to talk.” He bends down and picks up the keys, holding them securely in one glove.
“Look, I thought I made things pretty clear yesterday. I am not interested in talking.”
“But that is completely unreasonable. I haven’t done anything wrong. If you would just let me tell you what happened.”
“Excuse me? I woke up and you were gone! I didn’t hear from you all day. How do you think that made me feel? I don’t care what the reason was. You could have left a note or sent a text.”
“There wasn’t any time for that.”
“There’s always time,” I snap, snatching the keys off him. “Just leave me alone.” I begin to walk away but Dylan grabs me, spinning me back around.
“You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
“Don’t touch me,” I shout. “You don’t know what I’ve been through either. You don’t care how I feel or how my life is really going. You haven’t even asked how my Mom has been doing all these years. She was practically a mother to you, better than your real Mom ever was.”
He stares at me with an open mouth.
It is a harsh comment but I am too fired up from the initial jolt to stop.
“All you have ever been interested in is getting girls into bed,” I continue my rant, “This is just like high school all over again. Only this time I have turned into one of those suckers who went back for more.”
“That’s not true. I care more for you than I did for any of those girls. I haven’t felt this way about anyone before…and I already know how your Mom is.”
“What?”
How could he possibly know?
“You’re lying. As if you have talked to my Mom.”
I pretend not to notice the people gawking at us as they walk past. Just another lovers tiff they are probably thinking.
Pitiful.
“I know because I…I see your Mom almost everyday,” Dylan says softly.
I look at him closely, a staunch crease set in his forehead.
“What are you talking about?” I ask more calmly.
“Your Mom is here in New York. She’s been nursing my dying father.”
Chapter Fourteen
I blink, trying to comprehend what Dylan has said.
“Wait. What?”
My Mom is in New York?
Tony is dying?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Dylan says, taking my hand. “I was going to tell you that morning after you woke up. But then the hospital called because Dad had gone into cardiac arrest and I had to go. He’s all right now but…”
“Stop. This is crazy. If what you’re saying about Tony is true, then I’m sorry. But my Mom would have told me if she was here in New York.”
I pull away from him, edging back slowly.
“Your Mom wanted to tell you. I think she just thought it might upset you.”
“Upset me? No ‘this whole thing’ has upset me. I… I have to go.”
“Ella, wait. Please,” I hear Dylan cry out but I am already sprinting away.
I do not stop until I reach the underground.
Until the doors to the subway close and I am on my way back to Brooklyn.
My Mom cannot be in New York.
She hates Tony.
I hate Tony.
They got divorced before I even finished my first year of college and she has not mentioned him since.
Dylan has to be lying.
This cannot be happening right now.
I storm into my apartment and take a shot from the bottle of Tequila sitting in the pantry.
“Gross,” I say gagging, but it has done the trick.
I am ready.
Mom picks up on the first ring. “Ella? Honey?”
“Are you in New York?” I ask pointblank.
“Oh dear, is Dylan with you?”
“So it’s true?”
“Look, why don’t we meet up somewhere and talk about it?”
“No, I want to talk about it now. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were here? And about Tony?”
Mom pauses on the other end of the line.
“I wanted to tell you darling. I really did. But then I remembered how much you don’t like Tony. I didn’t want you to be upset with me about it.”
“Mom the man is dying.
“Look, I thought I made things pretty clear yesterday. I am not interested in talking.”
“But that is completely unreasonable. I haven’t done anything wrong. If you would just let me tell you what happened.”
“Excuse me? I woke up and you were gone! I didn’t hear from you all day. How do you think that made me feel? I don’t care what the reason was. You could have left a note or sent a text.”
“There wasn’t any time for that.”
“There’s always time,” I snap, snatching the keys off him. “Just leave me alone.” I begin to walk away but Dylan grabs me, spinning me back around.
“You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
“Don’t touch me,” I shout. “You don’t know what I’ve been through either. You don’t care how I feel or how my life is really going. You haven’t even asked how my Mom has been doing all these years. She was practically a mother to you, better than your real Mom ever was.”
He stares at me with an open mouth.
It is a harsh comment but I am too fired up from the initial jolt to stop.
“All you have ever been interested in is getting girls into bed,” I continue my rant, “This is just like high school all over again. Only this time I have turned into one of those suckers who went back for more.”
“That’s not true. I care more for you than I did for any of those girls. I haven’t felt this way about anyone before…and I already know how your Mom is.”
“What?”
How could he possibly know?
“You’re lying. As if you have talked to my Mom.”
I pretend not to notice the people gawking at us as they walk past. Just another lovers tiff they are probably thinking.
Pitiful.
“I know because I…I see your Mom almost everyday,” Dylan says softly.
I look at him closely, a staunch crease set in his forehead.
“What are you talking about?” I ask more calmly.
“Your Mom is here in New York. She’s been nursing my dying father.”
Chapter Fourteen
I blink, trying to comprehend what Dylan has said.
“Wait. What?”
My Mom is in New York?
Tony is dying?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Dylan says, taking my hand. “I was going to tell you that morning after you woke up. But then the hospital called because Dad had gone into cardiac arrest and I had to go. He’s all right now but…”
“Stop. This is crazy. If what you’re saying about Tony is true, then I’m sorry. But my Mom would have told me if she was here in New York.”
I pull away from him, edging back slowly.
“Your Mom wanted to tell you. I think she just thought it might upset you.”
“Upset me? No ‘this whole thing’ has upset me. I… I have to go.”
“Ella, wait. Please,” I hear Dylan cry out but I am already sprinting away.
I do not stop until I reach the underground.
Until the doors to the subway close and I am on my way back to Brooklyn.
My Mom cannot be in New York.
She hates Tony.
I hate Tony.
They got divorced before I even finished my first year of college and she has not mentioned him since.
Dylan has to be lying.
This cannot be happening right now.
I storm into my apartment and take a shot from the bottle of Tequila sitting in the pantry.
“Gross,” I say gagging, but it has done the trick.
I am ready.
Mom picks up on the first ring. “Ella? Honey?”
“Are you in New York?” I ask pointblank.
“Oh dear, is Dylan with you?”
“So it’s true?”
“Look, why don’t we meet up somewhere and talk about it?”
“No, I want to talk about it now. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were here? And about Tony?”
Mom pauses on the other end of the line.
“I wanted to tell you darling. I really did. But then I remembered how much you don’t like Tony. I didn’t want you to be upset with me about it.”
“Mom the man is dying.
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