A Girl with Pursuits

Chapter Three: Phone Call

It had been about a month since my relationship with Noah began. During this time, we both were extremely focused on finishing up our senior year. Noah had an internship with an architecture firm lined up for the spring. I spent a good majority of my time studying and writing. I also started a brief internship at Retrospect, a local magazine company here in the LA area. I was simply a copy editor but it was a side job that gave me a little money I could put towards rent. Life right now was blissful. Everything seemed to be going right. After a days work of studying and editing, I made my way back to the apartment. The drive was long, as per usual with LA traffic, but I made it home at a seemingly reasonable hour. As I pulled into the parking garage, I got a phone call. I quickly found my parking place, parked, and looked at the phone. It was my mother. 'Why was she calling?' I thought. I stared at her name for a long time as my phone continued to buzz. Reluctantly, on the last ring, I answered. "Hello?" I muttered. 

"Adeline! It's me!" my mother said. 

"Yeah I have caller ID mom," I replied. 

"Right," she murmured. "Well, sweetheart, how have you been?"

"Fine." I paused briefly. "Listen mom, I'm really tired so can we just cut the chit chat and just tell me why you called?"

There was a long pause, then my mother inhaled. "I need to talk to you... In person. I can't do this over the phone." 

Her voice was shaky. I nodded, chuckling to myself. "In person? Mom I don't mean to be rude but I'm really not in the mood to see you."

"Adeline. Please. This is serious. I just need to talk to--" she said in a panicked voice.

"No you know what mom, I can't do this tonight. I just... I can't," I said pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. 

"Well how about tomorrow or--"

I cut her off, "I'll talk to you later, mom. I've had quite a day." And then I hung up. Just like that. I sluggishly made my way up to the apartment, opened the door, and Noah was there, dinner waiting. I smiled at him and gave him a long kiss to show my gratitude. We spent the evening catching up on school and work things and ate dinner together. It was just what I needed to unwind. Then the next day came by just as quickly, repeating the same days routine. When I got off of work, I made the exhaustingly long drive back home. As I made my way up the apartment building stairs, I had a gut feeling that something... something was off. I shrugged that idea off, how strange can a Wednesday really be? I finally made it to the apartment, keys ready to unlock the door. As I pushed the door open, ready to say hi Noah, I caught a glimpse of a stranger sitting on the couch. That stranger was my mother. 

"Mom?" I said in an annoyed but confused voice. "Why are you here?" I shot Noah an angry look. He shrugged his shoulders in pity.

My mother stood up and made her way towards me. "Well, I told you last night that I needed to talk to you and you just brushed it off. What was I supposed to do? When you didn't want to listen, I had to come here and tell you. You deserve to know."

"Mom, just like I said yesterday, I'm really not in the mood to talk to you."

"Listen, I know we don't have the best relationship, Adeline, but I'm trying here."

"Trying?" I scoffed. "Where was this the last 22 years?" I laughed. My mother's whole body stiffened. She stared at me with hard eyes and deeply inhaled. "Oh. Please, mom. Don't come here and try to act like you're starting to care about me. Please. You've hurt me enough for two lifetimes. As a matter of fact, I think you--" She cut me off.

"I'm sick," she whispered.

"What was that?" I questioned.

My mother looked at me with a solemn look, tears swelling. "I.. uh-- I have cancer, Adeline. I'm sick." She said this and wiped away tears. I looked at her with a blank expression, I didn't know what emotion to feel. 

"What?" I questioned, beckoning towards her. 

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I just needed to tell you."

I hadn't realized it until Noah was pressed up behind me, his arms wrapped around my waste, that I was crying. Why was I crying? Why did I care so much? I had so much resentment towards my mother, that's true, but did I wan't her to suffer like this? No, I don't think so. I just stood there frozen for some time looking at the woman in front of me who I knew as my absent mother. 

"I'm sorry Adeline, I should go. We can talk about this when you're ready." She quickly grabbed her things, wiped her eyes on her sleeve, and made her way over to me. She patted my head, which was frozen in place, still facing the spot she was previously standing in, and kissed my cheek. "Good night," she whispered. She walked out of the apartment, silently closing the door behind her. As soon as that door closed, the sobs rumbled out. My cries were muffled as I turned towards Noah and he pushed me into his chest, embracing me tight. I was overwhelmed with a wide array of emotions. Anger. Fear. Guilt. They all washed over me in that moment. We stood in the kitchen a long while, just the two of us, embracing one another. 

Noah didn't let me go the entire night either. When I began to calm down a bit, I stepped into my room and changed. I sat at the edge of bed, numb, tears dried to my face. Soon enough, there was a knock at my door and Noah made his way to the bed. He laid down in the full size bed, motioning for me to join him. I sniffled and made my way onto my side. That was the first night we had spent the night together as a couple. Up till that point, we always parted ways at night-- I guess you could say we were a very innocent couple and we were taking things very slow. He cradled me in his arms that night, and every night since then, we've never been apart.