“We actually broke up a few weeks ago.”
She gasped. “What! Oh, my God, what happened? Are you still living there? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I know, I know, I know. He was cheating on me. And I don’t want to hear you say ‘I told you so’. I knew you thought he was bad for me, but I did love him at one point.” I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me. “It just didn’t work out. And before you get all worried, I’ve been staying at Mel’s until I can figure out what to do.”
“Oh, honey. I’d never tell you ‘I told you so’. What kind of person do you think I am? I didn’t like him, but he was your choice, sweetie. You have to make your own mistakes and learn from them. I just want you and Mel to be happy. Just keep your heart open. Someone will come along when you least expect it.”
“I don’t know, Mom. I’m not even sure I want anything right now.” The words came out of my mouth, but the whole time I was thinking about Mason and how unexpected he’d been. Maybe she was right. Maybe I just needed to be happy. What else was there in life? People strived for happiness, right?
“It’ll knock you off your feet when you aren’t even looking. Just look at your father and me. I was working two jobs when we met, and I didn’t even like him at first.” She laughed. “But things changed and we’ve been married for thirty years.” She sighed with contentment. “Well, I don’t want to bore you. I have to go start dinner.”
“Okay.”
“Tell Melanie I said hi and that I love her, okay? And I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
I hung up the phone and continued my staring contest with the ceiling. The phone call had knocked the tiredness out of me, so I needed to get up and read, but I felt too lazy to do that. Mom’s words echoed in my mind. She wanted to see me happy. I wanted to be happy, too. I was surprised at her reaction about Tim, but did I really think she’d be heartless? No, not really. She’d just always told us to learn from her mistakes, and she’d had a lot of them. She didn’t have a ton of boyfriends in her younger years, but when she did, she fell hard. She’d told Mel and me that she always fell for the bad boys and she’d always gotten her heart broken. Then, finally, the one time she wasn’t looking, Dad came along.
I loved their story and I wanted to have my own, but the thought of another relationship scared me. I was stupid and blind when I was with Tim. I had been a cliché. One of those girls you bad-mouth in movies, ‘She’s stupid for not knowing what’s going on right in front of her face.’ Yep, that was me. They do have that saying, ignorance is bliss, and in my case, it was.
Nobody was given a manual on how to live their life or how to make all the right decisions. Sometimes, you had to make mistakes in order to see the beauty of things. Everything happened for a reason, and I believed in fate. There was a reason I met Mason. And I couldn’t lie to myself.
I wanted him. I wanted to get to know him. I’d just have to guard my heart along the way.
*
“Wake up, sleepy head, or you’re going to be late,” a voice said, penetrating my dreams. “Em!”
I shot up in bed and stared at Melanie, fully dressed and ready for work. Then I looked over at the clock.
Shit.
Panic set in as I flipped my covers off and headed for the bathroom.
“Why didn’t you make sure I was up?” I yelled at Mel through the closed door of the bathroom as I took care of my morning business.
“You stayed up until three in the morning. You needed the rest. I was going to wake you twenty minutes ago, but I got a phone call and forgot.”
I sighed as I flushed the toilet and moved on to brush my teeth. I didn’t even have time for a shower. I’d have to take one when I got home later this afternoon.
I really shouldn’t have stayed up so late, but I had so much to catch up on before class.
I rinsed my mouth and walked out of the bathroom and straight into the bedroom Mel and I shared. It was a complete disaster area. Her clothes and mine were thrown all around the room, and we were both too busy to take the time and clean it all up. The room was too small for one person to live in, let alone two.
I’d have to at least do my laundry, because I had nothing to wear.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I checked the clock again and sighed. I needed to leave in ten minutes. I didn’t even have time to eat or drink coffee, which I knew was going to make me cranky.
I grabbed the first thing that caught my eye in the closet, one of Mel’s summer dresses. It was yellow and floral, something I normally wouldn’t wear. But right then, I couldn’t be picky. If I was late for class, I’d be locked out.
“I’m heading out,” Mel yelled from across the apartment.
I scurried to the bathroom to run a brush through my hair and clipped it to the top of my head.