sorry they had to tell you." She said sorrowfully.
"Do you?" I repeated with a catch in my throat. I was fighting back tears. Not just because I just found out my father died, but because I was overwhelmed by everything. I finally got to go back to my mother, and unfortunately I realized what a bitch my girlfriend was. She looked at me. Her caramel brown and emerald green eyes looked deep into my blue eyes. Her gaze like that always told me that she was about to tell the truth. I remembered that from when I was little. Before they took me from them.
"No. He wouldn't've." She answered softly. "Your father may not have been as open-minded as me, but he loved you. All he ever cared about was if you were happy. It didn't matter with who. All that mattered to him was if they'd treat you the way he wanted you to be treated."
"Really?" I said a tear ran down my cheek. She hugged me tight and rubbed her hand up and down my back.
"Yeah. He loved you so much." She assured. "In fact, his final wish was that you knew that."
"Really?"
"Mm Hmm." She replied.
"Then I guess it came true." I added.
"Yep."
"And Connor?"
"What about him?"
"Do you like him?"
"That's why I'm dating him."
"Does he treat you right?"
"Of Course."
"Then you ought to go to him. Correct?"
"Right?" She began to walk away then stopped. "Are you sure you'll be ok doing this... Alone. I can stay if you..."
"Go." I interrupted softly. "And can you send Red to me?"
"More like Carrot Top, but yeah I will." She said walking down the dock as I smiled at her joke. I watched as she walked over to Nora and tapped on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see who it was. Then I saw mom point to me, and Nora nodded. I sat on the couch and waited for her to walk over. I could hear her footsteps tap the dock. For the first time, I got upset and angry as she got closer and closer. I didn't look at her as she sat next to me.
"What is it?" She asked reaching for my hand, but I moved it so she couldn't grab it. "Lydia, not this again."
"What?" I finally looked at her. I knew now that I was ready to let her go.
"You want to break up."
"Then why are you saying 'again'?"
"Well it's a pattern." She explained. "You say you want out, then you get a couple days away, and then you come running back."
"Well... Not this time. I'm tired of you always doing that shit to me." I looked her in the eye, and pointed to the party where she was dancing with the girl.
"What shit, Lydia?" She got really defensive. Then she realized. "Ok so I was spending some time with another girl. All we did was dance. Nothing more."
"Really. Then let's be honest, Nora." I said angrily. "How many since you moved away from San Francisco."
"How many of what?"
"How many girls have you been with since you moved here?" I repeated, she didn't answer. She nervously switched her balance back and forth between legs. She wanted to say something, but kept stopping herself. It made me angrier. "HOW MANY?!"
"Four." She blurted out, then I noticed that she regretted answering... after she noticed how angry I got.
"FOUR?" I repeated.
"Four." She echoed.
"Four people... In one month?"
"Well a couple were constant, and one is still going on."
"HOLY SHIT, NORA!" I yelled. Luckily my screams were blurred out by the music. "I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!"
"I'm sorry, Lydia." She cried. I didn't say anything. I was trying my best to stay calm... as calm as I could be in a situation like this. The silence was getting to her, and I knew it. "Say something."
"Definitely." I said under my breath.
"What?"
"Definitely." I repeated to where she could here.
"What do you mean?"
"Definitely." I repeated a third. "As in, 'I'm definitely breaking up with you'."
"Lydia..." Her voice trailed off.
"Four people in one month, Nora." I repeated. "Not one of them was me.... It's definitely over."
"Lydia..."
"Go." I said firmly. "Just go home."
She said nothing more. She just sighed and walked away. I turned towards the lake so that I couldn't watch her leave. I watched the evening sun glisten against the water. It was like shiny crimson stones sparkling in my eyes. It was a while after the sun went down before someone came walking back up the dock. I was afraid to turn and see who it was, so I waited for them to say something.
"Hey." Mom greeted softly. She walked over and sat next to me. "They're about to set off the fireworks from the boat dock. Just thought I warned you before on goes off and scares you."
"Thanks, but I think I'll go inside." I sighed and stood up.
"And miss the fireworks?" She asked surprised. "As I recall... you loved fireworks. And I wouldn't forgive myself, if I let you miss them."
"I can watch from the window." I said.
"No. You're going to sit your ass back on that bench and watch some fucking fireworks with me." She said playfully as she grabbed my wrist and sat down on the bench. "Don't you want to spend some time with me? It has been five years, and I don't want that break up to screw up my Fourth of July. I love you Lydia."
"I love you too mom." I replied. I thought about it for a moment. "Ok. I'll stay and watch the fireworks with you. I have been looking forward to it."
"Good. I wasn't going to let you go anyway." She smiled and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. Then the fireworks started exploding, lighting up the sky. They glistened off the water just as the sun did, but this time it was different colors. Red, blue, pink, purple, green, orange, yellow, and many...many... other colors. "This may have been the end of you and Nora, but she just isn't the one. If she was... she definitely wouldn't have done that to you."
"Can we stop talking about Nora...Please?" I asked trying to enjoy the fireworks. "I just want to watch the fireworks."
"Ok." She rubbed my back to comfort me. Then a rainbow firework went off in the air. I couldn't help but smile. It may have been a rough start, but it won't end that way. I know that good things are to come, and I will find the one. I just know it.