that. The life of a college student, working her way through school was heavy on books, light on sleep.
“ Hello…”
“ Miki…Did I wake you baby girl?”
“ Of course you woke me up; I didn’t get home from work until 4. What ungodly reason has you calling me at…oh dear god it’s only 8, Callum your killing me. Why can’t you call at a normal hour instead of an insanely early one?”
“ Miki, darlin’, this is important. You need to come home.”
“ Come home? Callum are you crazy? Did you hit your head and go deaf and dumb? My finals are in less than three weeks. I am barely keeping my head above water… I know its Thanksgiving but I just can’t handle any distractions right now and I promised to work the holiday so I get double time. Do you know what double time means for a college student that’s living on noodle cups and tuna? Wait…what’s wrong Callum? Why do I need to come home?”
She pulled herself upright and wiped the sleep from her eyes, a worried frown on her face.
“ Miki, honey, I hate to tell you this on the phone but…it’s Momma. Momma passed away last night. I was supposed to take her to her doctor appointment this morning and she said to be here by 6 since we had to go into the city. She never came to the door so I got the key from under the mat and went inside. I found her…” His voice choked and she could hear him crying. Callum, crying…Momma, dead…
“ Miki I’m so sorry, but I need you to come home, help me with the funeral and be here with all of us. We need you here, even if it’s only a few days honey.”
She took a deep breath and nodded her head, realizing then, she still hadn’t spoken and whispered to him, trying to sound sure and ok. “Of course Callum, I’m sorry I was giving you hell for calling so early. I’m so sorry about Momma. Do they know how she died? Why? What was her doctor appointment for?”
Tears now fell freely down her cheeks. Not bothering even to wipe them away, she thought of the day she had left that place, the fact she held to her word and never went back, never saw her mother’s face again. Her gut was wrenching and she started to shake. Immeasurable pain and regret hit her like a brick wall and she knew she had to get Callum off the phone soon, lest he hear her break.
“ We don’t know yet baby girl. She just told me it was a checkup but she wasn’t going to old Doc Briggs, said she found a new doctor in the city, I didn’t ask more, you know how she gets if she thinks you’re prying into her business.. I should have asked. She hasn’t been feeling well lately and I know she’s lost weight. I kind of just figured she was lonely since Lucas had passed on.”
Lucas . Her molesting step father…she had celebrated his death by getting rip roaring drunk with her best friend Gina Pinski. They had toasted to perverted old men rotting in hell, and she had drank until she’d gotten miserably sick and cried herself to sleep that night, demons haunting her even then. Not once had she even thought about how her mother might be hurt over losing her 2nd husband. Not once had she gone to see her. She sent her Mother a plant. A stupid plant with a card telling her she loved her; just as she had on Mother’s Day every year. She was a horrible daughter, and she was ashamed. One wrong doesn’t make another wrong right and now it was too late to fix it.
“ I’ll pack my bag and send a message to my teachers Callum then I’ll be on my way. I’ll text you when I leave, it should only take me about 3 hours to drive there ok. Give everyone my love and tell them I’m on my way.”
“ Ok baby girl I will. I love you Miki. Please be careful driving, see if one of your girlfriends can come with you ok? I really don’t like you traveling by yourself, especially not upset.”
“ I’m a big girl bubba…” She said, referring to him in her childhood way, “I’ll be fine,
“ Hello…”
“ Miki…Did I wake you baby girl?”
“ Of course you woke me up; I didn’t get home from work until 4. What ungodly reason has you calling me at…oh dear god it’s only 8, Callum your killing me. Why can’t you call at a normal hour instead of an insanely early one?”
“ Miki, darlin’, this is important. You need to come home.”
“ Come home? Callum are you crazy? Did you hit your head and go deaf and dumb? My finals are in less than three weeks. I am barely keeping my head above water… I know its Thanksgiving but I just can’t handle any distractions right now and I promised to work the holiday so I get double time. Do you know what double time means for a college student that’s living on noodle cups and tuna? Wait…what’s wrong Callum? Why do I need to come home?”
She pulled herself upright and wiped the sleep from her eyes, a worried frown on her face.
“ Miki, honey, I hate to tell you this on the phone but…it’s Momma. Momma passed away last night. I was supposed to take her to her doctor appointment this morning and she said to be here by 6 since we had to go into the city. She never came to the door so I got the key from under the mat and went inside. I found her…” His voice choked and she could hear him crying. Callum, crying…Momma, dead…
“ Miki I’m so sorry, but I need you to come home, help me with the funeral and be here with all of us. We need you here, even if it’s only a few days honey.”
She took a deep breath and nodded her head, realizing then, she still hadn’t spoken and whispered to him, trying to sound sure and ok. “Of course Callum, I’m sorry I was giving you hell for calling so early. I’m so sorry about Momma. Do they know how she died? Why? What was her doctor appointment for?”
Tears now fell freely down her cheeks. Not bothering even to wipe them away, she thought of the day she had left that place, the fact she held to her word and never went back, never saw her mother’s face again. Her gut was wrenching and she started to shake. Immeasurable pain and regret hit her like a brick wall and she knew she had to get Callum off the phone soon, lest he hear her break.
“ We don’t know yet baby girl. She just told me it was a checkup but she wasn’t going to old Doc Briggs, said she found a new doctor in the city, I didn’t ask more, you know how she gets if she thinks you’re prying into her business.. I should have asked. She hasn’t been feeling well lately and I know she’s lost weight. I kind of just figured she was lonely since Lucas had passed on.”
Lucas . Her molesting step father…she had celebrated his death by getting rip roaring drunk with her best friend Gina Pinski. They had toasted to perverted old men rotting in hell, and she had drank until she’d gotten miserably sick and cried herself to sleep that night, demons haunting her even then. Not once had she even thought about how her mother might be hurt over losing her 2nd husband. Not once had she gone to see her. She sent her Mother a plant. A stupid plant with a card telling her she loved her; just as she had on Mother’s Day every year. She was a horrible daughter, and she was ashamed. One wrong doesn’t make another wrong right and now it was too late to fix it.
“ I’ll pack my bag and send a message to my teachers Callum then I’ll be on my way. I’ll text you when I leave, it should only take me about 3 hours to drive there ok. Give everyone my love and tell them I’m on my way.”
“ Ok baby girl I will. I love you Miki. Please be careful driving, see if one of your girlfriends can come with you ok? I really don’t like you traveling by yourself, especially not upset.”
“ I’m a big girl bubba…” She said, referring to him in her childhood way, “I’ll be fine,
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