Rachelle

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Picture of Keith.

        “You alright, sweetheart?” William asks as we all sit here on the dining room for breakfast.

          “I think,” I say sighing.

          After the call from yesterday night, I wasn’t able to get proper sleep. I was tensed about the entire thing. Who was this man? Why did he want me to go back to Oklahoma? How will he harm my family if I didn’t go back to Oklahoma? How does he even know about me? How did he get my number?

          “What’s wrong?” William says keeping a hand on mine which was resting on top of the table.

          I haven’t told him about the call yet and didn’t know whether I should. What if telling him about the call causes trouble for him? I don’t know but I just wasn’t ready to tell him anything, yet.

          “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just that, moving to a new place, admitting Keith to a new school, getting settled and all, it’s just kind of a headache,” I say him. Well that wasn’t a total lie though.

          “C’mon honey, you don’t have to be stressed about this. Everything is going to be just fine,” he says giving me a sweet smile.

          “I hope so,” I say quietly but quickly give him a warming smile.

          After we were done with breakfast, I go for a shower. I stand under the water, thinking about the call I got. I literally didn’t know what to do. I really needed to share about this with someone but who? I was afraid William might be in trouble if I spoke to him about it. Then it clicks my mind. The perfect person to talk to.

          I quickly turn off the shower and put my bath robe on. Without wiping my hair, I dial the number. After four rings, her weak voice answers the call.

          “Mom?”

          “Baby girl, it’s been a long time. How are you?” she asks happily.

          “I’m okay. Are you fine?” I ask wearily.

          “Medication always keeps me fine,” she says and I can sense her smiling.

          I hesitantly speak this time. “Mom, what do you do the entire day at home?”

          “You’ve asked me that several times but well, I will repeat again for you. I wake up in the morning, have breakfast, then go for a walk. After that, I might watch some TV or read books until it’s lunch time. Then I would probably go for my regular heart check-up, after that, make dinner and stay by myself, or sometimes spend some time with the neighbours,” she says and lets go off a deep breath.

          “Do you ever explore the house by yourself?” I say wondering how this thought never crossed my mind. We had a pretty big house with an attic and a creepy basement, and several rooms even though our family was small. For some weird reason, dad always liked big houses but I was the total opposite of that.

          “Not really, but sometimes, I do go through your father’s old things,” she say weakly.

          “Why don’t you walk around the house and see whether everything is alright or not?” I ask stiffly.

          “What’s with you and me exploring the house?” she asks wondering.

          “Nothing, it’s just…,” again I was questioning my sanity. Should I tell her or sort out the trouble by myself? I didn’t know what to do. What if telling my mother would cause her trouble?