Addiction

Chapter 12.

I called Hayden as soon as I woke up to wish him happy birthday. "Hey," he answers.

"Hi, happy birthday."

"Oh, thank you." He says, "You didn't have to call Alice."

"Yes, Hayden, I did. You should be happy to celebrate your birthday. You're almost thirty."

"Hey! I've still got a few years!" He exclaims into the phone.

Hayden said he wanted me for his birthday. Not in the intimate way like I had thought. I don't know what that means. Even though he said he didn't want one, I still have no clue what to get him as a gift.

"Come over today, before the party and after your classes."

"Sure, I'll see you then." I end the call going downstairs for a cup of coffee.

"You're home late." I mutter to my father, who was sitting at the breakfast bar. He was looking through the morning newspaper while drinking coffee in his pajamas and robe.

"I'm not going in today."

"Why not?"

"I'm not feeling well." He lies.

"Oh, you look fine to me." He eyes me from the top of the newspaper and I know to drop the conversation. "Dad, what do you get someone who wants nothing except you?"

"Give them what they want."

"For their birthday?"

"Does this have anything to do with Hayden Stymest?"

"Um . . . yes. Today is his birthday and he doesn't want anything. He doesn't even want to celebrate it. How did you know that?"

"The Burke family sent out invitations for his birthday party. Apparently his parents, who flew from the United Kingdom, asked Paige do it. That's just talk from the office." He speaks while scanning the morning newspaper.

"Oh." It's probably Mr. Alexander trying to get as much information on Hayden as he can. He's very nosey and intrusive when it comes to the people I bring into my life. He's worse than my own dad sometimes. I guess you can say he got like that after my mom passed. Or maybe he was always like that and I didn't realize it until afterwards.

Speaking of my mother, "Dad, where did you guys bury Mom?"

He almost choked on his coffe after I asked this. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Hayden wanted to take me but her grave hasn't been found. I know you moved us here for a change of scenery and because of your work, but I never got to say goodbye to her and he's giving me that chance."

He freezes as if battling some internal battle within himself. "Alice don't make me do this."

"Do what?"

"I never told you this because I didn't think I would have to."

"Get on with it Dad."

"Your mother, Alice, she didn't want you anymore. She didn't want me. She didn't want us. That's why she left and that's why she went out getting trashed that night. Either way, you weren't going to get to say goodbye, you were never going to see her again after that day."

I feel like I just got slapped with a ton of bricks. My mother was leaving us? But why? What did we do? Why didn't she want me anymore? I thought she loved me.

"I hope you don't ask about her ever again after today." Dad adds.

"I won't." I whisper, and slowly turn to walk out of the kitchen. Learning that about my mother is going to ruin my entire day.