14 Searching for the Pas (1/2)

I stared at the creased photo once I returned to the car from Mia's. After she had finished getting ready, unsurprisingly, she had received a ”phone call” and ”something had come up”. I didn't think we would actually go to brunch, but my stomach rumbled in anger. I leaned forward and lowered the partition between the backseat and the driver.

”Take me to the restaurant. My guest won't be coming.”

”Yes madam.” The driver nodded and pulled away from Mia's condo towards the city. I leaned back and raised the partition again.

Looking more closely at the photograph, I could see my large engagement ring on my finger. It had been taken in the past year. I struggled to remember the time before my reincarnated lives. The vacations I had taken prior to my marriage had mostly been with my family, but if I was with Julian on this vacation, it must have been a vacation arranged by the Leonharts. Mia's presence was either because she was there to accompany me, or because her father had been invited as an executive.

It was unlikely any of my family members were there on the vacation itself, but my mother might remember what trips I had taken.

I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed the familiar phone number. My mother had been a housewife for her entire life, so I knew she would pick up. After a few rings, her soothing voice came through the speaker.

”Hi sweetie.”

”Hi mom, how are you?”

I felt my shoulders relax as my mother started complaining about her aching body and my father's laziness. The same complaints she always gave, no matter the lifetime. I used to get annoyed when I called my mother, but now I knew it was her way of venting. I patiently listening to her for a few moments before she let out a small gasp of embarrassment.

”Oh, I'm sorry. What did you call about?”

I let out a laugh. ”I just wanted to check on you. And I had a weird question.”

”What is it, honey?”

”Do you remember that beach trip I took with Mia and Julian?”

”The one to Hawaii?”

I had been to Hawaii? ”Yes, do you have any pictures from that trip?”

My mother sighed. ”Alice, you deleted all the pictures from that trip, remember? You said you didn't ever want to see reminders of it again. You even made your father and I keep the souvenirs you got us hidden away.”

It took me a second to remember to respond. ”O-Oh, right. Sorry. I just found a picture and couldn't remember where the rest went.” My head was swimming.

”You really did forget on purpose! Silly child.”

I talked to my mother for a bit longer before hanging up the phone. I had ”forgotten on purpose”? What kind of nonsense was that? I felt like I'd hit a dead end. But if I gave up that easily, I wouldn't learn anything, would I?

I dreaded it, but maybe I would have to ask Julian directly.

As I stepped out of the car after arriving home from my solitary brunch, Moxie came running up to the open car door. I tried to surpress my yelp of surprise as she barked joyfully at me. She stood patiently at the open door waiting for me to exit the car, her tail wagging furiously.