Where Is The Edge

Chapter 5

The older woman smiled, I was so happy to feel her arms in my lap and to feel that closeness, that unique contact. I was hoping with all my might that she had no intention of moving.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened that day?" She asked me, sadly she got up to go to her desk again, I was already starting to miss her.

And again, telling another truth made the guilt of lying to her, ease a little. I told her everything, starting with my mom getting mad at me for listening to the records thinking I was going through her stuff, followed by the photo album I found when she asked me to put them back, and this brought a discussion in which she told me the whole disgusting truth, and finally, the next day where I decided to talk to Peter.

"... after he told me he had no interest in me, his ex-wife arrived, so I told him he would pay for that," I concluded, at this point, I had tears in my eyes and my heart was choking. I just wanted to know, what did I do wrong, why did I lose him? Knowing that he was aging out there.

Peter had a chance to fit into my life, to grow up with me and not wither me away.

"And what did you do after that?" She questioned, in her face was palpable the compassion, and I could tell that cold and indifferent expression was in the past.

"I went to work, but I felt so bad that my boss insisted I go home, I didn't refuse, and I cried all afternoon," I confessed. That day I could barely open my eyes properly, my head was pounding threatening to explode at any moment and my face was boiling with intensity, "then Stefan came to visit me, he forced me to eat the food he bought me and hugged me while I cried on his chest, I fell asleep in his arms," I continued, really this life would not be enough to thank my best friend for being there for me at all times, "the following days, I didn't even want to see my mother, not only because she had kept all this from me, but because she was giving that bastard the pleasure of making her life a living hell."

Marcia rose from her chair again, and what she did surprised me.

She hugged me.

And that was enough to make me break down, to make me lose what little composure I had left. She was so good with words, she always knew what to say to make me feel understood, but this... this was worth so much more than words, because I also liked Marcia, I was starting to get a little crazier for her with every second that had passed since I met her.

"Ssshhh, it's okay, darling," she whispered, which made me cry even more and in turn brought shivers all over my body.

The office phone rang, startling us both, and we laughed at that.

I wiped my cheeks with the tissues she had placed in front of me as I was telling the tragic story, "answer it, it may be important," I spoke in my somewhat raspy voice.

Marcia nodded, and with that elegant countenance, returned to her place to answer, "hello?" After a few seconds, her smile faded almost immediately, that made me puzzled, "oh, dear lord! Is he all right? Can he stay until school is over?" This was probably about her son and an incident at school, that frightened face looked external to the job. "Well, I can't pick him up, I'm working, so you'll have to wait until I can find someone to pick him up for me."

After the other person responded, she hung up, and subsequently, stretched out in her chair, complaining as she had done before.

"May I ask what...?"

"My son sprained his ankle while playing during playtime, and apparently this incompetent nurse can't do anything but put ice on it and expect me to drop everything and pick him up!" She exclaimed before I could finish the question.

"Then drop everything and pick him up, Marcia, this is an emergency, I can wait."

She scoffed, "I know you can wait, but I'm not allowed to just leave when I'm not over with a client, besides I have too much to do here."