48. Celine #2
“Your daughter, ma’am. Have you received word if she is okay?”
“What? No, I–”
“Are you saying that you haven’t checked to see if your daughter was one of the victims who were brutally murdered by the priest earlier today?”
My mother shakes her head rapidly and waves her hand in the air, sighing and rolling her eyes. “Honestly, all you news people are full of lies, and you spread rumors. Just like what you are doing, talking about Father Keaton, who was a man of Go–”
Teresa walks away from my mother, but you can still hear her in the background, yelling and defending Father Keaton’s honor.
“This is a reminder to any family member who has a daughter, cousin, or niece who is attending Grace Community to please check that your loved one is safe.” She smiles empathetically, holding eye contact with the camera.
“We will keep you updated with any new information regarding the events that took place today.”
I gently place the phone back on the table and relax back into my seat.
“Jesus,” Vince announces with disgust. “Are you okay?”
Keeping my eyes focused on the phone, I calmly explain.
“I have no tears left for them. No more energy or time to waste worrying about them when they clearly don’t care about me.
I mean, she immediately was more concerned about Father Keaton and defending him before she even thought about whether I was safe. ”
“I don’t know how to explain this feeling.
But I feel… free of them. I don’t need their acceptance anymore.
I don’t even want it. They’re the only ones who said I wasn’t ever good enough; the only ones who refused to love me for who I am.
And that’s their loss.” I smile softly yet confidently. “So, yeah, I’m okay.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Amelia leans her head on my shoulder.
“Me too,” Vince rests his head on my other shoulder.
“I’m proud of me, too,” I say and then add, “Isn’t there a saying that goes ‘Blood Sucks, Friends Rule’?”
Vince’s head jerks up. “Girl, what?”
They both laugh loudly, and Amelia says, “I don’t think that’s right.”
“Eh.” I shrug. “I’m sticking with it.”
“If you insist on keeping… whatever quote you just made up, can you at least add in–” Vince cups his hand over my ear and whispers the last part he wants me to add, and it makes me bite the inside of my cheek to hold back the tears.
I pull back and look at my friends, thinking back to everything we’ve been through together, and for some reason, it’s only clicking now.
It never mattered what the situation or how busy our lives were; if one of us needed help, we’d be there.
There hasn’t been a time when I had to question if they didn’t like me because they continuously showed me they loved me for who I was and have always been supportive and generous, and…
that’s everything I’ve been begging my parents to do all my life.
I don’t know how I allowed this charade to go on with my parents for so long.
They made it clear to me from a very young age that I’m not the daughter they dreamed of because I wouldn’t conform to the person they wanted me to be.
They wanted to dictate how I dress, who I spent my time with, and my beliefs.
That’s not how a family is supposed to treat each other.
Blood or not, they aren’t meant to be my family.
So I guess what I’ve realized is, family doesn’t have to be the one you are born into. It can be built with the people you meet throughout your lifetime.
Vince and Amelia have been there since day one. They are my family, and that is enough for me.
After sitting at the table for a few more minutes, Amelia and Vince have distracted me with stories of the things I wasn’t there for. And as much fun as it was to hear about the things I missed, it also made me sad because I missed them.
Once Vince is done telling how things escalated with Asher, I feel a pang in my chest and think about Alex.
I really should be back in the waiting room in case the nurse comes out to let me know he is ready for visitors.
Plus, after watching the video of my mother on Vince’s phone, I realized I had left mine charging in the lobby.
“Why don’t you guys grab some snacks and coffee? I’ll meet you in the waiting room.” I tell them.
“We don’t want to leave you alone, Celine,” Amelia states.
“I’ll be okay, I promise. I haven’t eaten in a while, and coffee sounds good right now.”
“I’ll go with you, and Vince can bring back all the goodies.” Amelia grins at Vince.
“I won’t be able to carry snacks and three coffees. We can make two trips,” Vince suggests.
“You guys, I’m only walking down the hall. I’ll be fine until you get back.” I laugh and head to the cafeteria doors, making sure to wave to them before exiting.
As I stagger back to the waiting room, using the wall to help me walk the corridor, I hear a voice in the distance.
“Celine?”
I pause mid movement, unsure if I heard the voice or if it’s all in my head. I’d recognize that it anywhere. But it can’t be… it has to be all in my head. There has been so much going on, and it is probably the grief playing tricks with my mind.
“Hello, Earth to Celine?” I hear the voice again, louder this time, and it sounds too real.
My body straightens as I hear footsteps coming closer. There is a light tap on my shoulder, and with my hand planted against the wall to keep me upright, I slowly turn around, tears welling in my eyes.
Once I see her, she puts her hands in the air and says, “Boo!” followed by a laugh.
She wraps her arms around me, and my body stays still. Unable to move, not because she is hugging me, but because I’m in shock for what feels like the hundredth time tonight.
When I don’t laugh or lift my arms to return the hug, she backs away and watches my face. My mouth opens, brows furrowing as I stare at her.
“Too soon?” she asks, regretfully, as she scrunches her nose.
“Est– Esther?” I stutter, looking her up and down to gauge if she is real or a ghost coming back to haunt me.
She takes that as a cue to spin around in her hospital gown. “The one and only!”
“But… How.. You died… I watched you–” My voice quivers. “I saw them take you away. You di–” I trail off.
“Oh, right. No, I didn’t die. Clearly.” She lets out a sarcastic giggle, gesturing to herself, and smiles proudly. “I faked it.”
“You faked it?” I’m not quite sure what I’m feeling or how to describe it, but if I had to, it’s a mix of wanting to jump up and down in excitement, pull her back into a hug and never let her go, or yell at her for making me believe that she was dead.
She snorts, nodding nonchalantly. “Yeah, there’s absolutely no way I’d let that bastard be the reason I die. Not a chance.”
“How?”
“Well, that was what I was going to tell you before that man dragged me away. The reason I suggested we split up was so you and Alex could find an exit while I served as the distraction, because I realized I had a better chance of surviving Father Keaton.”
I stare at her in utter confusion because my brain cannot comprehend what the hell is going on right now.
“No offense,” she adds, then continues explaining.
“I just meant that I can hold my breath underwater for a very long time. Back when I was stuck at home, I would go swimming in our pool and see how long I could hold my breath. I’d time myself and always try to break my record and the amount of time Father Keaton held me under was nowhere near my top record. ”
She starts to let out another laugh, but sees the terror on my face as I remember seeing him drowning her, and she clears her throat.
“Anyway, I figured the only way I could get out of that pool was to pretend I drowned. I knew he wouldn’t stop until I was dead. Pretty good actor, huh?” With how speechless I am in this moment, she gives me an innocent yet guilty smile.
“Uhm, okay…” I shake my head, trying to digest everything she just said. “So then what happened after they took you into that room? Were you able to find a way out?”