“Alanna, please sit down, don’t try too much,” my mom says as she hurdles me back to the bed. She came early this morning and has been fussing ever since. I know that she is just worried but it is still annoying.
“Mom I am fine and you heard the nurse - I have to move around as much as I can,” I say and my voice is not quite so weak or broken as it was yesterday. My mom does not reply she just sits down onto the chair and takes out her phone. Her face is not as gaunt as it was yesterday and it looks as if she is possibly starting to accept this for what it is. I sit at the edge of the bed and look over to my mom as she types away on her phone.
“Have you heard from dad today?” I say in a quizzing voice. I cannot help but wonder about what my dad is doing in London. Possibly, he knows where Adrian is. If he does not then perhaps he is with Mr Jenkins who is sure to have heard from Adrian.
“Yes, he called first thing this morning he is ecstatic to hear that you are up and about,” she says and her smile is beaming.
“Did he tell you who he was with?” She looks up from her phone and has an annoyed look on her face.
“Sweetie your dad is not with Adrian and I take it you have not heard from him either?” I know what she will say next when I tell her that I have not heard from him.
“Not yet but I am sure he will get in touch soon,” my mom shakes her head a little at my words. It is clear to see that she does not want me to be talking to her about this.
“Alanna you promised that if he didn’t contact you then you would forget him. I don’t want to see you obsessed with this guy!” She says and her words are icy and her face is too infuriated.
“Mom it’s not a case of me just forgetting him you don’t understand him and I am not obsessed,” I protest, as I feel very uneasy around my mom. I could never have imagined that she would act like this. After all she was very supportive when I first told her about Adrian so I do not fully understand why she is acting the way she is.
“Alanna, you are seem different now and I feel that he has changed you. You aren’t into the same things as you used to be and I never hear of you going out anywhere, anymore and I am staring to think that he is possibly the reason for that.” My mom’s voice is firm as she moves closer to me.
“No, it’s not that he is the reason that I don’t go out as much as I used to. It’s because I don’t find the mindless chatter about boob jobs and face lifts and who has the best car interesting.” My voice is loud and I feel instant guilt for raising my voice to my mom.
“You used to care Alanna,” she responds and her voice is quiet and her face looks sad. I hate my attitude and I hate this situation. If only Adrian were here then I know that everything would be ok. I would have none of this worry and none of the guilt. I wish that my life could be drama-free but I know that it will never be.
“I am sorry mom but I want you to know how I feel about Adrian,” I say as I slowly climb into the bed. I sit myself up high and rest the pillow under my head. I turn to look at my mom and I fight back a tear as I look at her beautiful face.
“Sweetie I know that you wouldn’t be acting this way if he wasn’t special to you. So please, I want you to tell me about him if you feel you still want to?” I smile and I am grateful that my mom has given me this opportunity to explain to her who Adrian really is.
“Adrian has had a very traumatic child hood, he was hooked on drugs at the age of ten and he has never had a family to look after him.” I notice that my mom looks very surprised but she does not say a word. I continue to talk before she has the courage to speak.
“His father left him when he was two and his mother never got over it. She drank and took drugs to numb the pain she had about Adrian’s father leaving.” I see that my mom has something to say and I fear what she has to say. Will she feel for Adrian or will she despise him?
“Alanna, I had no idea that his life was as bad as that. How did he make the millions he has today? And where is his mother now?”
“His mother is here in New York. He has not seen her since he was twelve, when he was fourteen Mr Jenkins adopted him. He showed him how to deal in business and help him to establish his own company. Adrian owes everything to him.” My words feel like distant memories, It was not so long ago that Adrian was telling me all this. Yet it seems as if a lifetime has passed between then and now. I worry that I will forget him the longer that we are apart.
“I don’t know what to say, I feel sorry for the guy. Alanna, he must have some kind of issues about this?” I shift nervously around and I can see that my mom has picked up on it.