Hey everyone, so sorry for the wait, but my disk that I save my work on had
a problem and it can't be opened without it being reformatted (which erases
everything on the disk), so I've lost my original chapter 13, which has
sent me into a bad mood for a while. But anyways, here it is:
Chap. 13- Embraces
"Wait here." Vaughn instructed to the four of them as he opened the car door. Staggering, from sheer exhaustion of driving all day, he unsteadily walked up the stone steps and rang the door bell. He could hear the soft slippered steady footsteps approaching the door, and out of habit, he combed his hair with his fingers and tugged at his shirt.
The curtain covering the window near the door was pulled back quickly and before it had settled back into its usual position, the large door swung open and a woman walked forward, enveloping Vaughn into a tight hug.
"Michael!"
"Maman." Vaughn answered, returning her warm embrace.
Bridgette Vaughn looked into her son's bloodshot eyes and then past his shoulder at the dark car. Squinting, she made out four figures. One had slumped against the door and she assumed that the person was sleeping soundly. The other three sat quietly and unmoving.
"You look awful, Michael." She remarked, cupping his face with her hand. Michael put his hand over hers and smiled.
"Thanks, Maman."
She smiled back at him, and then waved him off toward the car.
"Go get your friends. I have your beds made already and your dinner is on the stove."
Vaughn nodded and turned back to walk down the path and toward the car slowly, the feeling in his leg and back starting to come back. Reaching the car, he opened the door and they all squinted at the sudden light.
"Come on. There are beds waiting for you inside."
"Beds?" Mark asked sleepily in a surprised tone, as if beds were a rare luxury.
"Yes. Beds." Vaughn confirmed.
Mark sat up from his sleeping position and the rest of them grabbed their luggage, walking into the house.
After dinner and a countless number of thank-you's to Bridgette for her hospitality, Mark, James, and Ana trooped upstairs into their rooms, eager for the warm bed. Sydney and Vaughn stayed downstairs in the kitchen, taking over the task of washing the dishes from Bridgette and trying to usher her upstairs.
Bridgette, refusing, started to wipe down the table and her ears could catch the whispered conversation between Sydney and Vaughn. She knew that something had happened or Vaughn wouldn't have called her like this, at the last minute. The car, she noticed, couldn't have been the car they had started with. It wasn't sensible to rent a car that small to fit five people in.
"What are you going to do about the car?" Bridgette asked quietly, as she walked over to the sink to hang the tea towel.
Sydney and Vaughn looked over at her, surprised, but did not show it.
"I don't know yet." Vaughn answered his mother honestly. He was too tired to think.
"I'll park it in a towing zone." Sydney said, starting to get up from where she had just sat down. "It's a rental, it'll eventually be returned when nobody claims it."
"Sit. Sit." Bridgette said, motioning to Sydney.
Sydney sat obediently.
"We're too far out." Vaughn said, sensing her confusion. "The next major city with towing zones is about two hours away."
"The truck is broken." Bridgette said, "You can't follow behind her."
"Is it possible to wait until morning?"
"No. This road is very busy in the mornings. I allow people to drive across it so they will not have to go all the way around."
Vaughn rubbed his face in frustration, causing Bridgette to notice his agitation.
"I'm out of ideas." Vaughn said, leaning against the wall.
"Don't worry." Bridgette assured Sydney and Vaughn. "I'll take care of it."
As the two of them were about to ask her how, she remarked at how tired they both looked and mentioned the beds she had promised. Vaughn groaned and looked at his mother through one eye. She nodded comfortingly and he looked over at Sydney who had been silent.
"Thank you, Mrs. Vaughn...for everything."
"Bridgette, please." Bridgette said, embracing Sydney in a deep motherly hug.
Tears sprang from Sydney's eyes and turning away so that Bridgette wouldn't see, she walked quickly up the stairs. Vaughn, seeing how upset Sydney was, wished his mother a good-night and walked up after her.
Bridgette had seen the tears in Sydney's eyes, and wondered. Shaking her head, she set her mind to the focus task and walked into the study, closing the thick door behind her so that nobody could hear her conversation. Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and listened.
"Hello?" He asked groggily, annoyed at the hour.
"I need a favor." She said.
"Bridgette! A favor?"
"Yes."
"Ask."
"I need you to take care of a car for me."
"Why? What happened?" The man asked immediately.
"It's not for me. It's for my son." She told him
"Well..." The man said, hesitating.
"Please."
"Alright, I'll send somebody over right now."
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, Bridgette. After all you've done for us; it is the least I can do."
Vaughn reached Sydney's room just as she was wiping the tears from her eye.
"Syd? Are you okay?" He asked his voice housing deep concern.
"Yea, it's the..."
"No it's not." He cut in, knowing that her tears had nothing to do with her pregnancy. "What's wrong?"
Sydney turned away and refused to look at him. Standing motionless for five minutes, he turned to leave, respecting her privacy. As he took one step, she started to sob softly again. Walking across the room, he hugged her gently and turned her to look at him.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly, trying again.
Sydney up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes that were now flowing freely.
"In these few minutes that I've known her, your mother has been more of a mother to me than mine ever has...and look at all the pain that I've caused her..."
Realization dawned upon Vaughn and he whispered to her fiercely,
"Syd. You and your mother are two different people. You had nothing to do with what happened to my father and she knows that."
Shaking her head, Sydney looked at Vaughn in wonderment.
"How can you even like me? How can you even touch me?" She choked. "How can you even look at me without seeing my mother's face?"
"You will never be your mother, Sydney."
The tears had stopped flowing and Sydney suddenly realized how close they were standing, how tightly they held each other, how steady Vaughn's heart beat. The two of them, drew back awkwardly.
"You should get some sleep..." Vaughn mumbled. "Good night."
"Good night." Sydney answered as he closed the door behind him.
When she heard his door close, she changed quickly and slipped into bed. She closed her eyes and as sleep was about to envelope her in its fuzzy embrace; her eyes flew open, her brain clear again, all sleepiness gone.
She had not thought with her head, but with her heart, and her heart confirmed what she had dreaded feeling.
She had experienced the feeling of want, of love, of wanting some thing she could not have.
Chap. 13- Embraces
"Wait here." Vaughn instructed to the four of them as he opened the car door. Staggering, from sheer exhaustion of driving all day, he unsteadily walked up the stone steps and rang the door bell. He could hear the soft slippered steady footsteps approaching the door, and out of habit, he combed his hair with his fingers and tugged at his shirt.
The curtain covering the window near the door was pulled back quickly and before it had settled back into its usual position, the large door swung open and a woman walked forward, enveloping Vaughn into a tight hug.
"Michael!"
"Maman." Vaughn answered, returning her warm embrace.
Bridgette Vaughn looked into her son's bloodshot eyes and then past his shoulder at the dark car. Squinting, she made out four figures. One had slumped against the door and she assumed that the person was sleeping soundly. The other three sat quietly and unmoving.
"You look awful, Michael." She remarked, cupping his face with her hand. Michael put his hand over hers and smiled.
"Thanks, Maman."
She smiled back at him, and then waved him off toward the car.
"Go get your friends. I have your beds made already and your dinner is on the stove."
Vaughn nodded and turned back to walk down the path and toward the car slowly, the feeling in his leg and back starting to come back. Reaching the car, he opened the door and they all squinted at the sudden light.
"Come on. There are beds waiting for you inside."
"Beds?" Mark asked sleepily in a surprised tone, as if beds were a rare luxury.
"Yes. Beds." Vaughn confirmed.
Mark sat up from his sleeping position and the rest of them grabbed their luggage, walking into the house.
After dinner and a countless number of thank-you's to Bridgette for her hospitality, Mark, James, and Ana trooped upstairs into their rooms, eager for the warm bed. Sydney and Vaughn stayed downstairs in the kitchen, taking over the task of washing the dishes from Bridgette and trying to usher her upstairs.
Bridgette, refusing, started to wipe down the table and her ears could catch the whispered conversation between Sydney and Vaughn. She knew that something had happened or Vaughn wouldn't have called her like this, at the last minute. The car, she noticed, couldn't have been the car they had started with. It wasn't sensible to rent a car that small to fit five people in.
"What are you going to do about the car?" Bridgette asked quietly, as she walked over to the sink to hang the tea towel.
Sydney and Vaughn looked over at her, surprised, but did not show it.
"I don't know yet." Vaughn answered his mother honestly. He was too tired to think.
"I'll park it in a towing zone." Sydney said, starting to get up from where she had just sat down. "It's a rental, it'll eventually be returned when nobody claims it."
"Sit. Sit." Bridgette said, motioning to Sydney.
Sydney sat obediently.
"We're too far out." Vaughn said, sensing her confusion. "The next major city with towing zones is about two hours away."
"The truck is broken." Bridgette said, "You can't follow behind her."
"Is it possible to wait until morning?"
"No. This road is very busy in the mornings. I allow people to drive across it so they will not have to go all the way around."
Vaughn rubbed his face in frustration, causing Bridgette to notice his agitation.
"I'm out of ideas." Vaughn said, leaning against the wall.
"Don't worry." Bridgette assured Sydney and Vaughn. "I'll take care of it."
As the two of them were about to ask her how, she remarked at how tired they both looked and mentioned the beds she had promised. Vaughn groaned and looked at his mother through one eye. She nodded comfortingly and he looked over at Sydney who had been silent.
"Thank you, Mrs. Vaughn...for everything."
"Bridgette, please." Bridgette said, embracing Sydney in a deep motherly hug.
Tears sprang from Sydney's eyes and turning away so that Bridgette wouldn't see, she walked quickly up the stairs. Vaughn, seeing how upset Sydney was, wished his mother a good-night and walked up after her.
Bridgette had seen the tears in Sydney's eyes, and wondered. Shaking her head, she set her mind to the focus task and walked into the study, closing the thick door behind her so that nobody could hear her conversation. Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and listened.
"Hello?" He asked groggily, annoyed at the hour.
"I need a favor." She said.
"Bridgette! A favor?"
"Yes."
"Ask."
"I need you to take care of a car for me."
"Why? What happened?" The man asked immediately.
"It's not for me. It's for my son." She told him
"Well..." The man said, hesitating.
"Please."
"Alright, I'll send somebody over right now."
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, Bridgette. After all you've done for us; it is the least I can do."
Vaughn reached Sydney's room just as she was wiping the tears from her eye.
"Syd? Are you okay?" He asked his voice housing deep concern.
"Yea, it's the..."
"No it's not." He cut in, knowing that her tears had nothing to do with her pregnancy. "What's wrong?"
Sydney turned away and refused to look at him. Standing motionless for five minutes, he turned to leave, respecting her privacy. As he took one step, she started to sob softly again. Walking across the room, he hugged her gently and turned her to look at him.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly, trying again.
Sydney up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes that were now flowing freely.
"In these few minutes that I've known her, your mother has been more of a mother to me than mine ever has...and look at all the pain that I've caused her..."
Realization dawned upon Vaughn and he whispered to her fiercely,
"Syd. You and your mother are two different people. You had nothing to do with what happened to my father and she knows that."
Shaking her head, Sydney looked at Vaughn in wonderment.
"How can you even like me? How can you even touch me?" She choked. "How can you even look at me without seeing my mother's face?"
"You will never be your mother, Sydney."
The tears had stopped flowing and Sydney suddenly realized how close they were standing, how tightly they held each other, how steady Vaughn's heart beat. The two of them, drew back awkwardly.
"You should get some sleep..." Vaughn mumbled. "Good night."
"Good night." Sydney answered as he closed the door behind him.
When she heard his door close, she changed quickly and slipped into bed. She closed her eyes and as sleep was about to envelope her in its fuzzy embrace; her eyes flew open, her brain clear again, all sleepiness gone.
She had not thought with her head, but with her heart, and her heart confirmed what she had dreaded feeling.
She had experienced the feeling of want, of love, of wanting some thing she could not have.