AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Penny is dejected when Aiden tells her the truth about our engagement, and she gives me the silent treatment for about an hour. Aiden pulls her aside for a private conversation, and when she returns, she’s happier than ever. I don’t know what he said, but it’s enough for her to let go of her disappointment. When I ask Aiden, he shrugs. “We’re forgiven. It’s as easy as that.”
I raise a skeptical eyebrow, but I don’t question him further. Instead, I enjoy what little time I have left with the family. We’re interrupted when our phones begin chiming with an alert. My mother is on her way up the driveway, and I’m about to get some answers. My team wishes me luck, and the Shaw family says a quick prayer before everyone scatters like the wind. Aiden is the only one who stays, and that’s because I need his support.
When the doorbell rings, Aiden is the one who gets up to answer it, inviting Gretchen and her husband, Max, inside. We aren’t at the hugging stage yet, so I politely offer them a seat instead.
“Um. I wasn’t expecting anyone else,” I say, embarrassed that we will be airing our dirty laundry in front of Max.
“Max is my support, just as Aiden is yours, Savannah. I assume you have a lot of questions, and they may be difficult for me to answer. However, Max and I have both agreed that if his presence makes you uncomfortable, then he’s willing to step outside.”
I appreciate the gesture. “No, you’re right. It wouldn’t be fair of me to have someone to be by my side and ask you to go it alone. He can stay.”
My mother smiles warmly at me. “Thank you. I don’t deserve your kindness after the way I treated you. I was not a good person back then, and I’m here now, partly because of Aiden. I don’t mean ‘here’ as in your house, but ‘here’ as in happy and living a fruitful life. So, whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
I glance over at the man I’m head over heels in love with, curious as to what part he played in my mother’s transformation. Turning back toward Gretchen, I see her hand gripping Max’s tightly. “Why don’t you tell me your story so I can begin to understand? That’s probably the easiest place to start.”
She nods, and she lets go of her husband’s hand so she can clasp her own. “Okay. Like you, my life growing up was hard, and ‘love’ was considered a four-letter word in our household. There were no hugs, no kisses, and no sympathy. There were harsh consequences for the most minor of infractions. I ran away from home when I was 14, Savannah. That’s how bad it was.
“I lied on my first job application and said I was 16, working minimum wage and getting paid under the table in order to survive. I couldn’t go to a shelter because I would have been turned over to the state, and I was afraid of the punishment I would receive when they brought me home. I won’t go into details, but it was rough. I met your father while I was working at a diner and got pregnant with you when I was 18. Two days before we were supposed to be married, he died in a bar fight outside of Austin. I almost gave you up for adoption, but the moment I saw you in my arms, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I should have, if only to give you the life you deserved.” My mother breaks down and sobs while Max consoles her. Once she has regained her composure, she begins again.
“Your father’s name was Derek Svenson. I never told you his name because it didn’t matter, and I didn’t want you to face the same rejection I did from his parents. When we were going to get married, they disowned him and never wanted to see us again.”
“Did you love him?” I ask.
“No, and he didn’t love me. We enjoyed each other’s company, but that was the extent of it. Savannah, at that point in my life, I never knew what love felt like or how to express it,” she says, pained by the admission.
“Not even when I was born?” I ask hesitantly.
“I loved you the best way I knew how, and I love you now. I just didn’t know how to show it. I thought by pushing you to be better, I was creating a life for you. I had worked so hard to make sure you had opportunities at the expense of everything else. That wasn’t fair to you, Savannah. If I could take it back and do things differently, I would do it in a heartbeat. Instead of loving you as a mother should, I was cruel and heartless, thinking only about myself.”
I spent the next hour telling her about my life from my perspective and revealing to her the diagnosis that the doctor gave me when I had her kicked out of the room. Gretchen breaks down and cries, sobbing almost hysterically. “I had no idea,” she tells me. “How could you ever forgive me?”
I’m honest with her. “It wasn’t easy, Mother. And it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But it’s done, and like Aiden once said, our slate is wiped clean. How can I ask God for forgiveness if I’m not willing to forgive others? I’ve had to take lives. Granted, it’s been to save innocents, but it still hurts in my heart. I’m far from perfect.”
“Aren’t we all,” Max says, the first words I’ve heard him utter today other than a quick “hello.”
“Mom, you said Aiden is part of the reason why you’re here. What did you mean by that?”
“I haven’t heard that word in so very long. I never thought I’d hear it again,” she says in place of an answer.
“Huh?”
Aiden squeezes my hand, “You called her ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Mother’ or ‘Gretchen.’ That’s a sign you’re on your way toward healing.” I hadn’t realized I had even said it, but Aiden is right. With understanding and seeing Gretchen truly remorseful, there is hope as we move forward.
“Savannah, I didn’t mean to avoid your question. When I turned my back on you at your last pageant, I was penniless and alone. I thought you would eventually come crawling back to me, but you never did. I was broken and destroyed inside; hate and despair were eating me up. I walked into a church, and Aiden was kind to me. I repaid him by spitting at him, if you can believe that. Rather than turn away, he sat next to me and prayed. I never forgot that, even when I cursed at him and left.
“Broke, both in spirit and finances, I ended up homeless. Aiden saw me in line at a shelter and served me a meal. He didn’t just give me food. He brought his own plate and sat across from me. We didn’t talk for months, but every time I came in, he would keep me company. Eventually, we became friends. He got me a job at the church, and the rest is history. Aiden never lost faith in me.”
There isn’t a dry eye in the room by the time she finishes her story. “The love of Jesus, the love of a good man, and the love of a good friend are the reasons I’m here. I prayed every day for you to return home just so I could tell you how much I love you, Savannah. I’m just sad that it took me so long to understand what that means.”
I’m not quite ready to say the words back, but I know with time, the day will come. But I give her what we both need at this moment. In a whisper, I say, “I forgive you.”
Epilogue - Savannah
One Month Later
Leaving Aiden and Penny was the second most difficult thing I have ever done. Aiden didn’t ask me to stay, and I didn’t ask him to leave. We talk nearly every day on video calls, but it isn’t the same as being with him. There are no kisses and hugs, which is something I had come to love.
I have also been keeping in touch with my mom as we try to build a new relationship instead of fixing an old one. I’ve gotten to know Max as well, and he’s an absolute hoot when he gets going. He’s a shy guy until he gets comfortable with someone, so it’s nice to know that he’s comfortable around me. I’ll be heading to Savannah for Christmas this year to give the whole “family thing” a go.
