Journey of a Soul

Chapter 30

Looking at Lambie on her bed, Lexi wonders if what Edward said had any truth to it. Was she losing her mind?

Deciding this was not the time, she lovingly placed it in her bag and left the apartment to go for a drive.

Lexi had to pull over to get gas and decided to call her mom. "Mom, is it okay if I come over right now?"

"Sure, what's up? Is everything okay?" Having a mother's intuition, Olivia could sense with the tone of her youngest daughter's voice that something was a bit off.

Not answering her mother's questions, she said, "I will be over in a few minutes."

Lexi knew her mother didn't need to work even after her father died because she could live off the substantial inheritance she received.

Six years after her mother was born, her grandmother became very sick. By the time her grandmother had gone in to see about it. It was too late. She had stage four colon cancer and the cancer had spread to her liver and lymph nodes. After her grandmother's death, her family's fortune went to her mother when she turned twenty-one.

The story was that her grandfather hadn't noticed his wife's ailments. Truth be told, he had fallen out of love with his wife a few years after their second child was stillborn.

Not being able to deal with the grief, he made himself so busy as a surgeon that he didn't spend a lot of time at home. Lexi knew Olivia grew up in a very lonely world.

Driving into her mother's driveway Lexi turned to the passenger seat and stroked the lamb's head. Susannah, you better know what you are doing because, at this moment, I am starting to believe that Reverend Hawthorne might be correct and that I do need professional help.

Getting out of the car, Lexi took a deep breath and went into her Mom's house.

"Hi, Mom. What room are you in?" Lexi called out as she took off her boots and her heavy coat. Winter was definitely on its way.

"I am in the kitchen, making your favorite cookies, chocolate chip." Olivia knew that when her children moved out of the house her job as a mother never ended. She believed it was still her responsibility to help them in any way she could, no matter what age they were.

Walking into the kitchen and taking a seat on the barstool, Lexi smiled at her mom. Her parents had remodeled the kitchen a few years back when her dad was still alive.

She loved seeing her here in the kitchen. It reminded her of all the good times they shared in this house, and chocolate chip cookies was one of them.

"Hey, baby girl, what's up? Your tone of voice on the phone told me that something is up?"

"Mom, I think you are psychic. You always know when I am not happy. Susannah could do that too. She must have inherited that from you."

"It is my job as a mother to be in tune with my children. Come over here and lick the spoon." Olivia placed the cookie sheets into the oven and shut the oven door. "Fifteen minutes, and you can have milk and warm cookies."

"Mom, I am not a baby."

"You will always be my baby." Smiling at Lexi, Olivia came over and hugged her. Sitting down on the stool beside her, she said, "So what's up?'

"Nothing." She lied. "I just missed you. I have been thinking about Susannah and Dad. It made me think about how lucky I am that I still have you. How are you doing mom?"

"Reverend Hawthorne called me this morning and asked me the same thing."

"Really." Lexi took a sip of the coffee her mom had just poured her. "What did he say?"

"He asked me how we both were doing. Lexi, is there something going on romantically between you two?"

"Mom. No. What makes you think that?" It had not even crossed her mind. He was not her type.

"Just a mother's intuition, I guess. So, what is the real reason you are here today?"

Lexi took another sip of her coffee and contemplated telling her mother the truth. She decided against it. Her mother would never believe such a crazy story. "I just needed to be around family, that's all. I'm okay. How are you holding up mom?"

Once the cookies were done, Olivia went and busied herself with taking them out of the oven. "Mmm, fresh baked cookies, smell that." Using a plastic flipper, she moved the cookies onto a big plate to let them cool.

Taking out a small plate from the cupboard, she put a couple of cookies on it and passed it to her daughter.

Lexi moving the plate closer, and said, "Mom, you didn't answer my question. How are you doing?"

"It hasn't even been a couple of months, Lexi. I am still numb. I have a hard time believing that Susannah is gone. The fact that I will never be able to give her another hug, hear her laugh, or be at any of her future events." Olivia had tears in her eyes as she looked at Lexi.

Getting up to hug her mom, "Me too. Hey Mom, did you know Susannah was dating a guy named Billy?"

"Yes. Susannah had come by, the morning she died, and told me she was thinking of moving in with him. Why?"

"I didn't know she was dating anyone. You wouldn't have Billy's phone number, would you? I would like to see if he is okay."

"I do. Susannah gave it to me that morning. That would be nice of you to check in on him. Here, I'll write it down for you." Handing her the paper with his number written on it, she said, "Hold on, can you give him this too please." Opening a drawer in the kitchen where she kept her knick-knacks, she pulled out a small sealed paper bag and passed it to Lexi.

"Ya, for sure. What's in the bag?"

"It is something that Susannah would have wanted Billy to have." Leaving it at that, Olivia changed the topic.

They talked about happier things for about another hour and then Lexi got up and said, "Thanks Mom. I always feel better when I am around you. It might be the cookies, though." Giving her Mom a hug she got up and left. "See you in a few days."

"Love you, hon, drive safe."

Driving home, she wondered what will happen when her mom finds Lambie. It is all up to you now, Susannah.