No Summer Lasts Forever...

Chapter Eight ☼

Chapter Eight ☼

August 21, 11 days till September...

  Things were going amazing for Matt and me. We were pretty much inseparable, spending every moment, from sunup to sundown, together. Our gang was having campfires every Friday night, but Matt and I typically would sneak off at some point. It was approaching the end of the summer, but I was fairly confident that it wouldn’t be a problem. Long distance relationships were hard to keep, but with what the two of us were feeling, I knew it’d only make our relationship stronger.

   I was still mixed up about my feeling about my mom. I would’ve loved to move out here to be with Matt, but I’d feel like I was betraying my dad. His wife had already left him; I couldn’t be heartless and leave him too.

   My emotions were so mixed up, and I was so confused about what to do. I couldn’t leave my dad, but I didn’t want to leave Matt either.

   “Why does life have to be so complicated?” I whispered to the sky, amazed by the beauty of the stars, “It’d be so much easier on everyone if it was simpler. If people could just be content with what they have and not want more.”

   I was silent for a moment, “But I guess if my mom hadn’t left my dad, she wouldn’t have moved out here. And I wouldn’t have met Matt… I don’t know if I’d be able to give him up just for having my parents together. Especially since they’re not even happy when they’re together…”

   “Emily?” I heard my mom call out, and I sat up quickly.

   She was standing in the doorway looking at me, “I need to talk to you.”

   I nodded and she came and sat next to me, “You know I never meant to hurt you…”

   “They never do,” I responded smiling bitterly.

   “I deserved everything you said to me. But I need to explain myself. Your father has always been about work. Even before we got married, and I guess I just hoped that if we got married he’d focus less on that and more on me. I didn’t count on having it being like he was married to work along with me. I did love your father; we both loved each other.

   But it just came to the point where we were miserable together. All we were doing was fighting and neither of us knew why we were trying to hold onto what was gone. I never was cheating on your father. I did meet Tom while your dad and I were together. But I didn’t pursue a relationship with him till your father and I were a hundred percent positive we were getting divorced. We tried Emily… for so long. But it got to a point when we couldn’t anymore.”

   I looked down my eyes filled with tears, “Then why marry if it was just going to end like it did?”

   She gave me a small smile, “We were young and in love. I don’t regret marrying your father. Having you was the best thing that ever happened to me. And the first years of our marriage were amazing. But neither of us could’ve prevented the ending that we ended up with.”

   She shook her head and rested her hand on my arm, “My relationship with your father was never a mistake, and neither is mine with Tom now. Your father and I are over. I’m moving on and I hope he will too. It’s just what’s best.”

   I hugged her tightly, “I’m sorry…”

   “Me too sweetheart… I wish things could’ve been different.”

   I was happier after things had been patched up with my mom. Finally things between me and my parents were settled.

   I had a long conversation with my dad the next day explaining everything. How I felt about everything, and telling him that I wanted him to be home more. He apologized and had cut back his hours so he’d only be working late one night a week. Things seemed to be heading in the right direction.