Holding Out

Holding Out - Chapter 28

A few days past. Then a week, then two weeks, and still I hadn't gone back to work. Jason's dad was practically kissing my butt begging me not to press charges or go public.

He gave me as much paid time off as needed to think about it but there was nothing to think about. I used to time to sulk in my room. It was dark just like my life. My mom and Tanya called everyday worried about me. I didn't want to talk. I felt too empty and I didn't need them telling me how stupid I was. My phone buzzed again and my mom's face popped up on my screen.

I pressed ignore and sunk deeper into my bed. Suddenly I heard a knock at the door. I ignored it; I only wanted to see one person right now. I pulled the blanket over my head waiting for them to go away when all of a sudden I felt the covers being pulled off me. At once my body was cold and exposed. I looked up to see Tanya and my mom standing there.

"Ugh go away!" I groaned reaching for the covers.

"Jade we have been calling you for days!" Tanya exclaimed.

I reached for the blankets again, "I gave you a key to my apartment for emergencies only ma."

"And what would this qualify as? Did you not just hear Tanya say we've been calling you for days?"

"Are you Ok? We saw your company on the news; we thought something happened to you." Tanya said.

My mom sat on the bed, "baby are you alright? What happened?" she leaned in to check my head, "good God Jade when's the last time you showered?" she said jumping off the bed. "You smell like death rolled over twice girl!"

I made a sad face, I hadn't showered since I saw Isaac with...her. I knew I must stink bad because my mother took the lord name in vein, "a few days." I lied.

"Oh dear lord." She said fanning my breath away.

"Alright, shower first and for the love of God brush those teeth. Then we can talk." She pushed me to the bathroom.

About thirty minutes of scrubbing and brushing later I finally felt clean enough to face my mother. I walked out of the bathroom and I didn't see my mother or Tanya. I looked all around and finally found them on the balcony outside.

"We had to let the apartment air out." Tanya said making a face. "Jade girl I never knew you could stink so bad."

I rolled my eyes, "very funny."

"So are you going to tell us why you're cooped up in your bed ignoring the world?" My mom asked.

I told them everything that happened starting from the day Isaac went out of town, to Vivian, to Jason. After I explained everything they both sat speechless.

"You big dummy!" my mother finally shouted.

"You need to go over there and fix this now." Tanya said.

I sighed, "I can't go over there, and he's moved on. I guess Vivian was telling the truth after all. If he can have another girl four days after we break up."

I looked over my balcony and saw the moldy soggy cupcake from my birthday. It perfectly represented how I felt. "I messed up ma, I let someone get in. I knew better."

"Listen to me baby, I may not know everything but I know that man loves you. I saw it all over his face when you guys were at the house. The same look you had in your eyes. Jade seeing you so happy inspired me to get back out there. When your father passed away. I didn't want to get involved with anyone else. I didn't want to risk losing another person I loved, but honey I realized that I can't spend my whole life hiding from love. Neither can you. Tanya is right, you need to go talk to him. Trust me you don't want to spend the rest of your life missing him. He called me a few days ago. He's moving to New York today." She added.

"What?" I asked stunned.

"Go over there." Tanya said.

"I can't it's too late, besides it was never meant to be anyway." I said disappointed, "We're too different."

"Are you kidding me?!" she asked stunned, "I've never meant two people more meant for each other."

I looked at her confused, Tanya had been married for five years, "Uh what about you and Charles."

She rolled her eyes, "Charles doesn't count, I had to mold him into the one."

I laughed, "well I can't mold Isaac."

"I just realized I don't know my own daughter." My mom said breaking her silence.

I looked at her curiously, not saying a word.
"You are one of the most determined people I know. You worked your way through medical school and then without any experience at all you made yourself the top ad exec in the city. You moved to a city where you know no one. You took a chance like that Jade. You've never given up on anything since you were a little girl. Now this woman comes in here and you forget who you are? You are a Jones girl. We are not women who give up or who let anyone get the best of us. We are strong and smart. Don't let that woman make you change who you are."

"Ma, Vivian had nothing to do with it. We're incompatible. I know for a fact that it's not going to work."

"The sooner you realized that you don't know nothin' the better we'll all be!" she argued, "baby If you love that man, and I mean really love him with all you have, then you have to fight to get him back. Ive seen you beat up men twice your size and you mean to tell me that you're gonna let some blonde beat you?"

I paused for a second to take in what my mother had said. Had I let myself become a person who just gives up? Every since the night I made my Vow, I always promised myself I would never let anything like that happen again. I never expected that those words would hold me hostage for so many years. She was right it was time for me to start fighting again.

"So now are you going to get your man or are Tanya and I going to have to drag your ass out of this apartment?"

I looked at my mother and cousin who were waiting on me to answer. I took a deep breath, "let's go get my man!" I said finally.