ALMOST UNFIXABLE.

045 - Secrets

If it had nothing to do with mum, then we weren't talking at all.

I don't know how it made him feel, not being able to hold a substantial conversation with his own son. But for me, not being to have a good conversation with a man I call my Dad was excruciatingly painful and unbearable.

I hated it, but there was nothing I could do about it.

But now that Mum was coming home, I wouldn't have to endure such travesty anymore.

My phone started ringing and I picked it up from the center console compartment. My lips twitched in a small smile when I saw who the caller was, and I picked up the call, bringing my phone to my ear.

"The rate at which you call me these days is alarming," I spoke before she could say anything to me. "Are you not supposed to be at work? Your parents should get your phone seized." I teased, my smile stretching further.

"Phone I got with my own hard-earned money. They even know they can't seize it sef," She scoffed, speaking of the noisy background and I chuckled. "Besides, I've been working my ass off since morning. I need to rest," She answered.

"Of course you do, Gloria. Of course, you do," I teased further, eliciting a laugh from her and I joined her.

I knew for a fact that she was just being lazy. Her parents were the owners of the restaurant after all, so it's not like she's going to get fired or anything for slacking just once. Gloria was hardworking, yes, but sometimes she took advantage of her privilege as the child of the owners.

Who wouldn't though?

"Simi please hold on - hey, can you cover my shift for a few? I'm on a phone call," She was talking to someone at her end, so I waited for her.

I couldn't hear the response but I guess the person agreed to cover Gloria's shift when I heard the shuffling of feet, followed by the sound of a door closing that indicated she might have left her initial location to a more private place, and from the quietness of the background, I could tell it was a more enclosed place.

Maybe the closet.

"Hey, are you still there?" She asked me and I hummed in response. "Where are you?"

"I just got to the hospital," I answered her, smiling when I remembered the reason why I was seated in my car in the first place. "Mum is getting discharged today and I want to be the one to bring her back home," I said.

"Thank God!" Gloria sighed out in relief and I chuckled. "I'm so sorry I haven't come to see her since. How is she? How is your Dad holding up?" She asked, the concern in her voice very evident.

I exhaled.

"I think Dad is holding up pretty well," After mum regained consciousness, he has been a lot settled, compared to the day we brought her. "Mum is fine. She has improved. The doctor said it's fatigue and stress, calling it one fatigue disorder that I can't remember. But she's okay now, she just needed the rest and time off work." I told Gloria.

"I'm just glad she's finally okay. I was so worried." She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice, making me smile even wider.

"How's the boyfriend?" I asked, my smile turned into a smirk. Using my shoulder to hold my phone to my ear, I picked up the bouquet I picked up for mum and the box of chocolate with my right hand and opened the door with my left.

"He's okay," She answered, her voice in a monotone. My forehead creased in a small frown, wondering why she sounded that way.

On a normal day, whenever I ask Gloria a question like this, it was her cue to start ranting about something that happened between her and Kizito. Maybe a place they went to on a date, and how they spent their time together doing one thing or the other. And trust me, she was very detailed with her gist.