Magnolia

Chapter 16

"Mom?" I yelled as I entered the house. I looked around but I was only greeted by my own echo. Emma walked over to the counter, gingerly picking up a piece of paper. As her eyes moved left to right reading the paper, she frowned, her eye brows furrowing.

"Same grocery store excuse?" I chuckled, shaking my head. I hadn't really seen her since the funeral come to think of it. "I really hate her sometimes" I rolled my shoulders to stretch them out, trying to ignore the pain that my mother's absence caused me. I was extremely sore from all the training Emma and I had been doing. Emma stayed quiet, not responding to my joke. Something was wrong because Emma always at least cracked a smile at my jokes.

"I-uh think you should read this" Emma spoke softly, slowly backing away from the island. I rolled my eyes and walked over grabbing the piece of paper from the counter top. As I began to read the note I also began to understand what was happening and my stomach twisted in pain.

'To my lovely son Luke,
I have gone on a trip, far away from here. I'm not sure when or if I will come back but just know that I love you. I feel comfortable leaving you with Emma because you're in good care. She is a lovely girl and will take good care of you. I transferred half of your father and I's money into your account. Being in our home reminds me too much of him and it hurt too bad. So I left. I'm sorry but you're a big boy now. Good bye Luke. love you, Mom'

I let the note flutter to the ground, my face blank. Emma looked at me from across the island waiting for my reaction. "She's not coming back is she?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Emma didn't answer just looked at me and did a small shrug, her lips pressed in a straight line. "I can't lose both my parents. Its not fair" I shut my mouth, looking at Emma realizing what I had just said. "I'm sorry I-" I tried to apologize for the comment but she cut me off.

"It's okay" she nodded. "It isn't fair"she sighed as she walked over to me and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in close. I sighed into her hair, relaxing in her arms. "We're gonna get through this I promise" she squeezed me tight. Things could be worse, I reminded myself. I had Emma and that was enough for me. 

Emma pulled away and took her phone out of her pocket as it began ringing. "I gotta take this" she smiled sympathetically. I nodded still in shock that my mother had left me after my father's death. I watched as Emma walked into the other room and shut the door behind her. I heard her voice, but it was muffled, my limited hearing unable to make out any words. After about five minutes she walked back out.

"Who was that?" I asked, noticing Emma's distressed expression. The tears that had been forming from the lose of my mother disappeared, replaced with curiosity.

"Uh Sam. He's-uh- dropping off your homework tomorrow morning since Monday we are going back to school"She struggled through the sentence. After she finished she smiled, softly "Are you okay?" she asked touching my arm.

I wasn't okay. I was so far from okay. But I tried to look on the bright side. Our house would be drug and alcohol free now. And maybe not having her in my life would make it less toxic. That was just about all I could come up with. "Yeah, I-uh guess I'm okay" I tried to put on a brave face because I'm sure Emma didn't want to have to keep comforting me at every big event. 

She nodded, knowing how I was really feeling anyways. Emma had this ability to see right through whatever lie I was telling. She could read me like a book. That was one of the many reasons I loved her, and hated her.

"Hey I gotta run an errand. Are you going to be okay?" she asked, grabbing a bag off the chair near the door.

"Uh yeah" I hesitantly answered, surprised that she had errands to run right after my mother had just left. She came up to me and kissed me. A long kiss. When she finally pulled away she looked at me, her hand stroking my cheek. She looked at my face as if trying to remember every detail of it, her eyes finally landing on mine.

"I'll be back. I love you" she spoke in a tone that was meant to be convincing, but I wasn't sure if it was meant to convince me or her. She slowly pulled her hand away from my face, nodding with a sad expression. With that she grabbed her keys, stopped and looked back, savoring the moment and then left. After the door closed, I stood there alone in my empty house, the sound of the door shutting ringing in my ear.  I don't remember the last time I had been this alone. Even with everything that happened with my dad, I had Emma. I knew she was just running a quick errand but I was still alone.

I walked upstairs, the creeks of each step filling the house, and grabbed some sleep medicine. I was dead tired and I hadn't been able to sleep lately so I figured why not. I took a few pills and lied down on my bed. I laid there for a couple of minutes and than I began to feel the blanket of sleep cover me. I looked around my empty room, panic flooding me. "Now what Dad?" I asked, my voice cracking as slow tears rolled down my cheeks. And then my eye lids became to heavy to keep open and I fell into a dark asleep.