Chapter 21 Poppy
“ O h my God, Mom,” I yell out, jumping out of my car to help her as she struggles on my doorstep. With the amount of boxes she’s carrying—and the large bouquet of dried flowers from Andi’s wedding sitting on top—I cannot even see her face. As she peers at me around the boxes, I can see a slight furrow of her brow which tells me she has something she wants to talk about, and it isn’t all about just bringing me presents and things for my classroom.
As I start taking the boxes from her, she breathlessly says, “Thank you, sweetie. I had so many things to bring you. Your dad just ran down to the bakery and will be back soon.”
My heart warms at the idea of them both visiting, I’ve missed our talks.
“So it’s a double team,” I say jokingly under my breath as the scent of salt water on the air and this surprise visit from my parents reminds me I’m truly back in Honey Cove.
“What’s that dear?” My mom turns back from unlocking my front door, and I can see the way the light shows her gray highlights and makes the stone in her long necklace sparkle. Both of my parents are getting older, but neither have let it slow them down. They’re still busy in the community, helping with fundraisers and getting together with their friends. It’s nice, something I hope for one day and one of the reasons I love this town so much.
“Nothing.” I smile at her and reach out over the packages to give her a tight hug. “It’s nice to see you, Mom.” With the door now open, she flicks on the lights and we carry all of the boxes inside, setting them down on the coffee table in the living room.. Her eyes do a quick glance around the room and I remember she hasn’t been back here since I’ve come home.
“The house looks good. Are those some new curtains?”
In the week since being home, I’d made a few changes. I want to make the space mine again and help it feel a little different. Nothing big, just different . The new floral curtains and boho-esque pillows are my way to stake some claim on this new chapter in my life.
I walk into the kitchen and grab some wineglasses, and I answer her. “Yeah, do you like them? I just wanted a bit of a change.” Her eyes travel down to her hands, drumming them on my white countertop, then look over at where I have some of the prints from my trip laid out on the dining table. “Would you like red or white?” Wine with my mom has been our tradition since I was old enough, it’s our “ladies’ night” thing and for when we need to talk, which I am getting all the signals we do. I’m sure my dad heading to the bakery was also a covert way to give us some time alone.
“I do. Very pretty. And sure, red please.” She pauses before adding, “The pillows are nice, too, they add a punch of color to the room.” A punch of color? My mom must be really worried to be using phrases like that, usually she just sticks to “that’s nice.” My father is the decorator between them and is where I get my artistic side.
After pouring our glasses, we move over to the couch. She sinks into the gray, overstuffed fabric and moves one of the new throw pillows out of the way, picking mindlessly at the string details as I hand her the glass.
“Okay, Mom, out with it.”
“What?”
“You clearly have something you’d like to talk about, so let’s talk.” I think I know where this is going.
“Well, okay. I’ve just been worried about you after everything with Steven, and then at the wedding when you needed to leave early. Your father and I just want to make sure you’re actually alright or if you need anything.” She pauses, gauging my reaction before plowing on. “You know, your uncle John has dealt with a lot of depression and I just want to make sure you’re alright. We’re here to help however you need, if you want to talk with someone, we can figure that out together.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. While I haven’t wanted anyone else prying into my life, my parents have always shown how much they care about me, and this is no exception. Their questions have never felt like burdens. Moving over to sit next to her, I lean over to give her a big hug. “Thank you, Mom, I appreciate you caring about me so much. I have been talking with a therapist virtually while I was traveling and am planning to keep doing it.”
“Oh, I didn’t know, that’s great, sweetie. Is it helping?” Her eyes are wide, and she looks at me in anticipation.
“Yeah, I think it will take some time, but I like her and it seems to be a good fit. And while I wouldn’t say I feel depressed, it has been a hard transition. Traveling was good for me, but I’m happy to be back now. I still missed Honey Cove.”
“That’s good to hear. Well, we love you so much and want you to know you can always talk with us.”
“I know, Mom, thanks.” After a brief pause, the sound of a car pulling up tells us that my dad has arrived. “I hope Dad got something good. Want to look at some of the prints from my trip?”
“I’d love that.”
I reach for my work bag next to the couch and pull out the ones I developed this week. Handing her the pile, she starts flipping through them as I move to sit next to her on the couch. “Hi, my lovely ladies,” my dad calls as he pushes open the front door, holding a box from the bakery in one hand.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Come look at Poppy’s pictures from the trip, they’re gorgeous,” my mom calls out to him, taking a sip from her wineglass and holding up the print.
“This one is looking out at Lake Ontario from the city. I loved the view so much.” It was one of my favorite parts because it made it feel like home, staring out over the lake felt so similar to the view here in Honey Cove.
“I like this one.” My dad still holds the bakery box, but has nestled himself next to my mom on the couch, looking over the pictures laid out on the coffee table.
“That one is from the CN Tower, it’s the tallest building there. They even have tours where you can pay to walk on the edge, but I did not do that,” I laugh, remembering the few minutes I pondered actually trying it.
My parents stay for a while, eating and enjoying looking over my photos and hearing about the trip. It feels so good to have this time with them and to feel comfortable in my space again. I did miss this.