The Diary of Existing

FORTY TWO

FORTY TWO

That night, me and Henry did meet up.

We sat by the bench, and he brought over mozzarella sticks from earlier that day when he went out to eat with Wesley. We sat there just taking the sticks down. I was expecting it to be an awkward moment, but in all honesty it really didn't feel that way.

"Do they taste good?" Henry asked and I looked at the half eaten stick on my hand unsure if I really was enjoying what I was eating. I shrugged and went ahead to eat it, Henry just laughed.

"Wesley brought you up today at lunch." Henry said.

Okay, so this is where the awkwardness enters I suppose.

"He asked me what I knew about you. I told him he should just take you out or something. Didn't the two of you go to Snowshill?" Henry asked as he looked at me, still chewing on a mozzarella stick.

"Yeah, we went to go see the lavender fields. Then we talked a bit about his parents. I honestly can't remember what we even talked about. All I know is I tried asking about Jacqueline and him not being close anymore and there's the topic about his family." I said and Henry nodded.

"What can you tell me about his family Henry?" I asked and Henry sighed. Scratching the back of his head, he looked uncomfortable. I didn't know if it was because we were talking about Wesley or because the topic might not be a good one.

"What do you remember?" Henry asked and I shrugged.

"I feel bad for not remembering what he shared to me." I said and Henry shook his head.

"Well, him and his mom moved in with us. It all started when his dad died. When Wesley was born he wasn't really as rich as say me or Morgan. They weren't that poor either, until Wesley's dad died. He died of a heart attack, stemming from so much exhaustion. Wesley's mom says he was one of the most hardworking people she's ever met, mainly because they grew up in the foster system and they never had anything stable. They wanted to make sure their children would, so Wesley's dad was always working." Henry began and I just sat there like a child paying attention to a story.

"I guess it got the best of him. They didn't really know much about their medical history since they have no idea who their parents are. Which is why Wesley and his mom are the only family they have. But before he died he left them something, but it wasn't enough of course. When he was still alive he was working not only to give their future children everything they don't have but also because Wesley's mom was still studying to become a cardiologist." Henry said, then looked down on the ground, his face serious.

"But of course with what happened to Wesley's dad she kind of didn't see that specialty as... Special." Henry said and sighed.

"But yeah again, he didn't leave much, it wasn't enough. So my mom met her and to cut it short, she helped her out, she got to finish but as a dermatologist and now she has her own practice and she's as rich as my mom." Henry said, trying to make the last part as enthusiastic as possible.

"Then Wesley and I basically grew up together, we were close friends and all. When I was a kid I used to think he was actually my brother. And my mom said I was so happy that I told her that she can return Alice to whomever she got Alice from." Henry said and I laughed at the last part.

Hearing what had happened to Wesley's dad sounded so tragic. But he turned out to be one hell of a guy. But the idea of losing a parent, where does one even begin to say how painful that is? How difficult it must have been for not just Wesley to grow up without a father but most especially his mom, who had to raise him with no family to be there to give even the smallest moral support.