Trace

Chapter 43

EL'S POV

 "What do you think she'll say?" 

 I sit across from my mother at the kitchen table as she skims through the thin pages of her Home Decor magazine. 

  "I'm really not sure, she just told me she wanted to catch up," I say. 

 It's not like I am lying or anything. I just spare Mum the details of Anne wanting to know how I am holding up after the "Toby incident". My mother is still out of the loop on that one; she thinks I got the scratch on my face from sleeping on an open novel, and the now faded bruises were easy to cover up with makeup. 

  "Well that's nice," she hums in response. 

My mother adjusts her readers on the bridge of her nose as she concentrates on an article. I don't blame her for not being all to interested, but I wish she would just pay a little more attention to me as I speak to her. 

   "Well, I'm gonna go now. I'll see you later?" I say, standing up from the wooden chair.

"Oh, I am going to go to your Uncle James' house tonight. He needs me to watch your cousins as he goes away until Thursday." 

  I stare blankly at my mother. "And you're just now telling me this?" 

She gives me a wave of her hand. "It's no big deal, Cae." 

  I don't recall having an Uncle James or cousins, but then again, I do have a lot of extended family. My heart thumps angrily in my chest. Why wouldn't she tell me?

" 'No big deal'? Mum, you're leaving and coming back on Thursday! Why didn't you tell me?" I demand, not caring to hide the irritation in my tone. 

  She finally takes off her glasses and closes her magazine. "I'm sorry, love. You were stressed yesterday and it was a last minute thing-"  

  "What about work?" 

She chuckles, "Don't worry about that. My employer gave some of us a few days off. It hasn't been too busy over there." 

  I pick up my purse and tuck my phone in my pocket. "Whatever," I sigh. I am not in the mood for an argument right now.

She gets up and gives me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. 

  "I'm sorry," she murmurs. "I should have told you last night." 

  I force a smile and say a goodbye as I head out of the door. 

*****************************

  I take the familiar drive to Anne's which is only a few minutes away. I find myself getting quite nervous as I park my car by the curb and I wipe my clammy palms on the denim of my jeans. 

  As I step out of the car and adjust my new white sweater. I look in the car's reflection to pull my hair over my right shoulder.

    "It's just Anne," I remind myself silently while I walk up to her front door. 

After I knock on the door, I am greeted by a smiling face. 

  "You made it," she sighs cheerfully. 

She pulls me in for a hug and I breathe a sigh of relief as I am entwtined in her arms. It has been too long. 

  Anne leads me up the stairs and into her room; she gestures for me to take a seat on her bed. 

 "You moved it around," I mention, looking around at the arranged furniture. 

 "Yeah, I decided I needed a change of scenery," she laughs.