His Purple Heart

6 - Mother Dearest

˜ Trystan ˜

I entered The Joint looking for my mother and out of habit I scanned the place looking for emergency exists while I did a head count.

I spotted my mother sitting at a table for three, but behind her, a head full of curls turned to look at me. I stopped in my tracks, my heart flipping over in my chest. I casually removed my sunglasses to make sure I wasn't mistaking her for somebody else.

Fucking hell, she was beautiful. Her hair was damp and she looked even younger today than she had last night. In the daylight I could see that her eyes were weren't pitch black as I first thought. They were a dark brown, heavy lidded, the ends curving slightly upward. She blinked and they widened.

A second later she was out of her seat and streaking past me.

I contemplated letting her go, but I couldn't. I didn't even know what I was going to say to her, but that didn't stop me from grabbing her by the elbow until she came to a stop very close to me. Her muscles hardened under my grip and I immediately let her arm go. The scent of her shampoo or whatever it was nearly rocked me off my feet. It was a light, but very fruity scent.

What were the odds of me seeing her again so soon after last night? I wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but I had felt her and she was real. I fisted my hands at my side to stop myself from touching her soft skin again.

"Debra?" I whispered, still doubting.

"Trystan," she said with a nod.

Her voice sounded ethereal. Like that angel in my dreams. Before I could speak again she was halfway out the door.

I watched her leave with a heavy heart. Maybe I was stupid to let her walk away for the second time, but something told me I would be seeing her again soon. Whether I wanted it or not.

"Trystan, darling. I'm over here."

I turned toward my mother even when my mind had long exited the building. As usual, one of the seats was reserved for her handbag. The flowers on her orange and cream dress stood out like peculiar people one would meet at a festival and her gray streaked hair was styled short, but still full and gleaming with life.

"Mother," I said as I approached her table.

She looked up at me and gave me the smile I loved most in the world. I took her frail looking hand and placed a gentle kiss at the back of it. She pretended to blush. "Son, you look so good. A little tired, but good." She pointed for me to have a seat.

"Got all my good looks from you." I sat down opposite her, stretching my long legs out before me. I couldn't sit for very long with my prosthetic leg folded. It had a way of going numb.

"Oh stop it." She waved her hand at me as if dismissing my comment. "Who was that girl?"

She was doing it again. Meddling into my life. So I played along. "No one."

"You would tell me if you were dating someone?"

I glanced outside the window in the direction Debra had disappeared in. "Of course."

She smiled, some of her freckles disappearing into the lines on her withered face. "You're going to make a lucky young lady very happy someday. I can't wait to meet the woman who marries you."

"I don't know many women who would willingly put up with all my moods and demons." I picked up the menu and looked at it.