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My body shakes violently as I begin to break down. Even though she wasn’t the most loving mother in the world, we really did have a lot of good times out there. “It’s okay, I just wanted to spend one more afternoon out there with you,” I manage to whisper back to her.
“We have lots of good memories,” she says with tears rolling down her cheek. “I want you to spread my ashes under that big oak tree.”
“I will, Mom” I promise, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
She gives me what is possibly the most loving look I have ever seen in those eyes and then closes them. I squeeze her hand in mine, knowing exactly what is about to happen “Aren’t you going to say anything?” I turn to Dad, trying to avoid a complete meltdown.
“We said our goodbyes earlier, while we were waiting for you to get here,” he says with compassion filling his eyes. “It’s all good. She’s been suffering for a long time.”
Dad and I sit next to her bed and make small talk while watching Mom and listening to the beeps of the monitors. After nearly forty minutes Darla comes bursting through the door. “How is she?” she asks with a distressed look on her face.
“She’s still breathing on her own,” Dad replies. “You sit down here, I’ll go watch the kids for you. I think they are a little young for this.”
Darla takes her hand and says, “Mom, can you hear me?”
Her eyelids flicker, but there is no immediate response. Darla smiles at her sadly and sits down in the chair next to me. “You are lucky you got to see her,” Darla whispers. “She was really bad last weekend.”
“Yeah, something was telling me that I had to come home,” I tell her, thinking back to the gnawing feeling I had in my stomach.
We both sit quietly for several minutes before she begins to stir. Darla jumps to her side and I join her as she opens her eyes and takes one last deep breath. This time when she closes them, the air slowly escapes from her lungs and we both begin to realize that she is gone. “Goodbye, Mom. I love you,” I whisper through a flood of tears.
Trey
After meeting with Perry for nearly an hour, I was once again becoming comfortable with all of the accusations that were flying around me. I click on the text message that Mandy sent regarding the letters and give Perry a smile. “I think everything is going to work out,” I tell him.
“If there is no money trail for them to follow, then I guarantee they are simply blowing hot air,” he says. “They’re just rattling your cage, to see how you react.”
“Well, I’m sure there is a money trail, but it doesn’t lead to me. I don’t know why I let these guys get to me.” I shake my head in disgust. “There is just so much shit going on.”
“Don’t worry, son,” he says, slapping his oversized hand across my back. “My fees are high for a reason. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“The officer last night told me not to leave town,” I add, before leaving his office.
“Again, its just bullshit to ruffle your feathers. Unless they issue an arrest warrant, you are free to do as you please,” he assures me, leading me to the door. “Sorry to rush you out, but I’m due in court in thirty minutes.”
I force out a breath and let go of all my pent up anxiety as I leave his office and make my way to the elevator. I copy and paste Jürgen’s office address into a message for Mandy. I instruct her to make sure it is designated for overnight Saturday delivery. Within seconds my phone rings and it’s her.
“Hi, baby! That was quick,” I answer, feeling good for the moment. Unfortunately, all I hear at the other end is Mandy all choked up and struggling to get her words out. I brace myself for more bad news.
“Mom just died,” she finally utters between violent sobs. “I don’t know why I’m such a mess. I knew this was coming.” She pulls the phone from her face and blows her nose. “Last night it felt like I finally bonded with her.”
“I’m sorry, Mandy,” I reply in disbelief. “I’m really glad you two had some time together and got to have one last good conversation.” I tell her, thinking back to the last call from Dad that went unreturned.
“Me too. I still can’t believe she knew about Dad’s affair for all those years and was okay with it,” she says reflectively. “I could never do that.”
“Did she give you those letters?” I ask, immediately realizing that I am being insensitive and self-centered.
