I woke up with a strange sense of calmness and relief. Like I've slept after a complete decade. We came to sit on the grass a bit away from the water and didn't realise when we slept. We were probably a bit too tiered of everything. The cold hard ground felt just comfortable enough to lay down and rest.It was still dark but sun was about to knock on the approaching day. Ivy slept like a baby and even though I didn't want to wake her up I woke her. And instantly regretted it.
"What? Why're you so startled?"
"Oh, I forgot we came here....hmm... I'm sorry I drooled on your t-shirt"
"Really?"
I looked down to see a black patch on my grey tee."you're washing it later, for now, let's get going. It's....(I glanced at my phone's screen) 4 in the morning. Let's get back before anyone knows okay?"
"Yeah, hey Ash, you going to school today?"
"Mom has an appointment. So, nope. But you certainly are so come on hurry up"
***
Ivy sneaked up to her room climbing the pipe to her window. And since my room's on the ground, I just got in the window without any climbing stuff. I checked on mom trying to be as quiet as humanly possible but in vain.
"You woke this early Ashy?"
"Hey mom, good morning"
"Or you sneaked out with a girl late at night?"
Shit. My mom knows everything man!
"What girl mom, you know I'm not the usual relationship kind right?"
I went on to sit next to her. She too got up and switched on the lights.
"Our pretty neighbour is not the usual, anyways. Come here, Ashy"
She held me in her arms and I just closed my eyes feeling the embrace. Being somewhere, somewhere blissful and knowing that just a matter of sometime and then you'd never get to be there is a feeling that both kicks your arse and at the same time makes you take it all of it in as much as you can. Last time it was my best friend of all people and this time it is my mom. Life's a piece of shit, you never get used to it. More than anything in this world I just want my mum to stay with me, forever, no matter what it costs.
"Ashy?"
Mom called out softly running her fingers through my tangled hair.
"You took her there didn't you?"
I haven't gone to that bridge since Dave, it's been 3 years.
"How do you know?"
"You always had grass in your curls when you and Dave slept on the grass. It's been a long time since I took that grass out your hair"
Then she began coughing. The antibiotics do that to her.
"I'll get you some water"
When I came back mom was not in the room but I heard her coughing from the bathroom. When I went in to check on her I saw blood on the bathroom floor, blood was common in coughs but this was too much.
***
"How is it Dr. Steve?"
"Look boy, she is stable now but I...I think you should call your dad. She'd want more people through her la...tough days... right now"
I knew exactly what he meant.
"Can I go in?"
He let out a deep sigh before giving a light nod. My heart is breaking into million little pieces right now. I knew this was coming but I never thought it would be this soon. This is too soon.
I sat beside mum, her face white and lifeless and I waited for her to wake up and put her hands through my hair, to call me Ashy and to just hold me in her arms.
"Please mom I don't want you to go, please stay with me. Little longer."
"I'm not getting you off the hook Ashy, even when I die."
"Don't say that" I said roughly.
"You're scolding me now"
"Mom, please take the chemo. Please. "
"we've talked this before Ash, you know you can't change my mind. It's too late now anyways"
"Please mom, for me"
"Me staying for more time will only cause more pain Ashton, don't wanna tie you with false hope and chemo is false hope. Come here now, stop crying"
"I'm not crying."
" Oh yeah, then you're tears should know to piss in the toilet."
"Bad Joke. mom."
***
I sat by mom as she slept under the effect of antibiotics and decided to clear my inbox.
"Hey Ash, I wanna meet Annie, can I come over, will I be a trouble? Please, reply this time."
"Ash, how's Annie? Can I come over?"
There were six messages from Ivy all asking about mom. I never realised that my mom isn't just my mom. Like she's my aunt's sister, I called Aunt Lindsey, she's flying over to Carly in an hour. And then I can't name what mom is to the girl who lives eleven steps away from me, but it surely is much more than just neighbours. I called Ivy.
"You've reached me, drop the message here"
She didn't pick the call for the next hour and then I gave up.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N A big sorry for a really late update:-\