The Pianist - One Direction

Chapter 32

Long car-rides. They had their perks. They could be nice and comfortable and sometimes fun.

They could also be absolutely horrible.

When I was little, I used to love car-rides. At least to the minute I got hungry. I loved the games I would play with my parents and to sing along with the radio and look outside and imagine how it would be to discover every single part of what we were driving past.

But I couldn't play games or discover the surroundings in the night with three sleeping guys, could I? I wasn't tired enough to sleep yet I felt both mentally and physically exhausted. I was really looking forward to our break in only one week. It would be nice to come home and see my parents again. I had never been away from them for more than two weeks before. I had barely talked to them in two months now. I guessed I missed them too much and it would be so hard to hear their voices and think about it. Hearing them say that they missed me would easily make me cry. I pushed it away and did my best not to think about home. It would be embarrassing if someone saw me crying because I was homesick.

Though, no one was awake now. I could always call home now? It was a Saturday night and it should be around 10 pm in London. Hopefully, they were awake. I called home before I could hesitate too much and heard the beeping sound for what felt like ages before my mother would answer.

"Hello?" She asked. She must have forgotten to read the caller ID before picking up. I was sure she would be happier if she knew it was me.

"Hi mom! It's me." I said and felt a wave of relief flush through me when I heard her. I held the phone an inch away from my ear, since I expected a squeal or a happy shout or a call for my dad. She didn't say anything for three seconds, so I put the phone back to my ear.

"Oh." She said without emotion. "Haven't heard for you in long. How are you?"

Wow. Hold your enthusiasm.

"I'm good, how are you?" I asked. It was such a polite and stiff conversation. Had something happened at home maybe? Mom snorted. She actually snorted.

"We're fine. We haven't heard from our only daughter in what? Three weeks? Five? But I guess she has a better life now?" She said. I heard my dad from a bit behind her.

"Honey, that was mean. I'm sure she has her reasons." He said just loud enough for me to hear. I couldn't say anything at all. Why would she be like that? She must've understood that I barely had any time at all and all my focus went to make a good job.

"Why do you call now? Did you suddenly remember you had a family?" She wondered. Okay, my mom had always been honest if she didn't like anything and she could be horrible when she was in a bad mood, but this was too much.

"Uhm... I couldn't sleep and I missed you." I said, more like a question. As if I didn't believe she would accept that answer. My dad came closer to the phone.

"Let me talk to her." He asked and soon I heard his tired, but at least not angry, voice in my ear.

"Hello sweetheart! Haven't heard from you in a while." He said nicely and the flush of relieve came back, for real now. At least dad didn't hate me for not calling.

"I know, and I'm really sorry. I didn't want to get homesick so I didn't call and I've been busy and..."

"It's okay. We understand. Your mother had a tough day and I guess that was her way of dealing with missing you." He explained. It made me feel a bit better. So she didn't hate me. "But she is angry with you not calling us."

"I'm sorry, dad." I told him, and I really was. I had dialled the number home several times before deleting it again. I didn't want to think about home when I was working. I decided not to think about them at all. It wasn't that I didn't want to call them or that I didn't care.