Me, Love, & Secrets

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I hadn't had a chance to talk to my mom before I boarded my flight. She claimed we'd see each other another time, but I don't believe it. I was to graduate this year from homeschooling with Callie. I don't know how that's going to work, but it's not as important as coming back home for good. I have to survive this year. If Roberto tries anything else, I'll be ready for him.

"Avez-vous besoin de quelque chose, mademoiselle?" the flight attendant asked.

"No, I'm good for now." I smiled up at him. "Merci."

"Et si je t'apportais une bouteille d'eau?"

"Ah...maybe later. I'm not thirsty right now."

"Profitez du vol."

The attendant left without another word. Honestly, he's doing too much. I don't want anything right now. My stomach hurts from all the stress and worrying I've been doing. It doesn't help that my own father wants nothing to do with me anymore. I know I want to come back after school next year, but there's the question of how I'm going to tell my parents about Joël. They're definitely going to freak out. I just know it.

We're not even thirty into the flight yet. I haven't been able to lull myself to sleep with white noise. It usually works like a charm. Now it was just keeping me awake. Well, now that I think about it, I'm not trying to sleep. I can't say that I'm tired at all.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the crew I ask that you please direct your attention to the monitors above as we review the emergency procedures. There are six emergency exits on this aircraft. Take a minute to locate the exit closest to you."

Well, this seems a little bit late. We're already up in the air. What if something had happened before then?

"Note that the nearest exit may be behind you. Count the number of rows to this exit. Should the cabin experience sudden pressure loss, stay calm and listen for instructions from the cabin crew."

I saw people looking around for exits. I kept my head down.

"Oxygen masks will drop down from above your seat. Place the mask over your mouth and nose, like this. Pull the strap to tighten it. If you are traveling with children, make sure that your own mask is on first before helping your children."

This made me think about Joël. I can't wait to see him again. Two weeks is a long time. I'm sure Callie took great care of him. I can't say I felt great knowing he was with her. I feared that Roberto was going to find him and take him away.

"In the unlikely event of an emergency landing and evacuation, leave your carry-on items behind. Life rafts are located below your seats and emergency lighting will lead you to your closest exit and slide. We ask that you double check to make sure that all selected carry-on luggage is stowed away safely under your seats. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your flight."

I sat back in my seat and sighed. Well, this is going to be a long flight. I keep thinking about my mom and wondering what she's up to. There's a lot we haven't been able to talk about since I left. We have sporadic conversations here and there, but they're not how they used to be. I enjoy hearing her voice every chance we get, but I have yet to see how she's actually doing.

She doesn't know what James did to me and I won't tell her. What she doesn't know won't kill her. Since my friends don't know anything, I'm sure she'll never find out. Unless Lucas wants to play the caring love interest and ruin my life even more. He promised not to say anything, but there's only so long he can ignore my silent pleas for help.

I had the strong urge to go to the restroom. I prayed no one was in there. My back was hurting and I felt like I was going to explode. No one warned me how much I would ache after labor. Kind of made sense since I don't go around getting pregnant. Don't get me started on the stress.