Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
H i mom!
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Yeah, I know, it's been a while. I'm sorry. I should have called you earlier. How's dad?
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That's so great! I know he's been working hard at it for a long time.
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I'm doing good. Really good, actually. Um. I have something to tell you.
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No I'm not pregnant! Geez, mom. I got hired for a sort of gig.
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Yeah, for cello. Not just playing though. Composing. I met up with an old friend and we worked on a song together. It's uh, it's become pretty popular. Have you heard that song they've been playing on the radio, that instrumental cello and piano piece?
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Yeah, that one. That was me.
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I know! It's crazy, right? I never thought it would do so well. My music partner is really famous, though, so it's not all me.
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Thanks mom. Ren tells me I should be proud of myself, too. That's the guy I wrote it with.
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Yeah, he's a boy.
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Mom, don't embarrass me.
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Alright, yes, we're dating.
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No he hasn't proposed yet! Can you calm down?
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I don't know when you can meet him. He's pretty busy.
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Like I said, his name is Ren. He's in a rock band. Have you heard of Feral Silence?
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No, I hadn't either.
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Yeah. I do remember that boy from music class.
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…I know. It was really sad. Um. Mom, can you keep a secret?
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It's the same Ren. It turns out we're living in the same city.
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I know. Mmm-hmm. Yeah.
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No, I guess no one else back home ever found out what happened to him.
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Really? I never thought ? —
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Oh. I guess it just seemed like his parents never looked that hard for him. He was eighteen when he left home. I thought they just didn't care all that much.
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Oh. Oh, wow. I never knew. I don't think he knows, either. Are you sure?
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Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I'll tell him. I can't make any promises, though.
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Yes, I'm happy. Very happy. I'll give you a call later when dad's home, okay?
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I love you, too mom.
I hung up the phone, still digesting what my mother had told me.
"You have a good chat?" Ren asked, coming out of the kitchen with a glass of champagne. He took a seat next me and handed me the glass. "To celebrate."
"We've been celebrating for a week."
"Not just the song's release," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders and tucking my head under his chest. "I want to celebrate us."
I snuggled down into his warm sweater. "Is it another anniversary?"
"Nope. I just love you so much." He planted a kiss on my head.
I let out a small, happy sigh, careful to do it quietly so Ren wouldn't know how sappy he made me feel inside.
I thought again about what my mom had said and shifted uncomfortably. "Hey Ren…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say or how to say it. "Do you ever think about your parents?"
He went still, his arms frozen around me. "Why are you asking?" he said, voice wooden.
"I was just talking to my mom. She mentioned something."
Ren stayed silent. I pressed on.
"She remembered you. She remembered that you left. Back then, she volunteered on the board of directors for this charity. Your mother was on it, too. She said…she said that she remembers how your mom reacted after you left. That she was like another person. She always seemed like she was on the verge of crying. She quit volunteering. She quit going to charity events. She just…stopped."
I heard Ren swallow.
"I think your mother misses you. I think she regrets everything that happened. My mom said she won't tell anyone, but…she thinks your mother would want to hear from you." I handed him my phone. "She texted me your mom's number."
Ren pulled away, getting up and turning his face from me. He ignored the phone in my hand.
"You don't have to!" I rushed off the sofa to reassure him, putting a hand on his chest to keep him from running away again. "My mom won't say anything. I just thought, well, it's been five years. A lot can change in five years. And if your mom really does regret everything… Maybe you could get a second chance?"
Ren looked down at my hand on his chest. I thought for a moment he might push me away, but instead he just let out a deep sigh and took my hand, placing it on his cheek and nuzzling it. We stood there chest to chest, the two of us silent as Ren breathed into my palm.
"Do you really think I should?" he murmured after several minutes.
"I think it can't hurt to try."
Ren took my phone and looked at the screen, staring at the phone number. Then he pulled out his own phone. He gripped it so tight and for so long I thought he was going to snap it in half.
Eventually, he brought his other hand to the screen. He tapped each number in slowly, almost reluctantly. He flicked his eyes up to mine as he tapped his phone a final time and put it to his ear. It rang.
"Hello?" I heard a woman's voice on the other side answer through the tinny phone speakers.
Ren took in a deep breath. "Hi, mom. It's Ren."
The gasp from his mother was audible. She spoke again, but it was so soft I couldn't hear it.
"Yes. It's really me."
Ren was silent for a long moment. I thought I could hear his mother crying over the phone. She spoke again, the words coming in a rush, sounding almost desperate.
"I know… Yeah… You did…"
He looked me briefly in the eyes before glancing away, staring at the opposite wall.
"…I just wish you had told me that earlier."
He went quiet, listening again. He looked down, his hair falling forward to cover his eyes. When his mother finally stopped speaking, he replied, his voice thick with emotion.
"I— I'm sorry, too."
I stepped back to head into the kitchen, wanting to give Ren some privacy. He caught my hand before I could go. His eyes were glistening.
"Thank you," he mouthed. "You're amazing."
I stood on my tiptoes and used both hands to bring his head down to mine, pressing a kiss to his forehead. His breath hitched as he clutched me close with one arm.
Ren was only half right.
We were amazing together.