Amelia | ✔

5. Sucking memory lanes.

A hand-cast.

A freaking white, ugly, hand-cast on my arm was what I got.

If I thought I was mad before, I was wrong because I was just about ready to murder somebody after the doctor finally saw me, prodded me like I was the little science project he's been waiting to do all his life and then, stuffed me into an ugly, five-kilogram cast to support my fractured wrist.

By the time he was done, I wanted to die. No joke.

The only thing that was keeping me sane was a mouthful of pain medication that I was forced to stuff down my throat after.

So, there I was, about to pass out inside the back seats of Logan's car. The owner of the said car had helped me to get in there, literally by holding me by my shoulders and let me lay down to ride away my mid-pain, mid-high state as he drove me home.

I didn't want to speak. Not to him, not to anybody, especially if that anybody was him. Seriously, I met the guy only for a short period, but he'd already managed to somehow made me go through a faint, a broken wrist, and legally drugged out of my mind. So yeah, I didn't want to speak to him. The fact my mouth felt heavy like a ton of brick, my mood was pretty justifiable.

The only thing I said to him once I was out of that torture chamber was my home address. In fact, I didn't say it because that would be putting it mildly. I spat it into his beautiful face that at the time didn't look so beautiful.

"32 Third Street. Cacia Avenue."

*****

If you would have told me earlier that day that I'd be walking through my front door high on an induced medicine and a rapidly-dirtying cast on my right arm by the end of the day, I would have totally thought you were crazy.

Stuff like that doesn't happen to me.

I was a good girl. Straight A's I would say. I didn't get into trouble...like ever, so any idea of bad things was just that. An idea at best.

I did receive somewhat disturbing news that morning yes, bad enough to mess my day, but I would have never thought the day was going to turn to the worst.

"Oh my God," Mom shrieked as I walked through our kitchen entry. The brown spatula on her hand was fast discarded on the side of the cooking counter before she took rapid steps closing the distance between us. "Amelia, what happened?"

What didn't happen?

"I could use some food."

Only after those words were out, did I realize how hungry I was. Come to think of it, since the food I had in my stomach came gushing out of my mouth on that field earlier, I hadn't had anything to eat. I didn't even get to enjoy that stupid ice cream in that stupid Amazonian ice cream booth.

"Yeah, yeah food is almost ready, but what happened to your arm?"

I forced a smile on my lips as I looked at my mom's worried dark eyes. The same eyes I inherited from, down to its size. The more I looked at her the more conflicted I got as the conversation between me and my half-sister jabbed at my mind.

You see, my mom was a strong working woman no doubt about it, but even though she and I agreed about three years ago to give Dad a chance, I'm not really sure she was over the whole abandoning us thing.

I'm not sure I was. Not completely at least.

She didn't date. Okay, maybe I shouldn't speak for her but as far as I knew, I never saw her with anybody, and that's why I wasn't sure how she would take the news about how happy he was with his new family and how he was waiting to welcome his new unborn child.

"An accident," I said finally. "It's just a fractured wrist don't worry too much."

"Why didn't you call me? Who took you to the hospital?"

"Suzy was there and..." I thought about how best to describe everybody else. "... some of my new friends."

"Oh, okay. Is there anything you want me to do?"

"No, mom. I'm fine, really. Maybe we can just have dinner?"

She bobbed her head and smiled as she placed her palm on my cheek.

"Dinner sounds great."

For most of the beginning of dinner, we ate in silence, but I'll tell you what, my mind was most definitely not quiet. I thought about how best to break the news and none of whatever came to mind sounded remotely good.

"What's the matter?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I can see you have something in your mind."

So much for inner thoughts.

"Err, I was just thinking. How is work?"

Crap.

Mom looked at me sceptically.

"Work is fine, honey, what's going on?"

I couldn't put the topic out any longer even if I wanted to. Mom already suspected something was wrong and I really needed to tell her before she hears it from somebody else. That would suck.

"Mom, dad's wife is pregnant."

I paused to let her mull over the little detail I just unloaded onto her. Silence, she blinked and proceeded to look at me before she slowly bobbed her head.

"Okay?"

"I'm sorry, mom. I just heard about it this morning from Margaret, and..."

"Oh, baby. Come here." She extended her arms and pulled my chair closer and crushed me into a hug. "Amelia, it's really okay."

"No, it's not." Tears beamed in my eyes. "It's not fair, mom. You don't even have anyone."

"I have you." She nudged me on my back.

"Well, yes, but you know what I mean."

"Look," she said as she let me go and placed both her arms on either side of my shoulders. "It's not fun I know, but your dad and I have separate lives now. He has his life and although sometimes it's really not fair for you, or me, he has to live it. I'm okay with it."

How could she be okay? I mean, was I okay? Hell, I didn't know. Maybe. I've made peace with his new family about three years ago around the time mom and I sat down and discussed the possibilities of letting him back into our lives. I was fifteen or about to be fifteen and the guy had missed half my childhood.

I remember how nervous I was the day he took me to meet my step sister and stepmom. I remember wondering if they would like me, how they would look at me or if I would even fit in with them. More importantly, I remember wondering If I would like them.

All the above was okay because we'd already dealt with it, but him expanding his family while mine remained the same just somehow didn't sit well with me. Call it jealousy or whatever, but if I'm being real, the idea pierced me deeply.

I wanted it for us. I wanted it for me. I wanted to come home to both my parents but that never happened.

Crap, this is getting too sappy for me and mom.

"Just promise me one thing," I said. "Promise me you are happy."

"I am happy. I have you, I have work, and I have everything I need right here."

"Good." I bobbed my head. "Now that is out of the way, can I please go to sleep? I can barely hold my head upright."

My mom chuckled and the sound was music to my ears. She was happy I knew that. Don't get our little sappy moment over there throw you off but still, I guess I always just wanted her to have somebody other than me. I was going to go off to college soon, after all, that was my last year in high school and when that was over and done with, she was bound to remain home alone.

I didn't want that for her.