Discovering Mum Ch 11

You would think that with everything going on, the sexual tension and the nervousness about the outcome of tomorrow, sleep would have been slow to come. Clearly that wasn't the case, though. I swear I only blinked, but when my eyes opened, there was bright sunlight coming around the edges of the curtains and lighting the room up. At first, I thought someone had shone their headlights against the window of our room, but the light was all wrong for that.

I looked across at the other bed and saw Mum sitting up with a cup of coffee steaming in the morning light. She was just staring at the wall opposite, and I wondered how long she had been awake. She looked tired, and I suspect she didn't get a lot of sleep last night. She seemed to sense me looking at her and turned to me. She smiled at me and took a sip of her coffee.

"Well, hello there, sleeping beauty."

I smiled back at her.

"Sorry, but I must have completely flaked it last night."

"That's okay. You obviously needed it."

I already knew that she hadn't had a good night, but I asked anyway.

"How did you sleep?"

"Not so well. I think I slept too long in the car, plus the sleep yesterday afternoon has messed me up."

I knew there was more to it than that, but it didn't seem right to call her out on it. I pulled back the sheets and sat up on the edge of the bed. Then after a few moments I stood up and stretched before making myself a cup of coffee. I returned to the beds, but I chose to sit on the bed next to her. I put my arm around her and hugged her to me. I kissed her on the forehead then let her go. She looked up at me for a moment, and I could see tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mum. I feel so awkward. I want to comfort you because I know today is

going to be tough, but I also feel like it's not my place to be doing that because... Well, you know."

She chuckled softly.

"Because you're not just my son anymore. Because you are my lover now as well."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

She nodded. And for a while didn't say anything. She took another sip of her coffee and let out a shaky sigh.

"Even now you are showing me more love, care, and genuine sympathy than he ever did throughout our entire marriage. Yet, it's hitting me today that my marriage is over. It's been over for years, to be honest, and this is just the final death knell, but it's like reality has finally sunk in."

There was nothing I could say that wouldn't sound hollow, and to be honest, I don't think she needed me to say anything, so I just held her.

After a while, we both finished our coffee, and she shifted away from me. She sat up on the edge of the bed and then reached back for my empty coffee cup. I took this to mean it was the moment that we needed to get moving. I got up and got dressed, then made sure our bags were packed and ready to go. While I was doing this, Mum's phone rang. I listened for a moment, but as soon as I realised it was Granny, I left them to their conversation.

I loaded the car, and rather than go back into the room, I decided to go for a small walk. Not to go anywhere in particular but to blow the cobwebs out of my mind, get some fresh air, and give them some privacy. As I walked along the main street, I had the strange sensation of being a stranger in my own hometown. I didn't belong here anymore. It had only been a few days, but so much had changed in that time that I felt like I was a completely different person. I saw the town the way a stranger might as they were travelling through.

The dirty industrial buildings, the shops that still had businesses in them, were looking run down and tired as though the people who were running them had all but given up hope. The rest were empty and forlorn-looking with dirty windows and weeds growing out of the cracks in the footpath around them. The houses were nice enough, but even they looked drab. It was an overcast day, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time the place had felt sunny and alive to me.

Growing up in a place gives you a false sense of a town. It's coloured with memories and personal experiences, but when you take off the rose-tinted glasses, you get a glimpse of the reality. As I thought this, I was reminded of the emerald glasses in The Wizard of Oz.

Geographically, it was a mostly flat town with only one hill. On top of that hill was an ugly, brick factory that looked over the town like some low-budget, industrial version of a castle. It was here that my father worked, and I wondered if he was at work yet.

I looked at my phone and knew that he wouldn't have left for work yet but probably would in the next half hour or so. Our home was on the south side of town, and I wasn't concerned about him driving past and seeing me on my walk. He would have to go a long way out of his way to stumble upon me, and there was nothing of interest for him out this end of town.

I felt my phone buzz in my hand and looked at the message.

"Where did you go? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to give you time to talk to Granny without me hanging

around."

"Thank you. Are you ready to get going?"

"Yep. I'll be back in a minute."

I turned around and headed back to the motel. I was only three blocks from the motel, so it would only take me five minutes. As I walked back, I could feel the tension rising in me as I thought about what was about to happen.

I walked back into the motel room, and she embraced me in a hug. She looked a lot happier about things now, although I could feel the nervous energy running through her. She held me at arm's length and looked me in the eye.

"Are you alright with this? Am I asking too much of you?"

I smiled at her.

"My biggest concern is whether you are okay. I'll be fine. This has been coming for a while now. I was on my way out regardless. I was just trying to work out how. The fact that I am taking you with me is the absolute icing on the cake. I know today is going to be tough, and I wish there was something more I could do to help, but short of packing things in the car, I just don't know what else I can do."

She smiled, then hugged me tight.

"You are already doing more for me than you could possibly know."

She released me and looked at her phone. She nodded to herself and let out a huge sigh.

"Alright. Let's go do this."

We returned the keys, then took the familiar drive up through the town to his work.

"What will you do if he's not there?"

She pointed to the end of the car park where his car was sitting.

"He's here."

"And if he won't talk to you?"

"Oh, he'll talk to me unless he wants me to make a scene in front of his work colleagues about his affair."

I chuckled as I imagined how that would go down.

"Are you going to be alright to catch a taxi back to me? Do you need me to come back and get you?"

"I've got no idea how long this is going to take. I'll catch the taxi, but I promise I will call you if I need you to come and get me."

I sighed.

"Okay, well, stay safe, and if you change your mind and need me to come and get you, just call me."

I wanted to say more, to hold her, to go in there with her and protect her, but I knew that my presence would just make things worse. I got the sense that she wanted to say more too, but she held back. Eventually, she gave me a smile and got out of the car. I watched as she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and then strode towards the front door. I waited for her to enter the building before I started the car and left.

Five minutes later I was pulling up out the front of our house. I had planned on reversing the car and trailer down the driveway, but when I pulled up, I was shocked to see Tracy's car was still in the driveway. I sat there frozen for a moment, not sure what to do. Were they being so brazen about their affair that she had gone in to work with him? Surely not. Had her car broken down? That didn't really make sense either. Was she going in to work later today or just not working? Did that mean she was here in the house still? As soon as I thought it, I knew I was right. The next question was what do I do about it? Well, I guess I go and say hello. This is still my home after all, and surely no one would be upset or offended about me entering my own home.

I got out of the car and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I set the video recording to show that I was approaching the house and that her car was still in the driveway. I opened the front door and walked inside. The house was quite dark because all the blinds were still closed. Something that I never thought I would feel weird about, but it made me realise that Mum always opened the blinds and let the sun shine in every morning. It didn't mean anything really, but it inexplicably pissed me off.

I listened for sounds of movement, but the only sounds I could hear from the lounge room were the clock ticking on the wall and the hum of the refrigerator in the next room. I immediately made a beeline for their bedroom. The door was wide open, but it was very dark in there. I could smell the strong scent of perfume, and I knew it wasn't one I had ever smelt on Mum. I heard a half smothered snore, and all possible denial went out the window. I knew for certain that she was in here now. At this point, I just didn't care who I pissed off, so I held the camera up and turned on the bedroom light.

The first thing I noticed was that there was only one person in the bed. I then saw the frizz of dried-out, bleached hair above the sheet. I don't know where it came from, but a smart-assed comment just burst forth from me, and I wasn't quiet about it.

"Well, well, well, it seems Goldilocks found the bed that's juuuust right."

The sudden light and my loud voice scared the crap out of her, and she sat bolt upright. Woken from a very deep sleep, she looked around blearily. Because she had sat bolt upright, the sheets were thrown off her top half, and she was very obviously naked. Her breasts were on full display as she blinked in confusion. The second she realised that someone other than my father was in the room, she gave a raucous squeal and pulled the sheets up to her throat.

"What the fuck?"

"I could ask the same question, Tracy, but I actually know exactly what the fuck, or at least who did the fucking."

The realisation that she had just been caught in the worst possible way seemed to hit her like a runaway truck as her eyes practically bulged out of her face and her mouth dropped open in a large "O." It was in that same moment that she noticed the phone in my hand.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

She pointed to the phone accusingly as though I was the one doing something wrong. I don't know, maybe I was, but at this point, I just didn't care. I did stop recording, though. I closed the phone and put it in my pocket.

"Evidence collecting, Tracy. Now you have exactly five minutes. Get dressed, get your shit together, and get the fuck out of my house before I call the cops and have you charged with breaking and entering."

"But I didn't. I...I...I was invited."

"Oh, I know, but the whole neighbourhood and all your workmates will know that you are being interviewed by the cops, and it won't take long for them to know why."

She just gawped at me in a state of shock, and I could see a hundred thoughts running through her mind, trying to find a way out of this, but she couldn't seem to come up with anything that would work. I tapped a finger on an imaginary watch on my wrist and then headed for the door, saying.

"Tick-tock."

I walked out of the room and shut the door behind me. I walked out into the kitchen, where I noticed her car keys and mobile phone plugged into a charger. Her phone was ringing, and on the display was the name Darren. Dad was obviously trying to warn her to get out, but it was far too late. When it stopped ringing, it came up with the message "6 missed calls." It made me realise that she would be calling Dad the moment she got her hands on it, and I was glad that it was out here and not in the bedroom. I sent Mum a message asking if she was alright and telling her to watch the video I had just sent her. I hoped she would be able to and not decide to wait until after she had spoken to Dad.

"I'm okay. He's hiding in his office and won't come out at the moment. According to the girl at the desk, he is on a phone call."

I snapped a photo of Tracy's phone and the "6 missed calls" sign and sent it to her.

"Yeah, this is the phone call he's on."

There was no reply, and I hoped it was because she was watching the video or at least getting to talk to Dad. I knew there was nothing I could do at this point but wait, but I was worried.

I looked at the time, and the five minutes was up. I wasn't planning on being a psycho and physically throwing her out, but she didn't know that. I leaned into the hallway and called towards the bedroom.

"Time's up. Do I need to make that phone call to the police now?"

I could hear frantic scrambling, then the door flew open. She looked like a wild animal caught in a trap. She had a look of fury and embarrassment on her face, and her hair was standing up all over the place. She had her shoes in her hand, but at least she was dressed now. She looked like the sort of person who wouldn't normally leave the house without an hour in the bathroom doing hair and makeup, and she resented being made to go out in public looking the way she did.

There was plenty I could have said to her, but the crazed look on her face made me think that she was probably one smart-ass comment away from completely losing her shit. I figured the shame and humiliation were enough. I just stood back and watched as she grabbed her phone and keys. She gave me one last filthy look before she stomped out the door.

I heard her car start, and I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realised I was holding. The tension in the house seemed to leak out the door as she left, and I took a moment to process what had just happened. I even watched the video back just to prove to myself that it did actually happen. I got to the part where she sat bolt upright in the bed, and I burst out laughing. She looked like a crazy jack-in-the-box. It really was quite comical.

I shook my head to clear it, then, remembering what I needed to do, I went back out to the car. I backed the trailer down the driveway; it only took three goes to get it in place, which I felt was an improvement on yesterday's effort. I then consulted the list we had written last night and set about getting the most important things from the list into the car first.

I was constantly worried about Mum and frustrated that there was nothing I could do, so I just worked as hard and fast as I could, checking my phone every five minutes in case I missed a call or message.

I got all the important things of hers loaded that she wanted, then focused on my room. It was weird to walk into my bedroom. It felt like an entire lifetime had passed since I was in here last, yet it was only a few days. I looked around the room and realised there was actually very little in there that I really wanted to take into my new life.

I took any school-related items and my hard drives. I left the desktop computer because the laptop I bought myself at the end of last year was a lot newer and easier to transport. I grabbed my favourite books and my music collection. After that, I stuffed all of my clothes into a box.

After going through the list we had written out, I had no idea what else she wanted me to grab, so I went through the list again to make sure I hadn't missed anything. I was certain that I now had everything I needed, and all I could do was wait. I wandered around the house trying to think of anything that we had missed, but to be honest, it was all superficial stuff. I know she didn't want to worry about the furniture, and after seeing the video, she would more likely want to burn the bed than take it with us.

I was feeling a bit at a loss because there seemed to be an urgency, but at the same time, I wasn't sure what to do next and had to wait. I was watching the clock, and after an hour and a half, I was really beginning to get concerned.

was walking what felt like my one-hundredth lap of the house when my phone rang. It was in my hand, and it startled me to the point where I nearly dropped it. I looked at the screen and saw that it was Mum. For a moment I had a horrible feeling it would be Dad.

"Oh, thank god. Are you alright?"

I could hear the smile in her voice as soon as she spoke, and that eased my mind as much as her words did.

"Hi, honey. I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. I'm in a taxi, and I'll be there soon. I just have to pick something up, and then I'll be there. Are you okay? Did you have any dramas with the hussy?"

I laughed at her description.

"Nah, I'm fine. I think she knew the gig was up pretty quickly and ran as fast as she could. I'll tell you all about it when you get here."

I had been thinking about making a cup of coffee when she rang, so I went and turned the kettle on. I got two mugs out and prepared everything. As soon as the taxi pulled up, I flicked the kettle back on to re-boil it. I opened the door for her and helped her carry in the folded-up moving boxes she had picked up on the way.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she dropped everything and wrapped her arms around my neck. We stood there just holding each other for a couple of minutes, just glad to be reunited.

We made our way back into the kitchen, where I poured us each our coffee.

"So, tell me how it all went."

She laughed.

"Well, it was interesting really. I walked in and asked to speak to him and was told pretty much straight away that he was on a phone call, so I just sat and waited in the reception area. I would have loved to have seen him sweating bullets in there. I got your message while I was waiting, so I watched it. Goldilocks was a very funny touch, by the way."

I laughed as I remembered the moment.

"I have no idea where that came from, but I don't think she liked it much. I don't think she really enjoyed any part of this morning, to be honest."

"I bet she didn't."

"She certainly gave me some dirty looks as she was going out the door."

"Good, I'm glad it pissed her off. I had just finished watching it when he finally came out of his office. The fear on his face was obvious, and it made me feel good. He knew his goose was cooked as soon as he saw me. He started to say something, then looked at the girl at the desk and thought better of it. He ushered me into his office, but at first, he didn't say anything. I could almost see the thoughts swirling around his mind, and frankly, I was enjoying his discomfort. Then he finally came out and asked where you were. He knew that if you were home, then there was trouble, and I think he hoped you were either still at Grannies or at least out in the car park."

"I reckon he knew where I was but was hoping against all odds that I wasn't here."

"Exactly. I just looked at him and said home. It was almost like he deflated in front of me. He knew there was no chance that we didn't know now. He just stood there, not saying anything. He wasn't going to openly admit to anything; that would mean admitting he had done something wrong, and we both know he's incapable of doing that. His phone started ringing, and he looked at it, and his face just went redder. It didn't look like he was going to answer it, but I told him he probably should answer it. He didn't want to, with me standing there, but I pretty much gave him no choice. He answered, and I could hear her yelling in a panic down the phone, and he just kept telling her to shush. When she finally did, all he said was, "I can't talk now because my wife is here." He said it like he was talking to some business partner and not someone he cared about. He just dismissed her and hung up. I actually laughed right then."