There's a Place For Us (Complete)

Part 25

I. An Exquisitely Tragic Love Affair

(Part 25)

Locking the door behind her, the smile vanished from Isabella's lips. Yes it had been a genuine smile, but honesty, Isabella couldn't remember a time she had ever smiled in this house. Just one foot inside and it was as if the life was sucked out of her.

She headed toward the picture that she had placed on the mantle earlier. She carried it over to the kitchen table and Isabella sat herself in the cherrywood chair. She hugged the picture to her chest and sighed. It seemed as if Adam was into this whole relationship a little too much and the right things almost always seemed to come out of his mouth. Isabella just couldn't say those things back. She couldn't tell him how she felt, the things that went through her head, how much he truly made her happy with that smile of his. Maybe it was selfish to keep those things to herself. She was afraid to be forward with him; him of all people! A person that had actually been able to gain her trust! Or maybe she was just too scared to try admitting everything. Isabella had no excuses for the way she was, but a part of her realized she was clueless. Clueless to what an ordinary life was, clueless to her feelings that were locked away and fought hard to stay that way. All that Adam wanted, possibly all that he needed from her, was a side of Isabella that she couldn't let him see. She had tried, and failed. Every time her voice would falter, every time it seemed as though there were words on the tip of her tongue but never came out, that was when Isabella tried to free herself. It was like she was in a prison, and she couldn't speak a word or she'd go for days without food, and she couldn't be happy otherwise the guards would beat her, it was like she was in a hell and the only glimmer of happiness was too far out of reach and as much as Isabella climbed and cried and fought to reach it, only her fingertips brushed it because Isabella was trapped. And she always would be...

Adam walked up to the front door with a step in his pace as his whistling kept the beat to every thump his foot made on the ground. He was happier than he thought he would be. She was just a girl, right? He had had plenty of girlfriends before, but Isabella made him smile more than she knew. And even though she knew he liked her and he had made that whole embarrassing speech to her, he still couldn't force himself to say just how much she made him happy.

His hand reached for the doorknob, but it stopped before he could actually turn and walk in. "I'm sorry! I'm so disappointed in myself! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" His mother was sobbing. Adam's mom rarely cried, so when she sobbed the way she was doing, Adam knew it was bad. He could hear the sobs getting caught in her throat. "I'm sorry! This whole thing is just stressful! I'm sorry!" Adam knew right away what she was talking about. His mom was taking college courses and her computer, which had all of her saved papers on it, had died. She had been trying all week to fix it otherwise she would be charged an excessive amount of money. She had probably gotten frustrated and maybe a few curses had slipped her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed, and Adam wondered who she was apologizing too, but he already had an idea. After a moment, his mom spoke again, and her voice was calmer. "Do you forgive me?" Adam's dad spoke for the first time. "You're just disgusting! And the kids hear this! Clean your freakin mouth!" Adam's heart stopped like it always did when his dad spoke that way to his mom. "Rick, I'm sorry! You know I don't speak that way often! I was just frustrated! I'm sorry! I'm extremely disappointed in myself!" Adam could hear his dad grunt in contempt. "Fine I'll apologize to the kids if you want! But first I need you tell me that you forgive me!" The hysteric sobs were coming back, but it almost seemed like her husband, the man who was supposed to love her, didn't care. "Oh please! That apology was BS!"

Adam sunk behind the one foot brick wall that traveled along the front of the house property. He lived in a three story colonial. It was grand inside and out. There was even a white picket fence, making the place Adam called home seemingly perfect. But inside the house was a different environment than the outside. Sometimes Adam thought he hated his dad. How could he say the apology his mom had given his was BS?! That was the most sincere apology Adam had ever heard. Sobbing and repeating 'I'm sorry' and requesting forgiveness counted as a real one to Adam.