NORP Meets NAT

Hung Up

Plopping down on the couch, Grant sighed heavily and rubbed his face. Fatigue took residence in his features, making his handsome face look tired and worn out. The conversation repeated within his mind on an endless loop that only confused him more each time it replayed.

"Leave. She doesn't want to see you."

"Don't contact her again." Her sister said, eyeing him with a scowl.

"Okay, fine! I'm going, but can you at least tell her I stopped by?"

"Yeah, sure. Now go!"

"She doesn't want to see me? Don't contact her again? What happened?" He groaned and dropped his cell phone on the coffee table.

"This doesn't make any sense! But she did turn off her phone after she left. Maybe she really doesn't want to see me anymore or at least not for a while?"

Laying back on the couch, he stared up at the ceiling. His mind drifted to when he asked Nathalie if something was wrong. The smile on her face betrayed her emotions. She held it so rigidly in place, causing him to feel that if he asked her once more, her face would shatter from the strain of maintaining it. Instead of speaking with him, she ran away. There has to be more to this. He thought.

Grabbing his phone, he called Matthew.

"Wow, it's been forever since we've spoken! How you been?" Matthew asked.

"Did you do or say anything to Nathalie when we were at mom and dad's?"

Matthew scoffed. "You turd! Seriously? Out of ALL the people there, I'M the one you ask?"

"Just answer the question."

"I barely even spoke to her! And when I did I was a complete gentleman."

Grant hummed. "Okay. What exactly did you say?"

Matthew sighed heavily into the phone and remained silent for a moment. "Oh! You're serious. All right, the usual pleasantries. How was she enjoying the gathering; introduced myself; went to get her some water; can you pass the potatoes? Why are you with that loser and want to meet me in the bathroom for some real fun?"

"What??"

"No, wait! My mistake. That last part only crossed my mind. Never mind!" Matthew chuckled.

"This really isn't the time for your jokes and I don't know if anyone's ever told you ... they SUCK!"

"Ouch! What did I do to you? Take the pole out of your rear end for a second, because it might be so far up, it's obviously stabbing your brain. So, go take a chill pill, or two, and tell me what's up. I'll wait."

Grant groaned. "I don't know, that's the problem."

"I see. That totally cleared everything up. Thank you for that explanation, it wasn't vague at all."

"Sarcastic much?"

"Can't help it. You showed up and suddenly I became the invisible middle child. But ... what's going on?"

"Nathalie ran off during lunch. Clearly, she was bothered by something. She turned off her phone and doesn't want to see me anymore," Grant huffed. "Not the way I hoped this day would turn out."

"Hmm, maybe you should call Cruella DeVil?"

"Can you please not call her that?"

"What? It's true. The woman is so cold, she gives Frigidaire a run for their money."

"Matt!" Grant yelled into the phone.

"Fine. Call her though, I'm pretty sure she said something ... off."

"Are you just saying that, or did you actually hear something?"

"Oh, I know better than to play that game. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd rather be doing something else tonight than spend it talking on the phone with you. And she should be arriving soon. Bye-bye!" Matthew ended the call.

"Prick." Grant muttered. Did mom say something to her?

He hesitated for a long while before he dialed her number.

"Grant?" His mother asked drowsily.

"Hello, mom. I'm sorry if I interrupted your sleep."

"It's no problem at all. Is everything all right?"

The question repeated in his mind, he tried choosing a more appropriate way to ask it, without it seeming like an attack.

"Are you still there?" She asked.

"Yes. I really don't know any other way to ask this, but did you say something to Nathalie," he struggled with the words. "Something rude or offensive, at any point during lunch?"

"Grant! How could you even ask me that? I welcomed your lady friend into my house—,"

Lady friend? He gritted his teeth. "Girlfriend. Not lady friend, not friend, girlfriend."

"Okay. What's this all about?" She sounded annoyed.

"Well, something must of happened? And it had to be one of you!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me like that. Really, how dare you speak to me like that? And for you to think that I would say anything offensive to your girlfriend? Maybe Matthew did something? You know how he's always been when it comes to women."

"It wasn't Matthew! I just spoke with him."

The silence that followed only aggravated him more. Finally, she spoke.

"Maybe he's lying?"

"He's not." He quickly replied.

She sighed dramatically. "You listen very carefully to me. I will not have you waking me up in the middle of the night and blaming me for whatever problems you might be having in your relationship! Acting like some child and screaming at me! I raised you better than this. Goodnight!" She hung up the phone.

"Did she really just hang up on me?" He stared at his phone in bewilderment. What is it with everyone and their phone today?!?

It was almost midnight when he received an angry call from Charles. His mother was hospitalized.

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