Broken

Chapter 54

"Mac?"

No!
Makenna snapped out of her reverie and focused her gaze on Vanessa.

"Yes, you were saying he got a job."

"Yea." Vanessa studied her for a moment which Makenna thought was a moment too long for her liking, "He's been making the trips there for interviews and such."

Vanessa sighed,
"He didn't even tell me about any of this when it was happening and now that he's got the job, he tells me."

"He was keeping it from you?"

"He says he wanted it to be a surprise." Vanessa said, "A surprise breakup, I guess."

"Did he tell you he wants to break up?"

"No, but his face said it all after he told me about the job."

"Right." Makenna thought about it for a second, "Maybe he's thinking of ways to make it work with you?"

"I doubt it."

"Have you guys talked about it?"

Vanessa shook her head,
"We're just walking around it and pretending it's not even there."

"Maybe you're the one doing that and he doesn't even know it's an issue."

Vanessa looked at Makenna like she'd spoken the gospel.

"You could join him in..."

"Seattle." Vanessa provided because she thought Makenna had forgotten when she hadn't been able to get it through her lips,

"Yea, there."

"That would be a 'no'." Vanessa shook her head, "Big 'no'."

"Why not?" Makenna asked, "Don't you want to try and make it work?"

"Yea, I do. But going to Seattle, leaving my parents." Vanessa shook her head,

"Does this have something to do with your sister?"

Vanessa looked up at Makenna and swallowed. It took her a minute but she finally said,
"I can't leave my parents like she left us."

"Going on with your life and doing what you think is best for you isn't leaving, it's living your life."

"Not to the people you abandon in the process. Especially your family who was there before anyone or anything else."

Makenna felt a tug in her heart.

Is that what she'd done with her family? Had she abandoned them when she changed and became the person she now was for the sake of moving on and living her life.

Did her family feel abandoned?

"I'm not sure I could live my life if that involves leaving my parents."

Makenna looked at Vanessa and was at a loss of words.

"I'm going to need some ice cream after I get out of here."

Makenna smiled,
"I'm tagging along."

It was out of Makenna's mouth before she could stop it and surprisingly, she didn't regret it. If she could be with Vanessa longer, she wouldn't be able to think about her problems. She could simply live off Vanessa's pain and pretend like everything was alright in her own life.

Vanessa smiled,
"I would love that."

*****

Killian's working hours were ending soon and he usually spent the last half hour in the entertainment room with the residents chatting and playing games of various kinds. But he'd been there for a while and hadn't seen Martin, one of his favourite residents. Martin was a ninety-something-year-old man with no wife and no family as far as Killian knew. Martin was a private person unlike some of the other residents who were open about their life and family. Martin was the quiet one and that was probably one of the reasons Killian was able to connect with him.

Killian stopped at the door and knocked.

"Come in." He heard a frail voice say behind the door.

Killian grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, he pushed the door and peeped inside before he stepped inside.
"Martin."

Martin who was seated on a one-seater sofa facing the balcony turned and smiled at Killian. Killian shut the door behind him and walked stealthily towards Martin.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Killian stopped in the center of the room.

"Pull up a chair and join me."

Killian did as he was instructed and was soon seated on Martin's right side, chair facing him. Killian remained quiet; silence with Martin didn't feel uncomfortable. Rather, it was almost relaxing to be able to remain in the quiet and decipher everything that's been bugging you.

Killian turned to look out the balcony at the beautiful garden Martin's gaze was fixated on. He took a slow and intentional breath to help him be present and focus on nothing but the here and now. His thought was suddenly filled with Thea and he couldn't help the smile that fell on his lips.

Martin was quick to catch the smile which in turn made him smile,
"I can tell someone's on your mind."

Killian glanced at Martin and snorted a laugh.

"Is it that beautiful girlfriend of yours?"

Killian nodded. He had shown Martin a picture of Thea he kept in his wallet. Martin knew about Thea and had even been the one who encouraged him to try and risk failure rather than not try and have no chance at winning at all.

"She's not beautiful." Killian said, "She's more than beautiful."

Martin turned to face him with a smile,
"Ahh, I see."

Killian sighed not seconding Martin's astute deduction,
"She thinks everything that comes out of my mouth is...something to live by." Pause. "I honestly don't know what I'm saying half of the time I'm with her."

"Entranced by her beauty?"

Killian snorted another laugh,
"You can say that again." Pause, "Most times I'm reminding myself that I need to put God above my relationship with her but the second I'm with her, I just forget."

"You should pray about it."

Another thing Killian could talk to Martin about was his faith. They were both believers of Christ.

"I have and I've noticed Thea has started taking an interest in my faith."

Martin beamed.

"She thinks she's the one benefiting from our relationship."

"Has she said that?"

"Not directly. But she has insinuated it a couple of times."

"And?"

"And I think she doesn't know the ways God has used her to help me." Killian thought about the first time he met Thea, "She's Godsent and she doesn't even know it."

"I think she thinks you're the same for her." Martin said, "God brings people into our lives at unexpected moments and most times we don't realize that it's Him working."

Killian looked at Martin,
"So, you're saying the way God is using her to help me is the same way He's using me to help her."

Martin smiled at Killian.
"She's getting to know Him through you and through her you're..."

"Getting healed in parts of me I never knew needed healing."

Martin reached out and held Killian's shoulder,
"In the end, everything all works out the way it's meant to."