The drive there wasn't very eventful. No super hyped song played on the radio. No police cruisers flying down the long stretch of highway. Now that he thought about it, there were barely any cars on the ride. It kinda gave Steven a feeling of isolation. Maybe he shouldn't have done this alone, and he was beginning to wish that he brought someone with him. Garnet would've have been a great choice. Even Amethyst could provide some support. Hell, maybe even Pearl mi-… Oh second thought I should have left it at Amethyst. Yeah, she was would have been enough. Steven grew tired of the radio silence, so turned it on, letting the first thing that came play.
Look up here, I'm in heaven
I got scars that can't be seen.
I got drama, can't be stolen.
"It's better than the silence, at least. *sigh* How long is this drive anyway?"
It's right after the funeral that Steven would meet his mother, Rose. They rode in the cab towards Rose's summer home. It was a modest two-story house that sat in front of the water. Steven noted that it was weird that the first floor was complete brick walls on all sides, and that you had to enter from the set of stairs that lead to a deck on the second floor. Rose informed him that they had already cleared out his stuff of Greg's old dwelling. That sort of stung the little boy. He at least wanted to see the old place after funeral. He figured he would have to move somewhere else, but he told he have more time to look through somethings. Old pictures. Those cool mittens he kept from when he was 5 that clearly outgrown. The bed where is shared his last few moments with father. Or the stain of the living room wall that resembled a turkey (that he may or not have created with his own hands at the age 6). Well, he figured that he better gets a look at his new home. He attempted to leave his mother's lap, but she quickly tightens.
"Please, give me a few minutes, Steven." She said with a shaken whisper.
She was understandably sad. Steven didn't say a word. He just laid back her frame, with back of his head rested against her chest. He didn't know what else to do. He never really knows a whole lot about this woman. Yeah, this was his mom, but that really was the extent of his knowledge of her. So, he stares off into the rain, and as quickly as that a few minutes turned to 15. The feeling of her heartbeat, and the sound of the raindrops, and the crash of the ocean was very soothing. He never realized how exhausted he was from all the crying. A good nap was in order. His eyes deserved a little rest.
He woken in an unfamiliar place. It wasn't the new house, the sounds of car horns blaring around outside was a giveaway. This must have been a hotel of sorts. Slowly, he rose from the bed, trying to fully take in his surroundings. That's when he noticed Rose sitting at the end of the bed, watching him since he been sleeping. Well, that's not weird at all. They both stared at each other, Steven was a bit nervous to say anything, and he could see from the blush on her cheeks and way she twiddled her thumbs, she was too. There were questions hanging on the edge of his tongue, he just didn't know how to get them out. Who are you? Are you really my mother? Did you dye your hair because your name is Rose? Why didn't you ever come around while I was growing up? Something in Steven found the strength to speak, and with it he asked the question that held a lot of weight on his mind. He felt like he was going to explode if he didn't get it out.
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Oh. I-it's passed the door on your right, Steven."
"Thanks." Hopping off the bed, he quickly walked to relieve himself.
He found his mother standing in the doorway of the latrine, tears streaming down her cheeks, breathing hiccupping as she failed to stop the pain from coming forth.
"Do you hate me, Steven?" She forced out.
He was as puzzled as he was surprised by the question. Hate? The word never came to his mind when he looked at her. Wonder? Yes. Mystery? Sure, it was there. Beauty was also thrown around. But hate wasn't in the young boy's vocabulary.
"No, I don't hate you. I never hated anyone in my life." He gave her leg a hug, in hopes to comfort her.
She stared at him. He didn't know why she looked at him like that. Did he do something wrong, or did she not like being touched? She suddenly reached down and picked him up in the air. She kissed his forehead, and, with a sigh, she smiled lovingly at him.
"I'm so happy that you're really here, Steven. You don't know how heavy of a weight this was to carry all these years, my son. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you all those years. I promise to make it up to you, Steven. As God as my witness I swear I always have loved you my son. I always wanted us to be together, like a family, Steven."
She seemed genuinely honest about how she felt. She is smiling now which meant that she was going to be okay. "It's fine. You probably had a lot of things to do, right mom?"
"Sure, baby. But don't worry. I'm going to make up as much time as I can with you. Is there's anything want? Anything short of the world is yours, just say the word."
"I don't know. Right now, I just want to spend some time with you."
"You really are your father's child."
The reunion was only to last for so long. Steven learned lots about his mother. She was a cover artist, where she would take songs by other artists and give her own music style to it. Studios loved her angelic voice and she was picked by so many; she barely had a lot of moments to herself. It was during this time that Rose met his father, Greg. Rose said she didn't think much of the man at first. He was a young aspiring artist looking for his big break. He was 18 at that time, and cocky like a M-4 on auto. She thought of as just that. A cocky little man with his head in the stars, and feet of the ground. So, when he asked her to lunch one day at the studio, she was so amused, she stifled a laugh and took him up on his offer. She learned on their "first date" that there was more to Greg than she originally thought. While cocky and easy-going, he did have a certain charm to his character. He was quite a gentleman, as she recalled, and she was surprised that he didn't flaunt his success or money around, rather donating it and giving a decent amount to the charities and less fortunate in the local area. After that encounter she continued to see him more and more. After a month or two dating she was overjoyed to here that she was pregnant with Steven. The studios however didn't take the news very well, and Greg was laid off as a result. Rose didn't like the fact that had happen to his father. Worst yet, they asked that she put the child up for adoption. She rejected the option. However, the studios threatened to drop her from her labels if she decided to keep it. She was in a tight spot. If she kept her child, she wouldn't be able to provide the best for her child. But if she gave up her baby, she'd mostly never see them again. Thankfully, Greg offered a solution. He would take care of him while she continued her career. He didn't ask for anything in return, after all, this was his child. He figured that it was his responsibility to be there for him. Rose thanked Greg for everything that he was about to do. When it was time for Rose to leave her child, she was distraught. She gave one last tearful goodbye to the love of her life, and the result of their union. She claimed that she always wanted to visit, but the studio moved 1000 miles away from them, and with Greg's encouragement, she continued her dream. Only it wasn't as glamorous as it used to be.
After a couple of days, Rose brought Steven back to the new house. Steven initial reaction to the interior was complete awe. It was so big. So many rooms and pictures of his mother hung all over the place. He remembers thinking that there was no way all these rooms could fit inside just one house. But of course, the inevitable was bound to the come visit them. Days after Steven moved into his new home, Rose came by his room. She placed a pink stone amulet with a gold band around his neck told him that she was going away for a while and didn't know when she would return. She brought in three strangers that she said were close friends of her. Their names were Garnet, Amethyst, and…
"Oh, I do believe that is it right there." Steven slowly pulled up along the entrance of the Airport. After scanning for a few minutes, he found his way to his mother. And she looked the same as she did, all those, some odd, years ago. Still beautiful, yet the feeling of wonder and mystery were not present this time. She was a little shorter than remembered mind you, but all and all, pretty much the same.
"Hey, son. It's been a while, hasn't it?" She said peering up to meet his eyes.
"Hey Rose. Let's get going." Steven picked up her suitcase, turned towards his car and walked at a brisk pace. Rose, slowly, trailed along.
They entered the car without a word. The silence continued as the two were on the highway. Once again sick of the awkward silence of the car, Steven reached for the radio, only for Rose to take hold of his hand. He casually turned his gaze from the empty highway and looked at his mother as she looked at his hand, stroking the suntan of his ring finger. Part of him wanted to rip his hand out of her soft palms as if they were covered in acid, but he told himself to play nice.
"Do you hate me, my son?" She asked.
He now knew what it meant to hate a person. To wish them away. To not have a connect or attachment to them. To be unphased if you were told that they were dying. That was his definition of it anyway.
"I don't know how to answer that one, Rose."
"[silent wail] Oh, God." She said as her grip stay firm on his hand but covered her face with her right palm.
Steven sighed at her and he focused his eyes back on the road. It was only 15 minutes' drive to the summer home.
'I going to need a drink to get through this one.' They both thought.
Thanks for tuning in. See ya next time. -NNW(EcriteExpert)
