Where Life Takes Us

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

W A D E

When Mom called us in late May asking if she could take me and my sisters out, I wanted to say no. The last thing I wanted was to get forced into another talk with her. It wasn't easy for me to welcome her back with open arms.

But I knew I had to try for Audrey and Charlie. At the end of the day, she was still our mom. I couldn't take away the one parent we still had from them.

So I agreed it'd be good for them, but I wasn't coming. I hated feeling a little satisfied when she sounded so disappointed.

Deep down, I didn't wanna hurt her feelings. I loved her. She was our mom and nothing was gonna change that. I didn't wanna be bitter and get revenge for what she did to us. That just wasn't who I was.

Maybe I didn't wanna hear why she left and why she decided to come back after all these years. It scared me that her words would be nothing but the truth. I didn't know if I'd be able to take it.

But I had my family, who knew what I was going through. I had my friends, who helped me forget about things for a while. And I had Avery, who I could open up to without any judgment. This whole thing wasn't easy, but at least I had them with me.

One thing was for sure: seeing my sisters' smiles after their day with Mom made it all worth it.

"Guess what? Mom bought me the art kit that I told you about. Now I can finally get back to painting!" Audrey giggled.

What caught me off guard when Charlie and Audrey came home with Mom was how many shopping bags they had. Probably a dozen were in front of me all over the floor.

Seeing stuffed toys, clothes, and more made me feel like I wasn't trying hard enough for my sisters as their brother. It just reminded me that while I tried giving them everything they needed, I couldn't give them everything they wanted.

"Sounds like you guys had fun." I smiled and ruffled their hair, before uncomfortably clearing my throat. "Mom's heading out. Did you guys thank her?"

My sisters rushed to Mom and tightly hugged her. Clenching my jaw, I had to look away. It felt like it was my fault for interrupting something so important to both my mom and my sisters.

But it didn't stop the guilty pang in my chest when Audrey whispered to Mom, "I hope we can see you again soon."

As we walked out into the hallway, it was just me and Mom. In a low voice, I muttered, "You didn't have to get all this stuff for us."

"I wanted to. It's been a while since I treated you and your sisters like this," Mom softly insisted before adding, "I got some things for you, too. I wrote your name on the bags."

A lump in my throat made it hard to talk. The only thing that came out was a quiet, "Thank you."

With no one around us, Mom reached out for me. The second her hand touched my arm, I flinched and my body jerked away. I felt even worse because at this point, it was like an instinct.

Slowly, Mom took a step back. The pain in her eyes wasn't hard to ignore. That same guilt weighed down in my chest again.

Why am I such a jerk?

"I, uh... I-I also wanted to say thanks," I stammered, staring at the ground. "For taking Audrey and Charlie out. They're really happy."

"I hope you can join us next time," Mom gently suggested. The way she said it told me that Charlie and Audrey weren't the only ones who wanted me there.