"We are going back home."
Once the words settled in, the bacon hanging off of Christine's mouth dropped, landing on the plate.
She looked at her mom and realized she was serious. Her stern eyes, her levelled gaze, and her pursed lips. She was actually going to push through her plan of going back to their hometown.
Removing her gaze from her mom, she looked at her plate while millions of thoughts are going through her head.
Her mom had been dropping subtle hints of wanting to go back and she thought that they would visit Medsyville and come back here right after.
Even during visits, her parents would find ways to evade each other. When they visited Medsyville, her dad was on a business trip. When her dad and sisters would visit her, her mom would be the one away for business trips. And now, her mom wants to move back to Medsyville?
Weird.
"Are you sure, mom?" Christine asked.
"Yes. Besides, it's about time that we get to see your sisters your dad again."
It would be nice being able to see them aside from face time calls and short visits. Their family had a strong bond before. Laughter, trips to the beach, and joyous adventures were the highlights of Christine's childhood. But little by little, that perfect family changed and not for the better. Her mom and dad grew distant up to the point that her mom decided to move out. For whatever reason, they did not get divorced. Being the mommy's little girl that she is, she went to live with her mom while her two sisters, Kira and Harvey, remained with her dad in Medsyville.
A little part of her is happy of this sudden change but all of that got pushed on the backburner when she realized that she has to leave her friends, her school, her swim team, everything.
She felt a warm hand on her arm. Looking up, she gazed at her mother's eyes that were filled with unconditional love and concern.
"I know this is so sudden. It's been four years since..."
Since they've been a complete family.
To ease her mother's concern, she smiled. One that shows she's okay with the idea.
After that, the conversation drifted to different topics but this one remained in the forefront of her mind.
Does this mean her mom and dad are okay again?
Do they get to be the perfect family that they were when she was a kid?
Those thoughts plagued Christine's mind even after dinner ended.
⏰
Even when stuck inside a car for hours on end, Christine didn't mind it. The breeze she felt after leaving the windows open, the sound of Lauv's vocie singing in the radio, and the landscapes that passed by so fast that they became a blur gave her a sense of calmness and serenity that only swimming can give.
Feeling a buzz, she took her phone that was on her lap and saw a message from one of her close friends, Micah.
'Still can't believe you left already. Who am I going to annoy during training now?'
-Micah
She quickly typed a reply.
'What about that new boy? What was his name again?'
-Christine
'Oh you mean Zach? I swear his swim trunks gave his booty justice. While I look like an ironing board through and through. Sheesh.'
-Micah
Micah always thought her boobs were small but compared to her A cups, she would prefer Micah's B cups all day every day.
'Oh really, if you're like an ironing board, what do I look like then?'
-Christine
'Pshh, a goddess. That's what you are. 😉'
-Micah
Rolling her eyes, their conversation grew longer and longer. Texting with Micah is always interesting. So interesting that she laughed out loud when Micah told her about a date gone wrong. While wheezing, her mom, who was behind the wheels, shot her a look with one eyebrow rasied.
"Who is that?" Her mom asked.
Rolling her eyes at the suspicious tone her mom used, she replied.
"It's Micah, mom."
With that, her mom turned from being suspicious to being sad.
"I'm sorry that you two got separated, honey."
"Mom, it's okay. We'll just Facetime and message each other."
Her mom had one hand on the steering wheel while the other reached out to grasp her hand.
"I love you, C."
She gave her mom a smile even though her mom had her eyes on the road.
"Love you, mom."
"We're about 30 minutes away now."
They were close.
She thought of her dad and sisters again. She sure miss them a lot even when the last time they spoke of each other was last night through Facetime.
All of them under one roof.
All of them complete as a family.
This ought to be interesting.
This could change things for the better or for the worse.
Only time will tell.
