Mend My Heart

Chapter 31

Once done, I looked around the room that had been mine for the last two months and quietly said my goodbyes before grabbing my suitcase and lugging it towards the foyer. I have always had a knack for bad timing, which explains why the twins and their grandmother had just descended the stairs when I entered.

“What’s with the suitcase?” Ms. Duke prodded, as she made the last step.

I sighed audibly. “I’m leaving tonight,” I whispered in a dull voice and everyone seemed to freeze at my words. Just then, the front door opened and Theodore walked up but I didn’t dare look in his direction. Tell me, was I supposed to take this like a man and face the music? Act as though I didn’t care about it all when this threatened my sanity?

Ms Duke marched up to him. “What is the meaning of this?” she all but barked darkly in his face, but he didn’t seem fazed by it at all.

Instead, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Maya’s going back to America, like we had agreed. This was all just a deal and now that it has expired, there is absolutely no reason-,”

“Oh, stop with that utter rubbish. You know very well that it started off like that but things changed over the course of the last eight weeks. She’s practically family now!” she countered in a voice supercharged with anger. For a nanosecond, I let myself be touched by her words but knowing how stubborn her son really is, they would have little to no effect. His mind was made and he would see that I returned home by tomorrow.

Aiden came and hugged my leg. “No daddy. Maya has to stay. S-she’s my friend and I don’t want her to go. She m-makes everything so much better,” he spoke in a trembling voice and just hearing it made my heart clench. At this rate, I’d be leaving this house with mere fragments of it.

“W-why daddy? First mum now Maya too?” Brianna questioned, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. 

Theodore remained quiet and shut his eyes tightly. “Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is,” he pleaded in a strained voice.

I crouched down and wound my arms around Aiden, who began to cry as soon as he was in my arms. And I couldn’t help but weep too. I really was going to miss this rude yet caring little man, and I would probably never forget him. Soon, Brianna rushed over and wrapped her arms around my back, as she sobbed gently. Of course, I was going to miss her too in spite of her rotten attitude and temper at first. I hugged her too and rubbed both their backs in the process.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really going to miss you two,” I smiled even though there were two rivers meandering down my cheeks. “But I guess this was supposed to happen eventually. You’ll just fine without me,” I tried to console them but then only held onto me tighter.

Ms Duke tsked in disappointment. “Of all the decisions you’ve ever made, this is by far the worst. You know very well that she means a lot more to you than you want us all to believe but you’re too much of a coward to admit it. But no worries,” she said in a calm voice and came over to where the twins and I now stood. “You’ll be back before you know it. Come along kids, it’s supper time,” she grabbed their hands. She came over to me and cupped my cheek with her hand and smiled. And it wasn’t a sarcastic or bitter smile, but an actual smile. “Take care of yourself Maya. And I hope you can forgive my son for his short-sightedness,” and with that she walked away with the twins who still had streams of tears rolling down their cheeks. 

Theodore grabbed my suitcase and motioned for me to follow him. If it were up to me, I would have preferred to have gone to the airport with a taxi rather than sitting with him in one of his many fancy cars. The car ride was intense, and it was like we were both too scared to break the silence. I had so much to say to him, but I couldn’t bring myself about to doing it. Under normal circumstances I’d have aired my views, but like I said I wasn’t the woman I used to be before I met him.