Eastern District School

Chapter 21 - Ma

"Your father's name is Peter?"

Rich's voice was a bare whisper.

Rose nodded.

Rich smiled and shook his head. "How did I not pick up on that one?" he laughed, throwing his head back, and then rubbing a hand over his eyes. "All these letters..." He stood up, and started pacing the small area of Rose's hotel room. "It's a very popular name, so I didn't think..."

Rose stopped him. "How could you know? I didn't tell you my father's name." She couldn't understand why he was giving himself such a hard time over this. Perhaps he took coming to know her a little too seriously?

"No, Rose, you don't understand..."he paused. "They both did it. All this time, I never asked, and now, it just all makes sense."

For him maybe, and they said that women ramble?  She stood up beside her bed. "Rich, you're not making sense!"

He stopped pacing, standing just in front of her. "Rose, my father's name is Thomas. They named their sons after each other. Well my father after your grandfather and your father after my grandfather."

If he hadn't had spoken so fast, she may have been able to process it quicker. As it was, she blinked a few times before finally replying. "Peter...Peter." She spoke slowly and Rich was nodding his head as she spoke. "Thomas....Thomas?" 

Rich's head didn't stop bobbing.

"But, Thomas said he was indebted to your grandfather, that would easily explain why my grandparents called my father after your grandfather because he saved his life. It's a sign of utmost respect and thanks, but for your grandparents to name their son after my grandfather, shows a strong bond of friendship, trust, love..."

"I had no idea. I can't believe I never knew this." he was back to shaking his head again.

"But Rich, you're not to know everything your grandparents went through."

"I know," he said "And I get that, it's just..." he paused frowning suddenly and looking around the room. "Listen! What's that noise?"

Rose tried to listen too, but she wasn't sure what he was hearing to be able to identify it yet anyway.

"It's like a humming noise." He moved around her bed, still frowning, obviously listening out for the noise that he could still hear. 

Rose tiptoed after him slowly, wondering still what he was hearing, and hoping it wasn't the fast beating of her heart.

"Its coming from your bag!" he said suddenly pointing at it, looking rather afraid of it, she thought.

"Oh..." she laughed as she reached out for her bag, fumbling around inside it and pulling out her phone. "I missed it anyway." she stated. As she scrolled through. She could see messages from her mother and Tracey, and several missed phone calls from her mother. She sighed deeply, lifting her head to face the ceiling and rolling her eyes back. Talking to her mother was not something she had made time to prepare for.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding rather worried.

"It was my mother!"

"Oh!"

Ha, he really does know more about me then he lets on, she thought.

"Have you spoken to her?" he asked then, the panic no longer in his voice.

"Not since I last saw her Saturday night! I mean I've text her a couple of times, but not actually spoken to her!"

Rich sucked in air and pulled a face, as if it were the worst crime on earth. And in his case, it probably was. Although she had not heard him mention his parents much to her. She hadn't left much to the imagination regarding her relationship with her mother, or lack of it, she thought.