The Man on the Moon (The Man Duology)

Chapter 21

"Hey sweetheart," Julia's voice was not as sweet as Mum's. "How are things?"

"Hi Julia," I felt like I had cheated on her, with another mother figure. "They're okay, actually. How are you?"

"Georgia's parents let me crash at theirs until you come home," She confessed, starting to breathe heavily. "Your father has disappeared."

Anger burned inside of me. "What a coward."

"Let's not talk about him," She spat back. "Have you... You know... Sorted things?"

"Not quite. Some things came up."

"Goodness, is everything okay?" Julia started to panic.

Georgia's silence reflected on Julia when I informed her about finding my Mum. She tripped over her words, as she tried to speak my stomach flipped like a pancake. In fact, everybody that I had told reacted in the exact same way. Nobody expected, including myself, to find her wondering around Scotland. It was a miracle. Still in disbelief, every time she spoke was like the first time. Over and over again, I was infatuated with her stories. My mother was clearly a storyteller. The way her emotions were portrayed was phenomenal. She had a spark in her that urged to tell everybody about her past -- anybody that would listen. Even stories that didn't concern me, I was still utterly intrigued. She painted the blank canvas with her words, making you picture everything about the scene perfectly; as if you were in the moment with her. Like a writer would. My Mum was an interesting character, and I couldn't wait to get to know her.

Once I had finished up on the phone with Julia, who was too shocked to carry on the conversation for much longer, it was time to introduce my mother to the people who wouldn't be speechless. As I pictured it, Deion, Abby and Max shook her hand. Deion even planted a kiss in between her knuckles, causing Mum to blush. Ash welcomed her into the living room with a bubbly conversation starter and a friendly cup of tea. Eventually, Harvey padded down the stairs. He was wearing one of my favourite outfits of his. Black, ripped skinny jeans and a plain white shirt, with a useless pocket on his chest. Although it was nothing special, and he had better outfits, it complimented him. The thing about Harvey was that he didn't need designer clothes to look good. Or any clothes, for that matter. He was effortlessly beautiful. Even wearing nothing but a bin bag, he was the most magnificent piece of art.

"Where have you been?" Harvey sang to me, adjusting his wet hair.

"I met somebody," His eyes fell, as if the person in question was a romantic interest. As fast as I could, I began to defend myself. "Oh no, nothing like that. Come and see."

Taking his hand, I guided him into the living room. Frantically, Harvey began adjusting his clothes. With only one hand, nothing changed about him. But he obviously wanted to be better than the person that I was about to introduce him to, or he wanted to impress them.

Since I had said the words so many times, they practically fell out of my mouth. "Harvey, meet my Mum, Hazel."

My mother's face lit up as she turned around to see the boy who broke my heart, but made it whole again. She greeted him with the utmost respect and a smile. Deep down, we all knew that Harvey wasn't the perfect guy. He didn't deserve the treatment of a king, being welcomed with large celebratory trumpets and fanned with gigantic leaves... But he did deserve respect. After all, if Harvey had not been in my life prior coming to Scotland -- my mother and I wouldn't have met. Being as wise as she was, she knew that. Of course she did. If Mum was foolish, and didn't think about the part Harvey's actions played in finally meeting me, she would have caused a scene. Although, it wasn't a secret that everyone was expecting her to. And yet, she proved every single one of us in that room wrong. Despite what Nick, or even Julia, had said about my mother... That she was dumb, idiotic, or didn't deserve me... She was smart. Smarter than anyone else I knew -- and that was intimidating.