Because I Love You✔️

Modern World 3: Moving Forward

Moving Forward

The sidewalk outside of Wedgewood Public High School had cracks running through it and the walls of the building were made of old red brick that did little to draw the eye, but Connie Richardson's attention wasn't fixed on either of those things.

She stood on that cracked sidewalk, wringing her hands and repeatedly glancing at her watch as she waited for the final bell to ring. Her intention was to catch Xaphile as he was leaving, since she hadn't seen him once over the last three months.

She had tried every possible avenue to get in touch with him or speak with him, but nothing had come of it since it was like he'd just disappeared. What bothered her the most, however, was that she actually didn't know where to look for him. 

More than the fact that she didn't know where he was or how he was doing, not knowing where to look only made her realize that there was still so much she didn't know about him.

Like, who his parents were, for example. 

She'd never once, during the entire ten years he'd spent hanging around her late daughter, met his parents. It used to annoy her a lot in the beginning since he'd refused to talk about his mother or his father and she'd have liked to know what sort of family he came from. 

She'd even tried a great number of times to get into contact with his dad over the years, but nothing had ever really come of it since there had always been something that had prevented them from meeting.

Over time, though,  she'd gradually accepted the oddness.

Now she wished she hadn't since she had no idea what to do. 

Nobody had answered the last few times she'd attempted knocking on his front door, which was something she'd already mildly expected, and she hadn't found him by scouring the usual spots he and Ella used to hang out at, so this was the last possible resort.

"Come on," she murmured, looking at her watch again. "Come on..."

She watched the seconds tick by, watched as it counted down to four in the afternoon. Other parents were already pulling into the school parking spaces, presumably to pick up their own children, and even as she stood there the school buses started revving up and puffing black exhaust.

"Connie?" someone suddenly called, making her head fly up. "Is that you?"

She turned to see a fairly thin woman with periwinkle blue eyes looking at her through wisps of pixie-like blonde hair. Recognition flooded through her since she was one of the mothers who lived in her neighborhood and they often saw each other at a baking class they were both taking.

"Hi, Emma," Connie greeted, trying to force a smile despite her incessantly wringing hands.

"Oh, Sweetie, where have you been?" Emma murmured, sweeping forward and pulling her into a tight hug, which she returned. "I'm so sorry about what happened... we've been missing you at Charlie's, and everyone's been worried. Are you doing okay?"

A lump formed in her throat and she sighed.

"No, I'm not," she weakly admitted. "My baby... I... it's nothing anyone should ever have to go through. Parents shouldn't outlive their own children."