Page 78 of Spiral
“Aren’t you gonna answer that?” Georgia asks, her tone concerned. “It could be important.”
“It’s not,” I reply, more impatiently than I’d like.
She looks at me, one eyebrow raised in reaction to my cynical tone.
“Henry, what’s going on? I mean, I know you said she wasn’t that active in your life but… it looks like she’s trying.”
The phone screen flashes to black with one final ring, the room suddenly falling silent.
“It’s not that she’s not active in my life, Georgia… I’m not active in hers.”
She looks at me, green eyes narrowed in concentration, as if trying to read my thoughts. After a few moments, her expression softens.
“Do you want to talk about it? If you don’t, I won’t pressure you.”
I think for a moment, unsure of what to say.
I never tell anyone about my Mom… but, if I see a future with Georgia – and I do – she’s going to find out about her eventually. I might as well say something.
I clear my throat and allow my eyes to meet hers. Her gaze is gentle, yearning, as if she wants me to know that she’d never judge me or make me do anything I don’t want to do.
I love that about her.
“Well,” I start, my voice trembling slightly. “Basically, I haven’t really talked to my Mom for two years. You know how my Dad died of cancer, when I was a senior in high school?”
Georgia nods softly, saying nothing.
“That was… really hard on me. My dad was my hero. I grew up wanting to be just like him – the captain of the TU Titans football team. Him and his best friend, Donald—” I wince saying his name, but continue, “—taught me everything I know about the game. They inspired me. My dad was the greatest guy…”
My voice breaks slightly, and I choke back a single tear welling in my eye. I almost never think about my Dad, or how much I miss him.
“Anyway,” I go on, ignoring the lump forming at the base of my throat. “A few months after he died, my Mom brought me to some fancy dinner after the Titans won a big game. I thought it was to celebrate my accomplishment, but really she was just breaking the news that she and Donald were getting married.”
“Donald?! You mean, like, your Dad’s best friend, Donald?” She asks incredulously.
I nod, my jaw tightening.
“Yep. I didn’t even know they were dating. My dad had barely been dead a year. She never even gave him a funeral.”
I pause for a moment, allowing the overwhelming feeling that I’m going to cry to pass over me.
“Anyways,” I continue, “I have never been able to forgive her. My baby sister has, and always asks me to talk to my mom and bridge that gap, but I just can’t. She actually showed up to my game a few weeks ago – the one where Watson asked you out.”
Her expression shifts into guilt as her emerald eyes well with tears.
“Oh, Henry, I didn’t know–”
“No, it’s okay,” I interrupt. “You had no idea and thought I was with Natalia. Either way, she showed up to my apartment after the game and I basically told her I wanted nothing to do with her anymore. But she hasn’t stopped calling me.”
She’s quiet for a moment, a contemplative and caring look blanketing her expression.
“Do you think there’s maybe more to the story? With her and Donald? Maybe she has something she needs to tell you…”
“Nah,” I interject, waving off the idea as my body tenses. “If she has something to say, a text is fine.”
She nods, and I can tell she doesn’t want to push me on the subject.
“Come over here,” she murmurs softly after a few moments, patting the spot beside her on the bed.