Separate ways lead to the same place

Chapter 2

~2 months later~

I can't believe how strong my mom is. She is starting to get better so fast! Last week, we went on her first walk in a year. She did so great! It was only 2 kilometers, but it's progress. Her face has her usual color again, rosy cheeks and stars in her eyes. Her hair has the natural volume and shine back because of the sun and movement she's getting. Her body doesn't look unhealthy and skinny anymore, it's like she's been brought back to life. I'm loving her energy, that seems to light up the whole house. I missed seeing her like this, singing along to a happy song from her cleaning playlist. Using her wooden spoon as a mic and screaming the words with her eyes closed. I smile and lean against the door frame, feeling an intense explosion of happiness inside my body. I can't describe how happy I am that I didn't lose her. It also means something else: she's recovering. Her physio will tell her she's good to go and not come back anymore soon. That means I will have to leave soon. We spoke about what her life would be like when I'd leave. She's planning to empty the 3 bedrooms upstairs and take the office as a bedroom for her. She's planning on starting a B&B in our house. I support her in her decision, I think it's a great idea. I'm just dreading the day I'll have to leave. London is not that closeby either: a whole 6 hour drive! I've been looking at appartments I could buy in and around London and will choose in a few weeks. We've started renovating the house, the bedrooms upstairs are almost done. You can't believe how much you can get done in 2 months! I'm thinking about applying for a job in publishing in London or stay in advertisement, depends on what pays the best, the vibe I get from the different companies, the line of work etc. I also try to spend as much time as possible with mom, knowing that the goodbye is coming closer and closer each day. We went on many walks to see the sunset and sunrise. We went shopping together and did many board games or just sat in the garden with some tea and self-baked cookies. We have made the best out of our time together and I've never felt like I appreciated what I have more than in these past 2 months. Mom has still a long road ahead, God knows how long, but she's on her way and that's what matters. I feel blessed that I didn't lose her, that I still have my mother and best friend by my side. I snap out of my thoughts and realise I'm still leaned against the door frame, watching my mom cleaning and dancing around the kitchen. I enter the kitchen and open a cupboard to take a glass. I walk over to the sink and fill the glass with water, turn around and lean against the counter as I take a sip. Mom turns to me and smiles. ''How's the painting going, sweetie?'' She asks. ''Good, I have three walls done in the old guest room. Your and dad's room is already drying.'' I answer. ''Great, good job! You know what? Paint that last wall today and let it dry tomorrow, then you can try and finish that song you were working on last week.'' ''Great idea, mom! The song is almost done, so I think I can finish it tonight or tommorow. I'll go paint that wall now. Don't do too much, okay?'' I kiss my mom on the cheek and go upstairs. I take the paint brush in my hand and go to work.

~2 and a half months later~

Today is the day: I'm officially moving to London. My stuff is packed, I bought a tiny appartment just outside the city, I have a job close to the appartment in another advertising company. I start work on monday, so I have two days to settle in. The past two weeks, I have been in my new home to renovate it and make it feel like home. This is the last time in a while I'll drive to my mom. I put the last box in the trunk and close the door. When I turn around, I'm immediately engulfed in a hug by my mom. I put my arms around her and let my face rest in the crook of her neck, closing my eyes to savour the moment. I pull away from the hug and look into mom's eyes, seeing a glossiness that indicates she is about to cry. I smile reassuringly and kiss the spot on her forehead where her hairline starts and whisper:''I'll always be there for you, whenever you need me. I love you.'' She smiles and does the same to me, standing on her tippy toes and forcing me to crouch down a little so she can reach the spot. After saying our goodbyes, I step into my car and drive away, towards my new life.

6 and a half hours of driving and 2 coffee breaks later, I arrive at my new appartment, my new home. I sigh at the sight of my car that's filled to the brim with boxes full of my stuff. My appartment is at the fourth floor and there's no elevator, which means I'll have to go up and down the stairs way too many times. Suddenly, I hear an unknown voice behind me:''Need some help with that, lad?'' I turn around to face a kind looking guy of around my age. I nod, happy with all the help I can get.''That would be great, thanks.'' ''No problem, mate. My name is Adam White, nice to meet you.'' He sticks his hand out for me to shake. We shake hands while I introduce myself:''Nice meeting you too, Adam. My name is Ethan Hill.'' Our hands fall to our sides as Adam takes his phone and announces he'll call a few friends to come and help us. I thank him again, making him smile and walk away a little to make some calls. When he comes back and sees the box in my hands he says:''We're not starting yet! How long was your drive?'' ''6 hours and a half,'' I answer. ''Well then, you need to sit for a minute and have a cup of coffee! Let's go grab some and then go sit inside your home until my friends arrive.'' I smile and nod. We walk for a few minutes until we reach a cafe. When we go inside, I'm surprised by the simple yet cozy interior. We order our coffees, Adam also orders for his friends. When we walk back, I see a little group of people on the sidewalk in front of my building. It's a group of 5 people, 3 boys and 2 girls, all around my age. Adam walks a little faster at the sight of his friends. ''Hey guys!'' He yells, a smile on his face. The group looks at us. One of the boys walks up to us and hugs Adam briefly, then turns to me and offers me a hand:''Hello lad, I'm Matthew Collins, nice to meet you. You new here?'' ''Ethan Hill, nice meeting you. Yes I'm new here. I'm from Eyemouth, up north.'' Matthew raises his eyebrows:''Well, my scottish friend, welcome to London!'' I smile and thank him. He turns around and yells:''Hey Zoe, you've got a scottish friend here! Weren't you from Eyemouth too?'' My eyes widen. Eyemouth isn't that big, everyone knows everyone there. I only know one Zoe from Eyemouth and that's Zoe Martin. She was my first girlfriend, my first love, although we were children. We lasted a whole 5 years, from when we were 6 and 7 until we were 11 and 12. After high school, I only saw an instagram post from her account with pictures and videos in London. I didn't even spend much time on looking at the post, I didn't even look that attentively at how she looked, I don't even remember. A girl with long curled greyish hair with black roots looks at Adam when she hears her name. The first thing that stands out to me next to her hair are her bright blue eyes. They seem to pierce into your eyes once they land on you. Her gaze lands on me only a second later, leaving me breathless at the intensity of her gaze. That's the one thing I actually do remember about Zoe Martin: her piercing bright blue eyes. This women does look like a completely different person, though. ''Hello, I'm Zoe, what's your name?'' She asks. ''My name is Ethan Hill, nice to meet you,'' I answer, a polite smile on my face. Her eyebrows raise at the sound of my name:''Ethan Hill? Didn't we go to the same school?'' ''Not sure, I only know one Zoe from Eyemouth from my age, so I guess you are that person. You don't look like the person in my head, though. Are you really Zoe Martin?'' I ask. She nods:''That's me! Wow, you didn't stay the same either! Weren't you shorter than me and a little chubby as a kid? Well, look at you now! You look so good Ethan.'' I smile:''Yes, I was that chubby kid. I'm happy I changed for the better. You look really good too, Zoe.'' She smiles at my compliment, turning around and signaling the other friends to come over. The other girl is called Olivia Anderson and the two other guys are called Joseph Adams and Alexander or Alex Phillips. I greet them all while they get their cup of coffee from Adam. When everyone is done drinking coffee and talking, we get started on moving my stuff to my appartment on the fourth floor. When I tell you that it was better exercise than I've ever gotten from going to the gym, I mean every word of it. I don't even want to know what it would've been like if I'd done it alone. We're all sat down on my new couch, talking and laughing with some ice cold water and snacks. I haven't gone to the supermarket yet, so this is the only thing I have at the moment. Everyone said it was fine, so I just sat down and joined into the conversation. It was already 8 pm when Olivia said:''It's late, let's go somewhere to get dinner.'' Everyone stood up and agreed. We got McDonalds and then we all went our separate ways, since it was quite late. Only 20 minutes later I fell down onto my new bed, the scent of new sheets reaching my nose. Sleep reaches me soon after, making me fall asleep quick and content.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

xxxDieuwke

Word count: 1823