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That was sweet. “Thanks, but she’ll be good for it.”
“Okay, but if you need some, just say the word.”
I talked her through the Lee research I’d done while we ate. Since I hadn’t found anything substantial yet, Pris planned to continue looking after I left.
I checked the time and went to the door. “I’m gonna call my mom.”
Pris nodded as I stepped outside.
CHAPTER39
Angela
Closing the cabin door,I pulled up Mom’s contact.
She had remarried, and I’d never mentioned her new name to Kevin. I’d get my name changed, earn enough to move out on my own, and be unfindable. If I had to, I’d move to Canada.
But none of that could happen without enough money to get there.
The call went to voicemail, and I tried her number two more times. Surely she’d be able to send me enough for the bus. A plane was out of the question because they kept passenger manifests.
But she didn’t pick up.
Persistence was my middle name, so I tried again.
When she still didn’t pick up, I left a voicemail. “Hi, Mom. This is Angela. I need to talk to you, and yeah, this is a different number because I… My…my other phone died. Anyway this is a new number. Please pick up…” I ended the call when she didn’t.
Ten minutes later, I tried again. “Hi, Mom,” I said when she finally answered.
“Give me a minute,” she said. “I have to get outside.” A door closed in the background. “What is it, Angela?”
I could remember when her tone with me had been softer, but that had been a long time ago. “I need your help.”
There was silence on the other end.
“I’m in trouble, and I need some traveling money to get to you,” I blurted. She wasn’t one for small talk, and sometimes we didn’t get very long before she had to go.
I knew she had a demanding life with her new family. I could accept that. I’d said some hurtful things when she’d left, and we’d never hashed them out. That was what distance did, I guess.
“The answer is no,” she said harshly. “Did your father put you up to this?”
“But, Mom,” I pleaded. “It’s not that.”
Dad had asked me to get some money from her not long after he’d gone to prison. That hadn’t ended well, and although Dad had asked again since, I hadn’t bothered to pass on the requests.
“No. I said no. He’s not part of my life anymore.”
“It’s for me, not for him, I swear. It’s for me. It has nothing to do with Dad.”
When she didn’t say anything, I continued. “My boyfriend, Kevin, well anyway, he… I need to get away from him.”
“Then leave. I did. And don’t ever look back. Start with a clean slate. It’s the only way out.”
“I did, and I’m at Grace’s right now, but they took the car, and I need some money for a bus ticket to get down to you.” I waited breathlessly.
“No, you can’t come here,” she said emphatically.
What?“But, Mom—”
