62 Moving ou (1/2)
Thursday 04 December
06h30pm Cheirfield
When Adam parks his car in the now empty driveway of the house where he grew up, his heart is heavy. A few meters away, in the wide driveway next door, he can see his mother's Ford parked near another car that must probably be the one of the one that is now his father-in-law. After a minute without moving, Adam, who remembers not being invited to this wedding, is certain of one thing, he will not recognize this man, or even this wedding that took place far from his eyes.
More serene, he looks at what in his heart will always be his mother's house, then leaves his position to head towards that of the house next door. Marriage or not, Adam admits it, the undeniable advantage is proximity. In a few steps, it already reaches the front door. Not hesitating for a second, Adam puts aside his mother's anger and not being able to afford in people's homes who probably don't recognize him either, he rings the doorbell.
Perhaps his luck is good, anyway, when he sees Kimberley open the door, Adam, who feared he would run into Sarah, sighs discreetly. The young girl, who cannot hide her surprise when she sees Adam, remains silent for a moment. Realizing that her attitude is not correct in front of the one who is now her half-brother, she timidly invites Adam to come in with a tense smile, then directs him to the living room in which Adam discovers his mother playing Scrabble. Not having to meet him, he do not bother to linger on the man sitting in front of his mother before addressing her.
”Hi, Mom, I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes.”
To the sound of this familiar voice, Mrs. Clifford feels her stomach contract. She wants to smile and rush towards her son, but immediately she recovers and it is accompanied by a hard look that she looks up from the game board.
”I have two lovely daughters, but no son. You can leave, or I'll get you out myself.”
It's painful to hear, but Adam, who was expecting this kind of answer, doesn't take it too seriously. His mother is stubborn. Once she has is furious at someone, only time may allow her to soften her feelings and views about that person. Although today he had little hope that their conflict would be resolved, since the purpose of his visit had another reason, he would not seek reconciliation.
”So I will only take a short time and after telling you the reason for my coming, I will leave immediately. I just came to see you to tell you that I'm leaving New York. No, actually, I go join Jessica in Los Angeles. There, we will settle down together. I also enrolled in a university that will allow me to make up for all my years of inactivity. Their particular policy allows me to continue my work in parallel and I think I will stay away from this city for a while. That's it, that's all. Take care of yourself, bye.”
Hearing the words her son has just pronounced, tears already flows from Ms. Clifford's eyes. The front door has just closed behind him, but despite the encouragement of Kimberley and her new husband, she cannot bring herself to pursue him. Her hands grip the table firmly, when the sound of the powerful Porsche engine makes her hiccup, but again, she does not move and it is with a torn heart that the words of her son are repeated in a loop in her confused mind.
In his car, Adam would like to be able to pretend that this meeting, with its outcome decided in advance, had no influence on him, but by doing so, he would still be lying to himself. Playing the blind proved practical and he did it for a long time, that in addition to hurting himself and flying over his life, he hurt those he loved. He knows it, his immaturity, combined with his lack of reflection, will lead him to make countless mistakes, but if he can at least stop playing ostrich, a small step forward will be taken. It is with wet eyes that Adam walks towards his apartment, also fearing the upcoming meeting between Jessica and Scarlet from whom he does not want to part.
Saturday 06 December