Are We In Love? | (Re-writing)

11. Unexpected Revelations

Vanessa

1 Week Later

I closed the book I was reading when I heard the doorbell. The clock on the wall was showing the darkness of the night at 11:05 p.m. My Mother had come home late from work as usual since last week. I didn't have time to talk to her as she went straight to her room. And by the time I woke up, she was already gone.

I don't remember the last time I had a heart-to-heart conversation with my mother.

I planned to ask her about Mrs. Wilson's health.

It had been almost a month since I found out about Mrs Wilson's serious condition, and neither my mother nor I once talked about it.

I didn't even know whether Mom was okay or not. She had already lost her husband, and she couldn't lose her best friend. The loss will be huge, and it will break her heart. I did not want to see my mother in a miserable condition.

Suddenly, the past flashed before my eyes when I lost my Dad. It was something I buried and never looked back at, but recently, I found myself thinking about that day.

I had never seen my Mom crying, she has always been a role model in my life. It all comes down to a mother's heart- always loving, caring and full of compassion. There was nothing quite as soothing as having embraced in my Mom's hug when I was sad, afraid or lonely. She taught me to be confident and always believe in what I do.

My mother's teachings have always helped me overcome the worst situations and helped me gain perspective on things.

I opened the door to find an exhausted person standing in front of me. Her duty as a doctor always comes first. ''Welcome home, Mom''.

I'm so proud of her.

''Hey, Panda,'' She said, giving me her bag, which I kept aside and quickly got her a glass of water.

"How was your day?" She asked, making herself comfortable on the couch. Tiredness was evident in her eyes, but she was ready to spend some time with me before going to bed.

"You know, the same old" I answered casually. And then I posed a question, "Tell me about yours".

"You know, the same old," She responded with a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny, Mom,". 

"Well, would you like to tell me what's happening at school?" She asked as she lazily swirled the glass in her hand. "It seems like I don't know anything," She genuinely sounded apologetic, "I'm sorry, my Panda".

''Mom, please, don't apologise. I understand you've been busy lately,​''.

Then I told her about my day at school. I also told her about that stupid Halloween party, and she said I could go and have some fun. She told me about her day in the hospital. She said there was an accident, and she managed to save lives.

My heart filled with admiration for her courage and determination towards her work.

I couldn't help but think about Caleb's mother. Why was my Mom not talking about her?

It was tough, but I had to do it.

Finally, I decided to bring out the question that had been burning like fire within me for so long. I took a deep breath and said, ''Mom, I-I wanted to ask you something,''. She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

''Panda, since when did you start asking for permission, hmm?''.

''It's about Mrs. Wilson's health,'' My voice was barely above a whisper, but she heard just fine.