Well, I'll Wait 'Til You Listen, I Won't Say a Word
In Which A Fight Occurs.
I slept for a few more hours. I woke to someone shaking me and yelling in my ear.
“ELAINE JENNIFER MATHIS! I have a bone to pick with you!” It was none other than the screeching voice of my mother.
“What, mom?” I croaked. She was clearly ignoring the fact that I had just suffered a head trauma and pretty much felt like my brain was going to explode from pain.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME?! I WAS WORRIED SICK!”
“Mom, please, my head. Stop yelling.” I moaned.
“FINE.” She appeared to take a deep breath, and then she continued. “The hospital called me last night to let me know. And I don’t understand why you didn’t let me know as soon as it happened! My god, I always knew that damn soccer of yours was going to be nothing but trouble, I knew it. I told you that from the beginning.” She paused. “I don’t get it, Elaine. I don’t get why you don’t seem to love or trust your own mother. And you never listen to me, either.”
That was it. The proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. I’d had it with her lies, her blaming everything on me. I sat up straight in bed and looked her directly in the eyes.
“NO MOM, IT’S YOU!” I shouted. My head was throbbing, but I didn’t care. “I can’t trust you because you don’t care! You don’t! You only love Kayla, I’m nothing to you! Nothing but a burden.” I started to cry. “I can’t deal anymore! I can’t, I can’t. I LOVE YOU MOM, BUT CAN’T YOU SEE?” I quieted my voice, speaking slowly, trying to keep calm. “Can’t you see? I’ve never felt that you loved me since dad died.”
“Lanie, I didn’t realize. I…” She was speechless, but at this point, I didn’t want to here a word from her.
“Please leave, Mom. I can’t deal with this at the moment. Please.” I said gently.
“Alright, Elaine.” She turned, looking bewildered and upset. But I honestly couldn’t stand to face her any longer.
A few moments passed. I lay on my bed quietly, but I wasn’t feeling any better. Then Adam came in, a coffee cup in his hand.
“Hey, Lane! You’re up!” he said happily.
“Yeah, I am.” I attempted a smile, sitting up.
“Feeling better?”
“A little, my head still hurts, but nothing I can’t handle.” Okay, so I was lying a little. My head hurt a whole lot. It was making me miserable.
“Well, I talked to the doctor, and you can pack up your stuff. You’re allowed to go home.” He grinned. “Awesome, right? I can drive you home, if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great. And listen, my mom stopped in…”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t good. I told her off. At this point, I’d rather stay at the hospital than go home.”
He thought for a second. “Do you think, maybe, you’d want to stay at my house for a night or two? My mom won’t mind having you over. Matt could even come, if you want.”
“Yeah, I mean, if that’s okay with you. The only thing is, I’d have to get stuff from home, and...” I said unsurely.
“No problem. You can borrow something of mine, if you want. We might even have an extra toothbrush.”
I laughed. “Okay, it’s on. I just gotta get dressed and get my stuff together.”
“Alrighty, then. Meet you in the lobby in a few minutes?”
“Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“ELAINE JENNIFER MATHIS! I have a bone to pick with you!” It was none other than the screeching voice of my mother.
“What, mom?” I croaked. She was clearly ignoring the fact that I had just suffered a head trauma and pretty much felt like my brain was going to explode from pain.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME?! I WAS WORRIED SICK!”
“Mom, please, my head. Stop yelling.” I moaned.
“FINE.” She appeared to take a deep breath, and then she continued. “The hospital called me last night to let me know. And I don’t understand why you didn’t let me know as soon as it happened! My god, I always knew that damn soccer of yours was going to be nothing but trouble, I knew it. I told you that from the beginning.” She paused. “I don’t get it, Elaine. I don’t get why you don’t seem to love or trust your own mother. And you never listen to me, either.”
That was it. The proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. I’d had it with her lies, her blaming everything on me. I sat up straight in bed and looked her directly in the eyes.
“NO MOM, IT’S YOU!” I shouted. My head was throbbing, but I didn’t care. “I can’t trust you because you don’t care! You don’t! You only love Kayla, I’m nothing to you! Nothing but a burden.” I started to cry. “I can’t deal anymore! I can’t, I can’t. I LOVE YOU MOM, BUT CAN’T YOU SEE?” I quieted my voice, speaking slowly, trying to keep calm. “Can’t you see? I’ve never felt that you loved me since dad died.”
“Lanie, I didn’t realize. I…” She was speechless, but at this point, I didn’t want to here a word from her.
“Please leave, Mom. I can’t deal with this at the moment. Please.” I said gently.
“Alright, Elaine.” She turned, looking bewildered and upset. But I honestly couldn’t stand to face her any longer.
A few moments passed. I lay on my bed quietly, but I wasn’t feeling any better. Then Adam came in, a coffee cup in his hand.
“Hey, Lane! You’re up!” he said happily.
“Yeah, I am.” I attempted a smile, sitting up.
“Feeling better?”
“A little, my head still hurts, but nothing I can’t handle.” Okay, so I was lying a little. My head hurt a whole lot. It was making me miserable.
“Well, I talked to the doctor, and you can pack up your stuff. You’re allowed to go home.” He grinned. “Awesome, right? I can drive you home, if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great. And listen, my mom stopped in…”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t good. I told her off. At this point, I’d rather stay at the hospital than go home.”
He thought for a second. “Do you think, maybe, you’d want to stay at my house for a night or two? My mom won’t mind having you over. Matt could even come, if you want.”
“Yeah, I mean, if that’s okay with you. The only thing is, I’d have to get stuff from home, and...” I said unsurely.
“No problem. You can borrow something of mine, if you want. We might even have an extra toothbrush.”
I laughed. “Okay, it’s on. I just gotta get dressed and get my stuff together.”
“Alrighty, then. Meet you in the lobby in a few minutes?”
“Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”