Unchained Heart

Chapter 14

Andre and I rode back in the snow to my house in nothing but complete silence. I would glance over at him occasionally wondering what he was thinking. The need to talk to him about my feelings was never so strong before now. It was almost like if I didn't say something to him soon I was going to explode. I was hoping that he felt the same way on this awkward car ride. When the car came to a stop outside of my house I didn't waste a second. I swung the door open and got out quickly and walked to the back of the car. The engine stopped running and the smell of the exhaust I had walked into had subsided. Andre got out of the car and met me at the trunk. Sticking the in the key in the trunk lock I caught his gaze and darted my eyes to the ground before he could say anything. He reached inside the trunk and pulled out my suitcase.

"Give it here I can carry it." I said to him shyly still looking down at the snow covered cement.

  "It's cool mama. I'll carry it. You just go and open the door."

  "Really Cymone I can carry it."

  "It's ok. I'll do it. Honestly it's fine."

I knew it wouldn't do much good if I kept telling him I could carry my own bags because he wasn't going to let me even if he wanted to. Andre has been persistent about every thing in his life. That is one trait I know for a fact he will never lose. As I walked up to the back door and pulled my keys out of my pocket Andre closed the trunk and followed my lead up the steps and met me at the door. The key slipped into the door knob and with a gentle twist the lock popped on the inside and I opened the door and stepped inside to the smell of sweet potato pies baking in the oven. I felt a smile grow on my face as the smell filled my senses with memories of the holidays or my mom just having that sudden urge to bake.

  "Hey! Mrs. J must have known I was coming! Is that pie?" Andre asked excited as he place my suitcase on the floor at the door.

  "Yes goofy. My mom must have wanted to clear out the baking cabinets again." I giggled.

  "I'm sorry. But I must not have heard you right. Did you say.....cabinets????" Andre asked puzzled.

  "Yes Dre. Cabinets. As is more than one."

  "You think she made one for me to take home?"

  "HA! Yeah right. She loves you but not that much." I said sarcastically.

  "Speaking of your mama where is she?"

That was the most intelligent question he's asked since we got here. Where is my mom? It's not like her to not come down when she hears someone coming inside the house from the back door. My dad was the family handyman if he wasn't overseas and he had replaced our back door before he went off to war for the last time. Since he's been gone it's been harder and harder to just close the old wooden door. Especially now that it's cold. The door frames would swell in the winter causing us to slam the door closed whenever we came in or out of the house. I was getting worried. My mom had yet to acknowledge me and Andre being there. If she thought it was shocking that me and Prince were coming there together as a couple I can only imagine how she's going to react when she see me with Andre and not and not her precious Skippy. I turned to Andre with a concerned expression and I went over to the oven to check on the pies. They looked like they had only been in there for a little less than fifteen minutes.

  "Everything cool Mighty Mouse?" Andre asked.

  "I'm not sure." I replied in a worried tone.

I looked at the back steps and something told me that maybe she was upstairs in the shower.

  "Stay here i'll be right back." I said to Andre.

Without a second thought I strolled up the steps as calm as possible just in case if my mom was up here I did t want to run the risk of startling her. When I got to the top of the steps I could smell her White Diamonds perfume coming from her bedroom. I walked up to her door and knocked twice before cracking the door open gently.

  "Mama? You here?"

No answer. I pushed the door open all the way and found the room empty but the smell of her fragrance filled the air around me like a loving embrace. An embrace I've been missing for the last few months that I really wouldn't mind getting just to make everything that had happened between Prince and I go away just for a little while. She's always been my rock whenever I need her. I'm usually pretty strong on my own but due to current events that have now shape shifted their way into manifestation I don't know how strong I really am. My soul has been rocked to its core and my heart has been obliterated into a billion micro pieces. I've never needed anything more that the advice of a woman that gave me my strength from day one. Disappointed I closed the bedroom door and went down the steps to find Andre sitting at the table.

  "Find her?" Andre asked.

"No. I can't find her. Her car is still outside. She couldn't have gone far."

  "Maybe she went next door to see Skip's old man."

  "Nah she couldn't have."

  "Well how do you know?"

Pointing at the door that leads out into the backyard and to the fence that opens up to the old Nelson residence.

  "Top lock would be unlocked if she went out that way."

  "Yeah but wouldn't she have a key to lock it from the outside?"

  "Nope! You have to lock it from the inside."

Just then the front door opened and the sound of my mom giggling like a school girl bombarded the once silenced home full blast. Andre and I looked at one another confused as to what she was laughing at.

  "Mama?" I called as I raced into the living room.

When I came through the kitchen and into the living room I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

  "Oh! There's my little mouse! And with Andre! What are you guys doing here?" She asked ignoring the humongous purple elephant in the room.

Andre and I looked at each other in shock. This really wasn't happening and at my own house no less.

  "This has to be some sick joke!" I yelled.

As if today couldn't have gotten any worse. It got worse within a matter of seconds.

  "I found prince sitting on the front steps when I was going out to beat the area rug. He looked sad so I let him in and offered him a homemade pie." My mom said happily.

None of this was a happy moment when there was a much bigger issue at hand. How did he get here before us?