III
Jenna opened the front door and was immediately pulled into a bear hug from Ian.
She was ecstatic, seeing him after so many weeks. She was longing to meet him and spend some time with him.
Knowing his lifestyle, since last few years, she knew he had worked really hard for this. She never wanted to be a burden on him or even liked to come in the ways of his duties and responsibilities, so she had moved with her father. She took a good care of him, till his last breath. Since then she was alone, but kept herself busy with gardening or farming.
Sometime she even decided to drop by his office, but left it alone thinking, he would be busy. Disturbing him was the last on her list. Her waiting from the afternoon was over and all her worries disappeared, once she saw his smiling face. She was eagerly waiting to see him and now that the climate was also favoring it, she could not help, but thanked the Almighty above.
Jenna was a god-fearing person. She read the Bible regularly. She was a woman of self-esteem with a lot of determinations. She had held her head high even during the times when others would have given up. She never forgot to bring God in her happiness or even pray him during her difficult times.
She never complained for what she does not have or what she wanted in life. She never winked in pain, when something was taken away from her or rather someone. Her husband Steward. She always remembered him in her memories and good all years, they had spent together and the best was, she has got Ian.
She always thought, it was God's way to tell them, something good always happened after a hurricane. She had always found happiness with what little she had or rather she had got now. She had tried to inculcate these same believes and ethics in Ian too. Not to mention his respect towards his mother principles and discipline in his life. He worshiped his mother and always drew his inspiration, as how she had never tethered from her responsibilities and helped her uncle to retrieve his father's company.
Ian mood lifted immediately, after seeing his mother's reaction to the news, long forgotten about Samantha. He knew how much, she had missed him. He had missed her too.
She felt lonely after his father's death. He had asked her on several occasions as to come and stay close to him, but she had declined saying that she felt it close to Steward in this house. Moreover, she liked this quiet and secluded area away from the city population.
Whenever she looked at him, she wondered how much father and son looked alike, she always complained that Ian does not carry as many feathers of her, but now she doesn't. He had alway reminded her of Steward, so, when she missed him, she would pull out photos of Steward and Ian and adored the two men, she loved so much.
Ian looked exactly like Steward, tall with broad shoulder and muscular frame. That same sharp pointed nose, which she always used to make fun of on Steward, telling him that it had always interfered, when she tried to kiss her and he would always kissed her to prove her wrong.
She smiled internally thinking of her olden days. Ian has got the eyes of her father, but the color of her, deep blue. Now clad in his office suit, he looked very much like a young Steward.
It was already seven when Ian arrived, so Jenna instructed him to change for dinner and joined her in the dinning table.
Ian dropped his overnight bag pack in his old room and looked around. It was like his second room, whenever he had visited his grandparent's house.
He remembered, how much he loved staying here and gave a fit to Jenna, once when they had to return home after a vacation. It was still the same except that, it's no longer a child's room, he had modified it now to his needs.
He took a shower and changed into a polo t-shirt and jeans and went downstairs to join Jenna for dinner.
He found his mother, with a local newspaper wearing her reading glasses, buried into an article about him and the company. She liked to read all about him and the house was full of all the articles ever written on him.
He sloughed beside her in the couch and laid his head on her lap like old days.
Jenna put the paper aside and caressed his hair.
"Mom, I missed you"
"Liar" She teased as always
"No, I'm serious" He sat upright and took her hand in his.
"Alright, I believe you" She spoke and patted his hand. "Dinner is ready. Lets go" She stood up.
"Mom"
"Huh?"
"We're going to launch the project this Monday"
"Am I hearing it correct, it finally happening" She turned and a smile plastered on her face.
"Yes mom, we finally did it"
"Oh thank you, God" She looked up and said her silent prayers "I'm so happy son. You made me the happiest mother" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and hugged him.
Both hugged and stood there until Maria came in.
"Did you hear it Maria, its finally happening" She acknowledged Maria and turned to face Ian. "You father will be proud of you" She kissed his forehead with her blessing.
"Come, its time for double celebration" Jenna pulled him towards the kitchen.
Ian had liked Maria's cooking, so today he was looking forward to taste her delicious dishes.
"Where are those magic finger?" He asked, hinting Maria of her cooking skills.
Jenna chuckled and smiled at her son's mischief.
"I'm guessing you like it" Maria got the hint.
"You have fished out another tasty dish from you magic bag" Ian spoke while trying to grab the last of the contain of the dish. "Isn't it mom?" He turned to confirmed the same.
"No doubt" Jenna lifted a spoonful from her plate and shoved them into her mouth.
Maria just smiled, knowing how he had always praised her cooking. Remembering olden days, brought tears to her eyes. She missed her son dearly. It was sad that she could hardly see him. He was serving at the border.
"Hey, hey, hey. Did I say something wrong?" Ian asked when he saw her wiping tears.
"Oh no. look what you did?" Jenna scolded him and offered a tissue to Maria.
"No, it's just that, seeing you like this, bring back old memories" Maria tried to save Ian from his mother's scolding as always.
"Don't you try to save him again. He is not five year anymore"
"Mom..."
"But I love him" Jenna said and Maria agreed by modding.
Hearing this Ian did something that Maria wasn't expecting. He kissed her cheeks and printed her face with the chocolate sauce.
"Hey" She plucked at his ears, as she used to do when he had troubled her earlier. "I guess, something can never change" She wiped her face, with a small smile playing at her lips.
"But it did bring a smile on your face" He justified, "See" He mentioned when her smile broaden.
Both the ladies burst out laughing and just like that their dinner was over, with a little fun and laughing here and there, over some chilly joke by Ian.
After dinner they talked for a while.
Mostly him telling her about the project and filling in for all the time he had missed her.
But as he asked about the upcoming wedding of his friend, she saw a sudden change in his composure.
She can tell that he was thinking something. There was something bothering him. It was not work nor anything she knew either.
"Is everything alright?" She asked, caressing his forehead, while he rested on her pillow.
"I don't know mom" Ian spoke with a puzzled tone. "I mean how would you feel if you happen to meet an old friend"
"I'll be happy to see him/her" Jenna provided philosophically. "Her or him?" She rose an eyebrow at him.
"Her...." Ian corrected her.
"And who is this her we are talking about" She asked with curiosity. This was the first time Ian had mentioned about a girl in last one year. Agreed he had dated a lot and even introduced few to her but never saw him getting so deep about a girl. And that happened to be an old friend.
Sounds interesting.
"Do you like her?" She asked again when he didn't provide her with anything more.
"Mom, it;s not like that. It's.......complicated" Ian tried to find a correct word to describe it.
"Do I know her?" She tried to use other tactic to learn about this mysterious old friend.
"It's Samantha" Ian said her name and saw the blood drained from his mother's face.
At the mentioned of her name, something inside of Jenna clicked and a rerun of events flashed in front of her. Police. Media. News reporters. What not and what all.
Ian watched his mother's expressionless face. He knew that digging old grave brought bad memories, but this was a grave that had pulled them along.
Jenna eyes were blurring due to the tears and her heart was breaking slowly remembering the kind of pain, both these kids had been through. If she was there for Ian all through this, than there was Lily to console Samantha.
But sometime we couldn't try and change the happenings. After that day, many things changed. Thinking about it had brought only tears.
Oh, poor Samantha. Her heart squirmed thinking about that little child suffering.
Jenna realized that the room had suddenly felt too quiet. The clock ticking at the wall and the soft noise of the heating furnace could be heard distinctly. She realized that this whole time Ian was too quiet too.
Now she realized the meaning of his previous question. How would you feel if you happen to meet an old friend
"I understand how it feels when you happen to meet an old friend" She spoke generally, thinking about Lily. Will she ever forgive her? Will they ever go back to be best friends again?
Ian stared at his mother as she spoke, understanding well what she meant. If Samantha was his friend then Lily was there for Jenna. Lily was there when Jenna was so broken and lost after she lost her husband.
"How is she?" Jenna asked, wanting to know if he meet her friend also.
"As beautiful as ever" Ian said, remembering her smiling face.
"So did you speak to her?"
Ian broke into a misfit of cough. He knew his mother could read himlike an open book. If he lied, she could sense anything if he was hiding from her. But he doesn't like where this conversation was going and what his mother would think.
A coward.
His mother would think he was a coward who just kept running from his past.
He gave a defeating look at her and shook his head. He couldn't muster courage to tell her, so he waited for Jenna to give her a part of her for his action.
He knew Jenna had never done that, but his action might had hurt her someway as she suddenly stared at something.
Jenna knew everything about that incident. Everybody knew about it. How could it be hidden, when it was printed in bold letter in the newspaper the next day. How could she forget that day.
That was the first time, cops had come banging on her doorsteps for inquiry. Those were the grulesome months in her life as well as all those were involved. It had severed lots of ties, scattered lots of trust and broken everyone's heart.
Jenna doesn't want to remind her son about that day. The mere though of it brought sadness and the ordeal was enough for both of them to swear of police and stay away from them.
After that day, life had changed taking a one eighty degree turn. Although it was an accident, but it costs them their friendship. Her's and Lily's. Ian's and Samantha's. That was something she always never anticipate could had happened.
But today after so many years, it was coming back. If it had to come then it would all those that was hidden. They had kept it hidden. If it had to come out it will only meant destruction and lot of pain. More pain.
Before that she had to do something. Something to prevent it from happening. Something she should had done eight years ago.
She knew what he had done today was an sign of a complete loser and what he did few years back was never acceptable.
All these year, Ian had blame himself for that day. But time had come to change all that.
She was quiet all this year thinking that he would come to the term and accept it, but as years passed he did nothing, but just went deep into it, blaming himself and loosing his friends. Now he was about to do the same. She won't let him regret of something he never did. She accepted the faith as what had happened a few years ago, leaving it all in God's hand to make it correct, but now it was different. She couldn't do anything then, but now she could help and help him get out of it.
So, in order to do so she decided to voice her words, but before that she has to put some sense into her son and help him out of his own misery.
"So, you did the best what you did then, turn your back on her again" She acused him.
Ian just ducked his head in defeat and embrassment he was feeling now.
"How foolish of you to run" Jenna pointed his make.
"I know mom"
"She did not even know anything what had happened, does she?" She asked something she never knew.
"No, she doesn't know" He told her meekly.
"She deserves to know the truth Ian. I think its time to face it. Are you getting my point?" Jenna asked to make sure if her words made any sense.
"I want to do that. I want to talk to her, but I don't know if she will. I don't know if she will ever forgive me" Ian started thinking.
"She needs a friend. She needs her old friend. You were her friend and she trusted you. Everyone deserves a friend and you, my son is what she needs right now" Jenna stressed those words giving him confidence to go ahead and make it all okay.
Ian felt her words and felt that a huge weight had been lifted. He wanted someone to tell him. And coming from his mother were words of pure encouragements.
"Do you why she left at first place?" Jenna remember the day, she went to meet Lily, a few days later. It was not something she wanted to keep in her memories.
Ian head turned up towards her. He wanted to know.
"How do you?" He asked, puzzled at how her mother knew this when he didn't.
"That's beside the point how I know. I point is she didn't leave this place to hide from the media or the press; she left because her friends had turn their back on her, to go their way and forget everything as if it had never happened. It had break her into pieces. I had seen it myelf" As she said, the memories of Samantha lying lifeless in her room flashed in front of her.
Jenna blinked those images away and continued. "She was broken and blamed herself for it" She remembered how she and Lily had tried to fed her food when she had refuse it for almost four days.
Ian's heart cried imagining Samantha like that. I was so selfish. Why I never thought about her?
"I understand she is angry on you, but who can blame her. She knows nothing. She blamed you as you have hide the truth from her" Jenna heard, Lily's accusing words ringing in her voice.
"I know you had hide the truth. You thought that by telling her the truth might hurt her, but you can't take the blame, my son"
"I swear mom. That was my only intention. I never meant to hurt her" Ian was on the verge of kicking himself for all the wrong doing in the past. But what done was done.
"I know son, I know, but you didn't tell her, did you? So, now you're going to tell her, tell her everything. I'm sure she will understand. She always did. It's never late for anything. If you have not told her then, now probably is the right time" She shrugged her shoulder.
Ian didn't have any words to say. He knew that whatever his mother had told, was nothing, but the truth. He sank in further in his thoughts.
"I wanted to talk to her and tell her everything. But when I saw her today, I was not sure if she was ready. That look on her face, told me many thing. Mother, she still has not gotten over it"
"You don't know that, do you? Ian, honey, why don't' we just keep your assumption and obscurant ideas side, shall we?"
"And do what?"
"Try to make thing correct"
A new determination erupted inside him. A new light shown on his face as he decided what he had to do.
But before that he had to be that friend, she always wanted him to be.
He smiled at Jenna and assured her that he would do it and made her his friend again.
"I promise mom" He spoke with confidence.
"That's like my son. Go get it" Jenna patted his back, hearing those words. Now she only hopped that it would be the same with Lily.
Please forgive me Lily. I was blinded by my son's love.
Did you like reading it.
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Next update by end of this week. Need readers, so I get encourage to do more chapters.
LOVE JENNY