Chapter 14 | Turn Back Time
Grace turned away, giving Lily and Rick a chance to finish getting dressed. Their silence was awkward, no one quite sure of what to say. Grace was in shock; she couldn't believe the science she had just witnessed. It was bad enough that she and Eli had walked in on Lily and Rick but to find out that Rick is Eli's father, and poor Eli.
"I'm going to go after him," said Rick walking over to the door, now fully dressed. "Do you think that's a good idea?" Lily asked walking over to him. Grace looked away not able to met her mothers eyes. "I'll go after him," Grace offered taking a step towards the front door. "But-" Rick started, looking confused. "No buts" Lily cut in, "Grace and Eli are friends, let her go," she said soothingly as Grace ran out the front door.
_____
[Eli- Why did it have to be Graces mother, of all people]
Grace ran out onto the footpath, a million thoughts filling her mind. All this time Eli was Rick's son and they never knew. Looking down the street she could just barely see Eli. Taking off at top speed she ran towards him. Eli seeing her approaching began to walk faster.
"Eli! Wait up!" Grace called, slowing down. Eli didn't slow down but increased his pace even further. "Come on Eli, don't be like that" Grace pleaded. Eli swung around. "Don't be like that?" He shouted, not caring that other people on the street had heard his shout and turned to see what was happening. "I just caught my father having sex with YOUR MOTHER, of all people" he yelled, "and you can say don't be like that" Eli took off again.
[Grace- My mother, what about HIS father . . . how can he say that?]
Grace shocked at his outburst, and his cruel words stopped still for a second. "What do you mean MY MOTHER" Grace yelled after him. "What the fuck is wrong with my mother" they had now attracted the attention of almost the whole street, everyone stopping, staring, and listening to the scene unfolding in front of them Eli stopped realising his mistake, "Grace I didn't mean it to sound like that" he tried to explain, but it was too late, she had already turned around and was running back the way she had came.
[Grace- That fucking bastard, and to think- looks at camera and shakes head, tears rolling down her face- and to think that we had something . . . no]
[Eli- I didn't mean it to sound like that, I really didn't, its just that- shake head- Lily is Graces mother, the Grace that I just kissed not so long ago, the Grace that . . . just Grace. And to think that I hurt her again]
_____ It had been 3 hours since Grace had gone out after Eli, and yet Grace still hadn't returned. Lily was beginning to get worried. "Rick, she should have been home hours ago, maybe something happened," she said worriedly to Rick who was sitting next to her. "I'll call my place" Rick offered getting up from the couch where he had been sitting silently for the past hour and a half, awaiting Graces return. "Maybe they went back there" Rick walked over to the phone and dialled his number. Eli answered after only a few rings "E?" Rick asked, "yeah, umm" Rick cut him off "we'll talk later Eli, is Grace there" he asked.
[Eli- why would grace be here. . . with me . . . after the way I just treated her]
"No she's not" Eli asked confused "Why would she be?" Rick sighed and shook his head at Lily who was waiting anxiously. "Eli, when did you last see grace?" Rick asked. Eli looked up at the clock. "Um just over 2 hours ago, what's going on?" Eli asked beginning to get worried. "Grace never came home," Rick said quietly on the other end of the line.
_____
Rick turned to Lily and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Its going to be alright, Grace is probably just at a friends place, to embarrassed to come home" Rick tried to calm Lily down. "Yeah, that's probably it, it's just that it's so not like Grace to just disappear without letting anyone know where she is" Lily sighed. "There's nothing we can do at the moment, why don't we have something to eat, Grace will probably turn up later looking for dinner." He tried to reassure her.
_____
Grace didn't know why she was there; all she knew was that she had been walking non stop for the past 2 hours and some how ended up here. She knocked on the door.
[Grace- please let her be home]
Carla opened the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked, then noticed the look on Graces face. Grace shrugged. "Grace, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Carla asked, her only answer was Grace bursting into tears.
[10 minutes later]
Grace was sitting upstairs in Carla's room, her tears finally subsiding. "So are you going to tell me what's going on?" Carla asked. Its my mums boyfriend Rick, His Eli's father" Grace said, her voice void of emotion. "What you mean the guy your mothers seeing" Carla asked. "Oh, there more than seeing that's for sure. Me too, I'm done seeing tem for a lifetime" Grace laughed bitterly. "You mean . . ." Carla trailed off, not sure how to continue. Grace got up and walked over to Carla's window. "Yeah that's right, Eli and I walked in on them, together, o the couch" Grace tried in vain to get the image of them two out of her mind. "Oh" Carla said, not too sure why this was making Grace so upset. I mean sure it must have been hard to see her mother like that but- Grace broke into her thoughts. "That's not it though," she said turning away from Carla's window. "Eli, he kissed me," said Grace a tear creeping down her face. Grace turned back to the window, not wanting to face the pitying look she knew would fill Carla's eyes. _____
It was around 8:30 when Lily heard a knock at the door. Jumping out of Rick's arms she ran over to the door. Opening it she saw Grace, standing there looking down at the Ground. Grabbing her, Lily hugged her hard." Don't you ever do that to me again" Lily said, although relieved that Grace was okay. "I'm sorry, I just, I just needed some time on my own," Grace finally noticed Rick, who was standing just behind her mother. She shook her head, "I think I'm just going to go to bed, I'm tired," Grace said avoiding Rick's eyes as she walked past him and up the stairs.
Lily watched her climb the stairs then turned to Rick who took her in is arms. "Its times like these I wish I could turn back time," She whispered as Rick leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.
Grace turned away, giving Lily and Rick a chance to finish getting dressed. Their silence was awkward, no one quite sure of what to say. Grace was in shock; she couldn't believe the science she had just witnessed. It was bad enough that she and Eli had walked in on Lily and Rick but to find out that Rick is Eli's father, and poor Eli.
"I'm going to go after him," said Rick walking over to the door, now fully dressed. "Do you think that's a good idea?" Lily asked walking over to him. Grace looked away not able to met her mothers eyes. "I'll go after him," Grace offered taking a step towards the front door. "But-" Rick started, looking confused. "No buts" Lily cut in, "Grace and Eli are friends, let her go," she said soothingly as Grace ran out the front door.
_____
[Eli- Why did it have to be Graces mother, of all people]
Grace ran out onto the footpath, a million thoughts filling her mind. All this time Eli was Rick's son and they never knew. Looking down the street she could just barely see Eli. Taking off at top speed she ran towards him. Eli seeing her approaching began to walk faster.
"Eli! Wait up!" Grace called, slowing down. Eli didn't slow down but increased his pace even further. "Come on Eli, don't be like that" Grace pleaded. Eli swung around. "Don't be like that?" He shouted, not caring that other people on the street had heard his shout and turned to see what was happening. "I just caught my father having sex with YOUR MOTHER, of all people" he yelled, "and you can say don't be like that" Eli took off again.
[Grace- My mother, what about HIS father . . . how can he say that?]
Grace shocked at his outburst, and his cruel words stopped still for a second. "What do you mean MY MOTHER" Grace yelled after him. "What the fuck is wrong with my mother" they had now attracted the attention of almost the whole street, everyone stopping, staring, and listening to the scene unfolding in front of them Eli stopped realising his mistake, "Grace I didn't mean it to sound like that" he tried to explain, but it was too late, she had already turned around and was running back the way she had came.
[Grace- That fucking bastard, and to think- looks at camera and shakes head, tears rolling down her face- and to think that we had something . . . no]
[Eli- I didn't mean it to sound like that, I really didn't, its just that- shake head- Lily is Graces mother, the Grace that I just kissed not so long ago, the Grace that . . . just Grace. And to think that I hurt her again]
_____ It had been 3 hours since Grace had gone out after Eli, and yet Grace still hadn't returned. Lily was beginning to get worried. "Rick, she should have been home hours ago, maybe something happened," she said worriedly to Rick who was sitting next to her. "I'll call my place" Rick offered getting up from the couch where he had been sitting silently for the past hour and a half, awaiting Graces return. "Maybe they went back there" Rick walked over to the phone and dialled his number. Eli answered after only a few rings "E?" Rick asked, "yeah, umm" Rick cut him off "we'll talk later Eli, is Grace there" he asked.
[Eli- why would grace be here. . . with me . . . after the way I just treated her]
"No she's not" Eli asked confused "Why would she be?" Rick sighed and shook his head at Lily who was waiting anxiously. "Eli, when did you last see grace?" Rick asked. Eli looked up at the clock. "Um just over 2 hours ago, what's going on?" Eli asked beginning to get worried. "Grace never came home," Rick said quietly on the other end of the line.
_____
Rick turned to Lily and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Its going to be alright, Grace is probably just at a friends place, to embarrassed to come home" Rick tried to calm Lily down. "Yeah, that's probably it, it's just that it's so not like Grace to just disappear without letting anyone know where she is" Lily sighed. "There's nothing we can do at the moment, why don't we have something to eat, Grace will probably turn up later looking for dinner." He tried to reassure her.
_____
Grace didn't know why she was there; all she knew was that she had been walking non stop for the past 2 hours and some how ended up here. She knocked on the door.
[Grace- please let her be home]
Carla opened the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked, then noticed the look on Graces face. Grace shrugged. "Grace, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Carla asked, her only answer was Grace bursting into tears.
[10 minutes later]
Grace was sitting upstairs in Carla's room, her tears finally subsiding. "So are you going to tell me what's going on?" Carla asked. Its my mums boyfriend Rick, His Eli's father" Grace said, her voice void of emotion. "What you mean the guy your mothers seeing" Carla asked. "Oh, there more than seeing that's for sure. Me too, I'm done seeing tem for a lifetime" Grace laughed bitterly. "You mean . . ." Carla trailed off, not sure how to continue. Grace got up and walked over to Carla's window. "Yeah that's right, Eli and I walked in on them, together, o the couch" Grace tried in vain to get the image of them two out of her mind. "Oh" Carla said, not too sure why this was making Grace so upset. I mean sure it must have been hard to see her mother like that but- Grace broke into her thoughts. "That's not it though," she said turning away from Carla's window. "Eli, he kissed me," said Grace a tear creeping down her face. Grace turned back to the window, not wanting to face the pitying look she knew would fill Carla's eyes. _____
It was around 8:30 when Lily heard a knock at the door. Jumping out of Rick's arms she ran over to the door. Opening it she saw Grace, standing there looking down at the Ground. Grabbing her, Lily hugged her hard." Don't you ever do that to me again" Lily said, although relieved that Grace was okay. "I'm sorry, I just, I just needed some time on my own," Grace finally noticed Rick, who was standing just behind her mother. She shook her head, "I think I'm just going to go to bed, I'm tired," Grace said avoiding Rick's eyes as she walked past him and up the stairs.
Lily watched her climb the stairs then turned to Rick who took her in is arms. "Its times like these I wish I could turn back time," She whispered as Rick leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.