And Away We Drive

Chapter 2: 6 Days Earlier

Chapter 2: 6 Days Earlier

Loris

"Well, say something."

My dad was looking at me, pressing me for answers I don't even know I can say out loud. We were at the dinner table and I was just sitting across him, staring at my plate of untouched scallops and radishes.

"I don't...I'm not sure if I know what to say. This is all too much to take."

"That's why the interview is two weeks away." My dad looked encouraging. He really does want this for me. All dads wants what's best for their daughters after all. "You have time to think, Loris."

I nodded and drank from my iced tea. "Okay."

"Promise me you'll rationalize this."

"I promise."

My dad looked reassured and I felt good about it. As a daughter, I want my dad to be proud of me. I want him to look at me- one day in the future- and smile at me with pride written all over his face. I want him to feel as if this is my way of repaying him for all the things he has done for me.

My dad, Garrett Sertori, is an astrophysicist. A world famous one, by the way. He was widely respected for his contribution to physics that he was once the cover of Times under the subtext: World's Newest Newton? and shows my dad in a lab coat, and a tuxedo underneath. It was cool as fuck.

And I was proud of him.

My gran Valerie used to tell me that my dad was a child prodigy and he was able to advance to college at the age of thirteen. He got his doctorate when he was just 21.

Can you believe that?

After dinner, he sent me to my room to prepare for the interview. I don't really study, I hate studying. So I just scattered my books over my study table and laid on my bed. My eyes were scanning my room and I almost instantly regretted that I did that because I caught a glance at the invitation card, neatly placed on my night stand.

You are invited to the wedding of  HARRY COLBURN and MONTANA DE GUICHE.

Your presence is very much expected.

I removed my eyes from the card and forcibly told myself not to cry even though I wasn't doing a good job at it.

Shit.

I don't understand why I feel this way. I should be happy for my mom because she's finally getting the chance to be happy again and I know that she deserves all the happiness in the world because she's a great person. But there's this part inside me that's telling me how selfish my mom is.

She's selfish because she chose to leave us, my dad and I. She's selfish because she didn't say goodbye, yes- I woke up in the morning, one day, and found out that from that day onward, my mom was never returning to our house. And she was selfish because she wasn't thinking about how her actions will take a toll on me. She was selfish because she left without a warning, so everyday I wait for her. I wait for her to come back. I waited for her because I was stupid.

I was stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

That's all I am.

It never crossed my mind that she was actually gone and when it did, it hurt as fuck and I cried for the first time in years. I was sick of waiting and expecting. I was waiting for nothing and I was expecting something that will never happen.