Is That Mom

Part 5 of Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Ethan's Growing Determination

—

Part 5:

A Friend Offers Help

The next day, Ethan found himself sitting in a booth at the local diner, the scent of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the sound of clinking silverware and murmured conversations. The world outside was bright and bustling, but inside, Ethan felt a strange mix of isolation and tension, as if the cheerful backdrop of the diner didn’t quite match the storm brewing inside him.

He glanced down at his phone, the screen displaying a text from his friend, Sara, who was running late. Ethan hadn’t planned on meeting anyone today, but when she insisted they catch up, he agreed—more out of obligation than desire. He felt like he was carrying a secret that no one else could understand, a weight that was too heavy to share.

The bell above the door jingled, and Ethan looked up to see Sara walking in, her face brightening when she spotted him. She waved, but her smile faltered slightly as she got closer, noticing the tiredness in his eyes and the tightness in his expression. She slid into the booth across from him, setting her bag down and shrugging off her jacket.

“Hey, stranger,” she said, her voice light but tinged with concern. “You’ve been kind of MIA lately. What’s going on?”

Ethan forced a smile, trying to mask the exhaustion that was seeping into every part of him. “Just been busy, you know? School, life… stuff.”

Sara didn’t buy it. She had known Ethan long enough to see through his attempts to deflect. She raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. “Right. Because you’re usually this mysterious and broody.” She paused, studying his face. “Seriously, Ethan. You look like you haven’t slept in days. What’s going on?”

Ethan hesitated, his mind swirling with thoughts. He wanted to tell her, to unload everything he had been feeling—the photo, the hidden village, his grandmother’s evasiveness. But every time he thought about sharing it, a voice in the back of his mind told him to keep it to himself. This was his journey, his quest, and he wasn’t sure he could trust anyone else with it. What if she thought he was crazy? Or worse, what if she tried to talk him out of it?

He fiddled with the edge of his napkin, his fingers tracing the frayed threads. “It’s nothing, really. Just some… family stuff I’m trying to figure out.”

“Family stuff?” Sara repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Like, with your grandmother?”

Ethan nodded, his throat tightening. He didn’t want to say too much, but he also didn’t want to lie. “Yeah. There’s this… thing that I found, and I’ve been trying to figure out what it means. But it’s complicated.”

Sara’s expression softened, and she reached out, placing her hand over his. “You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, we’ve been through a lot together. If there’s something you’re dealing with, you don’t have to do it alone.”

Ethan looked down at their hands, the warmth of her touch both comforting and unsettling. It had been a while since he felt like anyone truly understood him, and the idea of letting someone in, even a little bit, was tempting. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to open that door.

“It’s just…” He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “I found this old photo of my mom. There’s this place in the background, and I don’t know where it is. My grandmother wouldn’t tell me anything about it, and I just… I have to know. I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own.”

Sara listened quietly, her eyes widening slightly as he spoke. She could sense the weight of what he was saying, the unspoken emotions that lay beneath the surface. “Ethan, that sounds like a big deal. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because it’s not something I want to drag other people into,” Ethan said, his voice harder than he intended. “This is my problem, my family. I need to figure it out myself.”

Sara frowned, pulling her hand back. “I get that, but it doesn’t mean you have to shut everyone out. If you’re trying to find out more about your mom, I want to help. Even if it’s just doing research or… I don’t know, anything. You don’t have to do this alone.”

The sincerity in her voice made Ethan’s chest tighten. He wanted to believe her, to let her in, but the fear of letting someone else see just how desperate he was kept him guarded. He shook his head, staring down at his coffee. “I appreciate it, but I don’t think it’s that simple. I mean, what if it’s nothing? What if I’m just making a big deal out of something that doesn’t even matter?”

Sara tilted her head, her gaze unwavering. “Or what if it is something? What if it’s important, and you end up missing it because you’re too afraid to ask for help?”

Ethan didn’t have an answer to that. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about what it would mean if he actually found something, if he uncovered a secret that could change everything he thought he knew. The possibility both thrilled and terrified him.

“You’re stubborn, you know that?” Sara continued, a small smile tugging at her lips. “But so am I. So if you’re going to keep chasing after this, then I’m going to be right there with you, whether you like it or not.”

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh, a soft, weary sound. “You don’t have to do that, Sara. This isn’t your problem.”

“No, but it’s yours,” she said, her expression earnest. “And I care about you. So if this is important to you, then it’s important to me too. Let me help, Ethan.”

For a moment, the walls Ethan had built around himself seemed to crack, just a little. He looked at Sara, really looked at her, and saw the determination in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let this go, and maybe… maybe that was okay. Maybe having someone else on his side wouldn’t be so bad.

“Fine,” he said, finally relenting. “But I’m not making any promises. If this turns out to be a dead end, I don’t want you to waste your time.”

Sara’s smile widened, and she nodded. “Deal. So, what’s our first step?”

Ethan hesitated, then reached into his bag and pulled out the printed photo. He slid it across the table, and Sara picked it up, studying it closely. “This is your mom?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” Ethan said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And that’s the place I don’t recognize. I’ve been trying to figure out where it is, but so far, I haven’t found anything.”

Sara looked at the photo for a long moment, then set it down, her expression thoughtful. “You said your grandmother wouldn’t tell you anything about it?”

“She shut me down the minute I asked,” Ethan replied, the frustration seeping back into his voice. “Like she didn’t even want to acknowledge it.”

Sara’s eyes darkened slightly, and she nodded. “That’s weird. But maybe there’s a reason she’s hiding it. Maybe she’s scared, or… I don’t know.” She took a sip of her coffee, her mind already turning over the possibilities. “But you’re right. If she’s not going to talk, then we need to look somewhere else. Did you find anything online?”

“A few things,” Ethan said, and he quickly summarized what he had discovered—about the hidden communities, the obscure blogs, the cryptic comments. He could see Sara’s eyes light up with interest, and for the first time, he felt a small spark of hope. Maybe he wasn’t completely alone in this.

“Okay,” Sara said when he finished. “Then that’s where we start. We dig deeper, follow up on those leads, see if we can find anything else. And if we have to, we’ll go out there and look for it ourselves.”

Ethan blinked, surprised by her boldness. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely,” Sara said, her expression resolute. “Whatever it takes, Ethan. We’ll figure this out.”

Ethan felt a warmth spreading in his chest, a small but steady flicker of hope that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe this was still his journey, but now it didn’t have to be a solitary one. And for the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to believe that he might just find the answers he was looking for.