Fractures

48 || Voicemail

Chapter 48: Voicemail

The neighborhood I'd grown up in consisted of rows of houses and family members with a tight knit connection, almost everybody knew everybody.

As the car rolled up to my house number, I couldn't help but stare in awe at how little things had changed. It left me feeling nostalgic.

I made my way to the trunk, grabbing out my bags and letting out a puff of frustrated air at the weight of the bag.

"Home sweet home," I mumbled under my breath as I stared at my childhood home. It was a small two floor house with a front porch barely able to accommodate a chair. I couldn't deny a few things had changed. For first, it seemed my mom finally got rid of the egregious colour scheme and had opted for a more cooler tone, blue and grey. She also seemed to have gotten a gardening habit telling by the luscious rows of greenery in our front yard.

I drew in a deep breath, thinking about the surprised look my mom would make when she saw me here, in the middle of the day.

"Maddie?"

I paused after only taking one step. I looked over to my neighbours yard where she stood, Mrs Johnson.

"Hi Mrs Johnson..."

"Miss" she casually corrected as she made her way to me, giving me a warm hug. "I didn't know you were back from school, the semester isn't over is it?"

I gave a small laugh as I shook my head. "Just needed a break," I explained.

She laughed. "I totally agree, the whole partying and drinking must be really hectic, heaven knows my stomach was running solely on alcohol back in those days."

I gave a small smile, partying was barely my scene but miss Johnson didn't know that, I'd barely grown up in this neighborhood seeing as I moved to boarding school at an early age.

But if any neighbor knew me best, it was her, I could remember spending my days in her house whenever I got back home from summer break, my mom tried her best to keep me away from my dad so I spent most of my holidays there, "babysitting" miss Johnson's daughter, Dia who's brother was back at uni and mom having a tight work schedule.

She gave me a small pat, urging me to go. "Why don't you get some rest, the trip back must have been tough," she said.

I made my way to the porch, searching for the key but I couldn't find it where my mom usually kept it so I guessed she must be inside, maybe off from work.

"Can't wait for you to tell me all about your boyfriend," miss Johnson chimed, leaving me frozen.

She smiled. "Come on, did you really think you'd get a boyfriend and your mom wouldn't tell me"

Like I said, everyone knew everyone in this neighborhood.

But there was nothing to tell, the man I loved was dead and as much as I tried to forget, I was constantly reminded.

"Dia's in school right now, when she gets back, I'd tell her you dropped by," she said

I quickly smiled and pushed myself through the door and into the house before I could breakdown in front of my neighbor.

...

The warm scent of Mexican food welcomed me as I pushed into the house, eagerly taking off my shoes at the door while calling out to my mom.

"Maddie?" My mom called, surprised. "What are you doing here? Is the semester over, you could have told me, I'd arrange somewhere you could stay."

"It's fine," I said, " I wanted to come home... I've missed you mom."