Always the Bride

31. A tragedy

Hi guys. I'm away on holidays at the moment but in between babysitting my two nieces (both aged under two) I've managed to write a new chapter. Enjoy and you know the drill. :D

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“Mum, I’m in love with two people.”

It’s the hardest thing to say but on my drive to Mum’s place after my Jamie encounter, I realised this was the case. I’ve actually fallen for Jamie and even though I still don’t know Julian well, I’ve fallen for him too. How is this possible? Is it possible to be in love with two people? Well I have no idea, that’s why I’m confessing to Mum.

Stopping midway through peeling a potato, Mum turns to me with a look of disbelief on her face.

“Come again?” she asks.

I shrug and focus on massacring the pumpkin. Why the hell does the skin have to be so damn hard? It’s like trying to chop someone’s head off. Not that I’ve ever done that before of course.

“I said I’m in love with two people,” I repeat. I drop the knife with force onto the pumpkin and it splits open. The sound of the knife connecting with the wooden chopping board reverberates through the kitchen.

“You’re using the wrong knife, Teresa,” Mum says handing me a larger, much shaper knife.

I take it from her with a smile and put my small, insignificant one aside. The moment the new knife touches the pumpkin, it slides through easily.

“Thanks,” I exclaim, beaming up at Mum.

She nods and turns back to her potatoes. Nothing more is said on my confession but I know she’s thinking. Mum is like that. She’ll often work in silence but her mind is mulling over a topic of conversation.

Once I’m done chopping the pumpkin, I coat the pieces in oil and place them on the tray. Mum does the same with the potatoes and carrots then places them in the oven. We wash our hands then Mum gestures for me to sit down at the table. A few seconds later she sits opposite me.

“Now, what makes you think you’re in love with two people?” Mum asks.

I sigh and mull over what to say. Not wanting to tell her about my misdemeanours, when I talk I focus on explaining who Jamie and Julian are. I don’t go into great detail about how I met them, it’s safer this way. If either of them ever meet her, we’ll figure out the best story to tell then. Even though there’s a lot I’m not telling her, it still feels good to be able to get this off my chest.

For too long I’ve been ignoring my feelings toward Jamie. It doesn’t make the thoughts any easier but it means I can do something about it. Well, maybe. What that something is, I have no idea. Once again, that’s why I’m here. Mother’s know best, right?

When I’ve finished talking Mum shakes her head and reaches for my hands. She grasps them tightly and gives me a reassuring smile.

“You’re not in love with both of them, Teresa,” she says confidently. “It’s not possible to be in love with two people at once. If you think you’re in love with one person but then fall in love with someone else, you never truly loved the first person.”

I furrow my brow and look at Mum like she’s lost the plot. How’s this supposed to be helpful? How the hell am I supposed to know who I fell in love with first? It just happened!

Mum chuckled then let go of my hands. She stands up, removes the vegetables from the oven then sits down again.

“How am I supposed to know who I love then?” I ask.