Page 6 of Back to You
But even with the Fishers’ love and support, I felt empty inside. I was lonely and more than anything else, I missed my mom. I missed her hugs. I missed her laughter. I missed the stupid terrible British accent she’d use at the grocery store to try and embarrass me. I missedher,and knowing I’d never see her again hurt.
I was the last person at the table after dinner one humid May evening. I pushed my chicken parm around my plate, having only eaten half of the pasta and a couple bites of meat. Mrs. Fisher was an amazing cook, but the food sank like a lead weight in my gut. Dane and Violet were studying in the family room, while their mom clattered about in the kitchen.
Drying her hands on a dish towel, she sat down across from me. “Heavy thinking?”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, honey,” she murmured. “I know how badly it hurts, but I’m very proud of you. I mourned for years after Jon died. It was so sudden. My heart was sick and so many times, I wanted to give up, but I knew that Dane and Violet needed me, and I needed them too.”
“Yeah.”
She patted my hand. “I know it hurts, god knows I know, but give yourself time to mourn. It’s okay to cry, Hollister, but I promise you this: As time goes on, it starts to hurt less. You think about it less, until you realize that you’ve gone a whole week without thinking about her, and then a month, and then years pass and you might only get sad on her birthday or at the holidays because you know she’s not in pain anymore. You start to remember the good times. It’s hard, but it’s true what they say. Time heals all wounds.”
My plate swam in front of me and I quickly blinked away tears. Emotion clogged in my throat, making it hard to breathe. “I hope you’re right,” I whispered.
Mrs. Fisher jumped up and came over to me, throwing her arms around me in a fierce embrace. “We’re here for you, honey, every step of the way. You’re home now.”
“Thanks. Um, I need to…” I wiped my runny nose with the back of my sleeve, then pushed my chair back. I needed to get out of here before I lost it. She smiled with a nod and I escaped up to Dane’s room, unable to keep the tears at bay any longer. I collapsed into bed, buried my face into my pillow, and I sobbed.
