Acceptance | ✓

Chapter 22

[ANDREW]

"No mother, I don't have a long enough break to come and visit you," I said through the phone before performing a dramatic eye roll and taking a sip of coffee from the mug I was holding.

My mother was trying to convince me to visit her in D.C. since I was practically free having finished my major projects as of now.

"Two to three days tops is just enough," my mother pledged from the other end of the line. I sighed at that, realizing she wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

"You were here a few months ago," I tried to reason as I walked from the study to the living room. Ethan was sitting on the couch with Roxanne, her head sprawled on his laps. He was running a hand through her fur absentmindedly as he continued to watch what was on the TV. He didn't have a class until eleven-thirty.

I smiled, making my presence known with a little cough. He looked up at once, giving me a small smile before returning his attention to the TV, probably realizing I was in a conversation since my mum hadn't stopped bickering through the phone.

"Andrew, you said it yourself, it's been months!" she said rather too dramatically through the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," I said as a feeling of guilt hit me. She was right. I could make out a few days to come and see her. It's not that I didn't want to see her, it was that I was afraid to go back to D.C.

Going to D.C would mean seeing old schoolmates, being forced to participate in an endless conversation, being forced to endure the gossip being whispered about me concerning my weight loss and sudden move — In general, I didn't want to see anyone that had any reason to come up and talk to me. I didn't want to see old schoolmates or distant successful cousins. I wasn't so comfortable with too many people when I was sure all they were doing was judging my appearance, my profession, and my lifestyle.

"There's plenty you could do..." my mother trailed before sighing. "Don't worry. It's at times like this I thank the heavens I have two sons, and just not one. Andrew, imagine if you were my only child. You'd leave me here all alone with no in-laws and grandchildren to look forward to."

I chuckled lightly as I started heading for the kitchen.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, dropping the empty mug in the sink. I searched the cupboards for the jar of breadsticks I kept in case anyone wanted a quick snack.

"Well isn't it quite obvious? You keep stalling. I'm afraid you're in some cult that prohibits a love life," my mother said, making me laugh.

"I'm serious. You're stalling, and I don't know what for," she said, making me groan.

"I'm not stalling. I'm just being careful," I muttered as I munched on a breadstick.

"Oh really, tell me the last time you talked about a date to me in the last three years? And don't tell me you just haven't talked about them to me. That's even worse," she said, cornering me. I ran a hand through my hair before sighing in frustration. My mother definitely had a degree in guilt-tripping.

"Is it that boy from college? Is that why you're not dating? Drew, I thought you got over that..." she muttered in a low tone, drawing her own conclusions.

I shook my head at her suggestion. "It's not Christopher," I said, discarding her assumption as I drew invisible shapes on the clean surface of the kitchen counter. There was a brief silence on the other end before my mother spoke up.

"I'm glad. I was just worried..." She trailed. Her statement was followed by a period of silence before she quietly said her goodbyes and hung up.

I felt an odd sting in my eyes. It was unusual for my mother to bring up Christopher. That period was definitely the worst in my life. I'd blamed her for taking Christopher away from me, I had blamed her for how over the scales I was, I'd even blamed her for the depression that followed my hunger strike and weight loss. I'd gotten over the blame stage of my life and made a lengthy needed apology to my mother. We were over that — over the whole Christopher thing.