I Need You

Part 11

After several hours of shopping, Stevie and the girls went to a small, nice looking place for lunch. Karen was allowed the time to herself, as Stevie was going to call her, when they needed a ride home. It started being a little tense, Gabi at first acting as if she was forced into spending time with her mother, but then she didn't even notice herself, how those barriers she had built for no reason, started crumbling down and Stevie couldn't have been happier. She missed being alone with her daughters, just the three of them, doing girly things. The problem was that Stevie loved her music and dedicated herself to it a little too much. Fleetwood Mac would take up a whole year or more, then she would go into studio and eventually leave with her solo band... The two most important people in her life more often than not, sadly, got overshadowed by the need Stevie had for limelight.

"What are you having, Mom?" Gabi asked, reading through the menu. "Mom?"

"What?" Stevie lifted her eyes up from her phone, that she had placed on the table, glancing at it, hoping to hear from Lindsey again. She texted him back, asking what he meant, by saying 'it's over', but he hadn't replied yet.

"I asked, what are you going to order?"

"Um... I guess, some kind of salad, doesn't matter much, you pick."

"Gee, do you ever eat proper food?" 

"Yes, I do, from time to time." She said, laughing lightly. "I can't let myself go, you know that."

"I want pancakes and a strawberry milkshake." Maria interrupted. 

"That's what you always choose, it's not like you had to tell us."

"Gabi..." Stevie looked at her daughter pointedly, after noticing the younger girl grow instantly quiet.

"I'm sorry." Gabi sighed, then said to her sister.

The waiter approached them soon, writing down their order, before leaving them alone again. Gabi thought Stevie was acting weird. It was usually her who was told to 'put that damn phone away' and here was her mother now, unable to tear herself away from it.

"Are you waiting for some important call?"

"Kind of, yes. Or a text, I'm not really sure."

"From whom?"

"Um... Lindsey. It's... it's about my new album."

"Oh. How is that going? I'd like to hear something from it."

"It's good. I had to put things on hold for a couple of days, but I'm picking up where I left off tomorrow. There's a lot left to be done, but I'm really enjoying the making of it."

"Does this mean, we won't see you again soon?" Maria asked. 

At first Stevie was going to say, 'I'm sorry', but then she quickly changed her mind. "Not necessarily. You could always come and stay with me at the house. I mean, if that's okay with your father of course."

"I would love that, Mom." Gabi said, this time together working miracles on their relationship. 

"Well, that's settled then." Stevie smiled. "We'll just have to call your Dad about it."

The waiter returned with their food and Stevie hadn't even taken her first bite, when her phone started ringing. 

"Why haven't you called me back in so long?" She asked right away.

"Because, Steph..."

"What does that mean?"

"I left her."