Listening ear
Listening ear
Mrs Wesley smiled painfully before shaking her head and pointing at a chair for him to sit down. Seeing the commotion in the sitting room earlier, Mrs Wesley had ended the party. She didn't want her precious son's day to be turned into something else. Also, she didn't think Adrian would like the fact that Chloe was being treated that way because of him.
The others apologized and left while Chloe continued kneeling there. She noticed how uncomfortable Jeremy was watching Chloe, so she invited him upstairs.
Jeremy still didn't understand all that was happening or all that he had witnessed but he tried to guess.
Earlier, he was trying to study the material Chloe had given to him when he heard a phone begin to ring. He had thought it was his at first but remembered that wasn't his ringtone. He later realised it was Chloe's phone which was at the floor of the driver's seat.
When he reached for it, he saw it was her mother who was calling. It began to ring again so he considered the option of answering the call or going to give the phone to Chloe. He decided against answering the call. He didn't think that was a good idea. When the call ended, a message popped up on the screen,
"Call me soon, it's urgent. Mom."
Jeremy became worried, so he decided to just go give her the phone since Chloe also didn't know when she would return to the car. And that was when he saw the unpleasant scene of people talking bad about Chloe and asking her to leave.
He realised then, that whatever her mother said was 'urgent', wasn't so urgent anymore. Chloe had more to deal with.
"He was your son?" He asked as he sat down gently on the chair Mrs Wesley offered while she sat down beside him.
"He is." She answered.
'Is' Jeremy noticed. She was still holding on.
"Are you Chloe's boyfriend?" She asked, looking at his face curiously.
"No!" He answered immediately.
"But you like her?" She asked again.
"Yes. I mean.. no.. I.... We are just classmates." He blurted out. She smiled.
"A 'classmate' wouldn't just agree to accompany on a 2-hour plus drive." She pointed out.
Jeremy bit his lips. He wasn't sure he was welcomed in this environment so he wanted to he careful with his answers so he doesn't get Chloe in trouble.
"Well.. I... had a lot of free time to spare so...." He let his words trail off, hoping she would stop asking.
She nodded. "Thought as much. You don't look like the kind of guy Chloe would date."
"Why is everyone saying that!?" He asked in mortification. "What is wrong with me?" He sat up to ask her.
"Well, I would have told you what was wrong with you, but you said you didn't like her so..."
"But you can tell me just in case... you know... in case I know someone who likes her." She said with an embarrassed smile.
Maria laughed. Her laughter stopped abruptly before she turned to look over the railing.
Jeremy observed her properly. She should be in her forties, a very pretty woman but she had sad eyes. Even when she was smiling, her eyes were still sad. Just like everyone else he had seen inside the house, she wore a white dress and her black hair which was tied in a bun was sprinkled with a hint of grey.
"I know how it feels to lose someone you love." He suddenly said.
Although he was curious about what Chloe had done and why they didn't want her there, he had to settle one thing at a time.
Mrs Wesley turned to look at him. She didn't say a word.
"I lost my mother." He continued, looking squarely into her eyes. The thought of his mother brought him immense sadness.
"I lost my husband." She opened up to him and looked at her ring finger where she still wore her ring despite all the years which had passed.
"He... was the love of my life." She said with a sad smile as she reminisced the past.
"My first love. People always say first love do not always work out, but ours did. We had a son, Adrian."
"The most adorable kid in the world. As harmless as a dove." She smiled at Jeremy, "He always wanted to grow his hair like yours but I forbade him from doing so. I always made sure to trim his hair for him."
Jeremy listened attentively. It seemed the woman wanted to talk to someone and he was willing to be the listening ear.
"When his father died, Adrian promised me he was going to be there for me." She smiled.
"I was broken, torn, devastated. I really wanted to end my life, but I had to live for my son. I knew he was suffering, but he always acted like he was okay and always tried to console me. He was my best boy." She closed her eyes as if she was in real pain while tears left her eyes.
"But he died. A few days after his father died."
Jeremy was beyond shocked as he heard her.
She laughed dryly. "I wanted to die. I couldn't bear the pain. It was so... so painful." She sniffed.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked down when she felt his hand cover hers.
She looked at his face, he was looking at her with misty eyes.
"I... am so sorry." He said in a choked voice. "It must have been hard."
She nodded slowly. "It was."
"But I'm certain your husband and son would be happy if you stopped living in pain because of them." He used his other hand to hold her two hands firmly then he looked deeply into her eyes. The woman reminded him of his mother.
"If I were your son, I would want you to be happy. Death can happen to anyone, at anytime. Please... do not spend so many years in agony. My mum said the same thing to me before she passed."
"How.. did you... cope?" She asked in a broken voice.
"I have a sister. We helped each other."
Mrs Wesley began to cry so she put her head down. "I wish I had someone." She said with painful regret. "I wish therr was someone."
"You have... me... I can help you." He offered, surprising himself.
He didn't know her. This was the first time he was meeting her. He didn't even know her name yet, he was offering to be there for her and help her. How? Why did he always say things out before thinking?
"And how do you intend to do that?" She asked, looking at him with her tearstreaked face.
When he couldn't think of anything to say, she said,
"Marry me?" She asked, making him release her hands immediately. "No!" He rejected, making her chuckle despite her mood.
"I was joking." She said with a warm smile.
"I... am trying to let go." She confessed.
"I think holding unto the past would make them not rest in peace. I want to give them peace." She explained.
"That is nice." He smiled. "You are a very brave woman."
She smiled back before cleaning her face with her hands. "I don't know why I feel so free around you. Thanks for listening to me."
"Everyone is always free around me." He said with a grin.
"I would like to meet your sister one day."
"I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you too. She likes pretty women a lot."
"Haha! I doubt she'll like me then."
"Of course, she'll like you. You are the fourth prettiest woman we have seen."
"Fourth? I'm hurt! Who is the first?"
"Our mum, obviously." He said with a short laugh.
"I see.. so who is the second?"
"Just... someone.." He answered with an embarrassed smile.
"Chloe?" She teased.
Jeremy smiled but ignored her question. "It's just someone. But the third is my friend, Mia. She's really smart."
"I think I'm more interested in who the second person is." She pressed.