I didn't have a final destination: I just wanted to escape the situation. I walked around the neighborhood, kicking sticks and small rocks I found on the way, regretting having run away from my friends like that, and hating how Luke still gets to me after all these years.
"Why is he doing this?" I asked to no one really. "Why does he still get to me?"
I walked in silence for what felt like forever, just me and my thoughts. I started wondering how things could've been different, how, in an alternative universe, Luke, Bell and I would be visiting here, as a family, to go together to Paula's wedding. Or maybe we would live in Colombia, and I would be a lawyer, and he would be the soccer player he was aspiring to become. And Bella would...
"Emma? Is that you?" A familiar voice asked behind my back. I turned and smiled at the sight of Mrs. Diaz, practically my second mother.
"Tata!" I called her by her nickname, and she walked as fast as she could to embrace me.
"Oh, honey, look at you. Every time I see you, you look even more beautiful. But, what is that I see?" I looked down, but she lifted my chin up. "Oh, dear, have you been crying?"
I guess I had. I was honestly so lost, so confused, so trapped within my own thoughts and mind, I didn't even realize I was crying.
I looked up once again and smiled.
"It's nothing, really. It's so good to see you, Tata, I missed you."
"I knew you were coming around for the wedding, but didn't want to bother your mom" she looked away. My mom and Tata used to be really close, but things happened and they drifted apart.
"I'm sure she would love to have you around sometime" I assured her with a smile, squeezing her arm lightly. Tata looked away for a minute, lost in thought. She then looked back at me.
"Why don't you come in dear?" She offered, a smile plastered on her face. "If you're not busy, or in a rush, of course."
"I always have time for you" I smiled and we went inside the house. Made of red brick, rustic, and old, but it felt like home. It smelled like cinnamon, my favorite scent in the world.
"You want anything, dear? Water? Some cookies?"
"I'm fine Tata, thanks" she nodded and sat across from me in the table.
"How's Colombia treating you?"
"Good, I guess" I shrugged. I didn't want to seem unthankful, I was so happy for Paula, so glad to see my family, and so happy for taking a break from work and NY and coming back to my hometown, but the recent events were too overwhelming for me to focus on anything else.
"Wanna talk about it?" She said in a kind, not pushy manner.
"Nah, it's not really that important" I decided not to tell her, she probably doesn't even remember Luke, I let myself believe.
"Well, whatever it is that's bothering you, don't let it get to you" Tata reassured me with a smile. "You're one of the strongest girls I know, and I don't think anything can make you crumble down" I smiled back, she was too sweet for anyone. But she was also wrong. People tend to tell me those things all the time, but how come I'm strong enough to raise a daughter on my own, to manage having two jobs, and living alone on a foreign country, but not strong enough to make Luke go away, and not only physically, but from my mind and, as cliché as it sounds, my heart.
"Thanks, Tata" I told her, smiling.
We spend the rest of the afternoon baking, something we'd always do when we saw each other. By eight, I decided it was time to go back home. My friends were probably worried, and I didn't take my phone with me.
"You just left?" Tata gasped when I told her. "God, Emma! What made you so mad you felt the urge to abandon your friends?" I laugh, I know she's exaggerating and actually glad I decided to leave them, because I ran into her.
"It was really nice seeing you Tata, seeing you restores my spirit" I said, meaning it.
"Oh, dear, same thing to you. You make me so proud and happy, Emma" she hugged me.
"You should really come over one day" I said. "I mean it. Mom misses you."
"Oh, I don't know about that, dear..." she looked away. "You know how things are between you mother and I..."
"It's never too late to start again, am I right?" I said, but I felt like I was saying it more to myself than to her.
She smiled and I hugged her one last time before heading back home.
"Emma!" Amanda screams when I open the door.
"About time your ass decided to show up" Jo snapped, but laughed afterwards.
"We were worried" Paula said quietly, almost in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, girls, I really am. I took it out on you, I don't know what's wrong with me" I began apologizing, but they all interrupted my pathetic speech by hugging me.
