Here, Here, and Here

*Eibhlin's POV*

We all sat down at the table. I was seated next to Tom and Bill sat across from me. Mrs. Tromper and Gordon sat at the heads of the table. On the table was a ham, corn and salad.

“Tom, will you please get everyone a drink” Mrs. Tromper, “What would you like to drink Eibhlin? Milk or water, or maybe ice tea if we have any?”

“Um, ice tea please and if there is none milk” I say with a polite smile that my mother always taught me to use when in others’ homes. And I did the one thing I hate to do even in private. I knew I had betrayed myself and made this evening awkward as soon as the tear rolled out of the corner of my eye. When the second one escaped I knew I had to as well.

“Excuse me” I said and got up and rushed towards the hallway and past Tom. I went in search of the bathroom, but by the third door I got to that wasn’t the bathroom I was about to break down. About five minutes after I had broken down and was calm enough to get up and find the bathroom the door opened. I was expecting it to be Mrs. Tromper, but instead it was Tom.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked peeking into the room.

“Yeah, your mom just reminded me of mine” I stood up and looked around. I saw an empty guitar stand and guessed it was his room, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just barge in here; I was looking for the bathroom.”

“It’s across the hall if you still need it” he gestured to a door across from the one he was holding open.

“Thanks” I walk into the bathroom. I shut the door and then I heard Tom go back downstairs. I turned to look at myself in the mirror. I groaned inwardly and shook my head looking at the frizzled mess that was my hair. I snapped the hair tie off my wrist and pulled my hair back into a messy bun. The next thing I did was take a wash cloth I found folded by the sink and got it wet with warm water. I then placed it on my face and patted it down a bit. I squeezed that out and placed it in the empty laundry basket. I turned on the faucet and let the water get freezing cold then cupped my hands underneath it. I let the water overflow my cupped hands then splashed it on my face. I looked at myself once more in the mirror before I decided I was ready to reappear.

I open the door to leave just as Mrs. Tromper was about to knock. “Dear are you okay?” she says placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Um…well it’s really…it’s just something that…” I couldn’t get out an answer that I thought would explain why I had burst into tears.

“Sweetie, Tom told me the gist of it, but now I want to hear it from you” she said leading to the window seat at the end of the hall.

“Well it was just simply me doing what my mother had taught me all my life: to be respectful to others, especially when you’re the guest.”

She cut me off, “What happened to your mom?”

“She died in a car accident two years ago” I closed my eyes as I remembered it all. I didn’t much like what I was seeing or what I was reliving. “I rather not go into farther detail Mrs. Tromper”

“Please, Simone and I understand.”

“I just remembered her and just missed her more in that moment than I have in, well, since she died.

“It’s okay. Please if you need to talk know you can talk to me” she said giving me a little hug.

“I will and thank you, but could you not tell my father please. If he knew he would get all worried and that’s the last thing I need is an overprotective dad right now” I smiled trying to make the situation a bit lighter.

After that night I was over there every day after school and stayed most nights for dinner. Tom and I started dating about nine months later. Simone became like another mom to me and I loved her like one. Until and even after I became one.