Will to Way, Wilt Away

Chapter 20

"Woah, watch your mouth!" Julius interjected before I could finish my profanity.

"Who's calling you?" Aria asked.

I solemnly looked up from my phone at Julius.

"It's my mom."

Julius' eyes widened slightly. "Oh god," he remarked. "We can wait for you to take the call if you want."

I convinced myself that the conversation would be nothing more than my mom routinely reprimanding me for being a burden in her life. Those discussions never lasted long and always abruptly ended with my mom yelling, 'You're the reason why I drink!' Then she would slam my bedroom door and I would whisper to myself, 'No, mom. The reason you drink is because you're an alcoholic.'

Even if that was destined to be the nature of this phone call, it was still unexpected. My mom hadn't contacted me since she infiltrated my apartment building four months ago and attempted to bring me back home.

"No, it's alright," I sat down in the car and the three of them followed my lead. "I can just take the call while we drive back."

Julius reached for his seat belt and responded, "Okay. Good luck." There was more fear in his voice than I had inside my head. I was certain I knew this phone call was nothing out of the ordinary.

I pressed the green answer button and began watching the timer on the call start from 00:00 and then reach 00:09 before I said anything.

"Hello," I greeted in an intentionally hostile," deadpan voice.

"Aspen." My mom said gravely.

I tried to predict what she would say next. What the hell have you been up to? Are you homeless and broke yet? By the way, I got hammered last night and it's all your fault.

Surprisingly, not a peep came from my phone. I couldn't even hear breathing on the other end of the line. Once the timer hit 00:30, I dangled my finger over the red end call button.

"Hmm, bad connection maybe," and as my fingertip descended downward, my mom finally spoke.

"Wait, wait!" she shouted, though it wasn't in her normal irate tone. I sensed hints of desperation in her voice.

I put the phone back to my ear and answered, "What, mom? I'm kind of busy right now."

Julius took his eyes off the road and turned to me with a grin, mouthing the word, "Liar."

I pointed to the traffic ahead of him and mouthed back, "Concentrate."

After a few more seconds of silence, I began doing the classic annoying toddler chant, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."

"You sound like the seagulls from Finding Nemo," Aria whispered from the back seat, eliciting a quiet giggle from Indi.

"Um, okay. I'm going to hang up now," I threatened.

On the other end, I heard what sounded like the phone being picked up from a table, followed by my mom's voice, "Aspen. I am only going to ask you once. Come home." I could tell that she was trying to talk in her typical scary mom voice, but I still heard faint hints of angst in her words. I took advantage of this, and the fact that she couldn't smack me over the phone.

"Mmm, no I don't think I will," I said audaciously. "Bye, mom. Take ca—"

"No, wait!" my mom interjected. "Please. Wait."

My mom had never said 'Please' to me.

I exhaled with exasperation. "Fine. Give me three reasons why I should come home."