Haunted Love

Chapter 6 Part 8

Chapter 6

"Was your mother always like that?"

Thane winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. They were munching on hot pizza and listening to heavy rain hit the windows. Alabama was experiencing one of its spring storms and the lightning show was spectacular.

Lindsey shook her head as she slowly chewed a slice of veggie pizza. "No. She used to be fun and caring, not so critical and worried about what other people think." She took a deep breath and wiped her hands on a napkin. "It's my fault that she is the way she is now."

Thane leaned forward in his chair and threw his pizza down onto the lid of the box. "Why would you say a thing like that? What could you have possibly done to make her so hard?"

Lindsey shook her head as memories assailed her, making her suddenly feel melancholy and stupid. "Moving here from Tennessee was a fresh start for my family. My dad had gotten a promotion at the bank and my mom was excited about being able to finally afford the finer things in life." She closed her eyes, remembering how she had shattered her mother's dreams. "This was supposed to be the place where she would make a name for herself, a place to finally feel like the years of schooling and sacrifices had paid off. But I ruined it all on the day we moved into that big old house."

Thane got up and went to sit beside her on the couch. The rain was coming down in sheets and bouncing off of the metal pipe above the stove. It was a comforting sound, but it did nothing to dispel the feelings of hurt and remorse circling the room. He could hear Lindsey's sniffles and he wrapped an arm around her as she laid her head on his shoulder, "Tell me everything."

She looked up at him with a lifted brow and shook her head, "That would take too long. I'll start with Benjamin."

And she did! She told him about the splinter and the gloves and the small ghost child that had grown up with her. She told him about the ghosts that had demanded her help to cross over and the nightmares she had suffered as a child because she had been told to keep everything locked inside. There had been no-one to discuss her fears with and no one to chase the monsters away.

Her father had been like a beacon of light in her small, dim world, but soon his belief in his daughter's wild tales of ghost and earthbound spirits had caused a rift between her parents. Her mother had wanted to sweep it under the rug and pretend that everything was okay.

So, at the age of twelve Lindsey had put on gloves and pearls and her best dress and twirled in front of her mother, trying to impress her with the lady she had become, but that had not stopped her mother from looking for perfection...or the ghost from looking for a person to talk to.

"So, you see, Mom is afraid if she doesn't keep me on the right path I will become the laughing stock of the town again. It took years for people to forget that I was the crazy kid with spirits for friends. I was never invited to slumber-parties or shopping excursions. No one wanted to be my friend, or my mothers, until I was normal. She's just trying to help."

Thane kissed the top of her head, loving the way she seemed so relaxed here. She was in old jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was still braided, her make-up was washed away, and her gloves were tucked into a drawer beside her bed...just where he wanted them to stay. "Hmmm...it sounds like she is trying to help herself more than she is trying to help you."

Lindsey only shrugged, knowing that Thane was telling the truth but wanting to stay loyal to her mother. He lifted her hand and studied it, liking how long and slender her fingers were. "Where is Benjamin now?"

She smiled into his chest, loving the fact that he didn't question her crazy stories or her mental status. "He should be here soon. He is the best roommate ever. He doesn't make a mess, gives me plenty of free time, and never, ever leaves the toilet seat up."