On one hand, I saw how she hurt him and I hated her for that, but on the other hand... She was freaking dying! She didn’t deserve this even if I wanted to think that it was payback for her lifestyle. She was a weak woman, someone who had been in a crappy relationship and she had been too lost to be a mother. She wasn't truly mean, or at least that's what I hoped for Nolan’s sake.
"We're here now, Nolan. Let's go up," I said, breaking the silence. I grabbed his elbow and towed him to the staircase. He stopped me before I put a foot on the first step.
"She lives on the ground floor. Apparently she can't climb the stairs anymore. She moved in a couple of months ago." His voice was off, but at least now he was walking in the right direction.
Despite this being one hell of a charged moment for Nolan, I couldn't help myself, but be awfully conscious of my hand wrapped around his elbow with my fingers touching the outer side of his muscle. I was an awful person. Who in their right mind would be focusing on this when they're about to see a dying woman?
He stopped in front of the door with a plaque saying it was 1C. He nodded to himself, probably convincing himself to knock, with no luck. I squeezed his arm and with my free hand I knocked loudly at the door. The sting on my knuckles from the metal was vicious, but I said nothing.
Before I could look up at him, the door opened on his mother. Edna Bell. But she didn't look like the Edna Bell I remembered. It'd been a couple of years since I'd seen her around town, but still, someone couldn't change so much. It was obvious that the cancer was taking its toll on her.
The women's eyes were not glazed over like they used to be when she was under the influence of her substance of choice, but they seemed extinguished. It gave me chills. Her dress in a forest green was hanging on her thin body and I was afraid she'd break with the slightest breeze. She looked that fragile. Even the bones in her shoulders were poking through the light fabric. Her hair was gone, but it was hidden by a pretty scarf that had a green and white pattern. Her pale face, gaunt, was stretched and dry, but her thin, colorless lips were slowly turning up into a smile when she took in who was in front of her.
Nolan wasn't moving, but he grabbed my hand when the door opened. His long fingers wrapped around my slender hand were tight and getting tighter as seconds passed. I bumped my shoulder into him to shake him out of his stupor, but it did nothing. He was biting his lip ring, his body tensed and his frown deeper than before, but that was all.
"Hi, Mrs. Bell," I said, once again breaking the silence. My voice sounded loud in the quiet corridor. I shouldn't even be there right now. It should be a mother/son kind of thing and not a mother/son/friend moment.
Her eyes left her son, her smile falling a little. She crossed her thin arms over her chest and I was silently thanking her for wearing something with long sleeves. I didn't want to see anymore of her thinning body. "Hi, Brooklyn. I didn't know you two kept in touch." Her voice was shaking, but I couldn't tell if it was from the emotion or from her health.
"We didn't, but it's a long story. Maybe we should go in, you shouldn't catch cold." I'd never been so nice to her, ever.
Nolan's eyebrows shot upward. I just needed to glance in his eyes to know that he was thinking the same thing. Mrs. Bell apologized and led us to her tiny living room where the couch, the armchair, the coffee table and the furniture with the TV on it were taking all the space. On the coffee table there was a tea cup with some tea still warm. The smell made me ill to my stomach, but I said nothing as I was sitting on the couch with Nolan. He was still gripping my hand and I wasn't ready to pull away.
"I'm sorry for the smell, but this tea helps with nausea," she said as she finished her tea quickly.
Silence fell again and it got more awkward. When he asked me to go and see his mother
"We're here now, Nolan. Let's go up," I said, breaking the silence. I grabbed his elbow and towed him to the staircase. He stopped me before I put a foot on the first step.
"She lives on the ground floor. Apparently she can't climb the stairs anymore. She moved in a couple of months ago." His voice was off, but at least now he was walking in the right direction.
Despite this being one hell of a charged moment for Nolan, I couldn't help myself, but be awfully conscious of my hand wrapped around his elbow with my fingers touching the outer side of his muscle. I was an awful person. Who in their right mind would be focusing on this when they're about to see a dying woman?
He stopped in front of the door with a plaque saying it was 1C. He nodded to himself, probably convincing himself to knock, with no luck. I squeezed his arm and with my free hand I knocked loudly at the door. The sting on my knuckles from the metal was vicious, but I said nothing.
Before I could look up at him, the door opened on his mother. Edna Bell. But she didn't look like the Edna Bell I remembered. It'd been a couple of years since I'd seen her around town, but still, someone couldn't change so much. It was obvious that the cancer was taking its toll on her.
The women's eyes were not glazed over like they used to be when she was under the influence of her substance of choice, but they seemed extinguished. It gave me chills. Her dress in a forest green was hanging on her thin body and I was afraid she'd break with the slightest breeze. She looked that fragile. Even the bones in her shoulders were poking through the light fabric. Her hair was gone, but it was hidden by a pretty scarf that had a green and white pattern. Her pale face, gaunt, was stretched and dry, but her thin, colorless lips were slowly turning up into a smile when she took in who was in front of her.
Nolan wasn't moving, but he grabbed my hand when the door opened. His long fingers wrapped around my slender hand were tight and getting tighter as seconds passed. I bumped my shoulder into him to shake him out of his stupor, but it did nothing. He was biting his lip ring, his body tensed and his frown deeper than before, but that was all.
"Hi, Mrs. Bell," I said, once again breaking the silence. My voice sounded loud in the quiet corridor. I shouldn't even be there right now. It should be a mother/son kind of thing and not a mother/son/friend moment.
Her eyes left her son, her smile falling a little. She crossed her thin arms over her chest and I was silently thanking her for wearing something with long sleeves. I didn't want to see anymore of her thinning body. "Hi, Brooklyn. I didn't know you two kept in touch." Her voice was shaking, but I couldn't tell if it was from the emotion or from her health.
"We didn't, but it's a long story. Maybe we should go in, you shouldn't catch cold." I'd never been so nice to her, ever.
Nolan's eyebrows shot upward. I just needed to glance in his eyes to know that he was thinking the same thing. Mrs. Bell apologized and led us to her tiny living room where the couch, the armchair, the coffee table and the furniture with the TV on it were taking all the space. On the coffee table there was a tea cup with some tea still warm. The smell made me ill to my stomach, but I said nothing as I was sitting on the couch with Nolan. He was still gripping my hand and I wasn't ready to pull away.
"I'm sorry for the smell, but this tea helps with nausea," she said as she finished her tea quickly.
Silence fell again and it got more awkward. When he asked me to go and see his mother
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