AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The ache in my heart had a million layers, and with Trevor on my mind, there was another one.I don’t miss him. I don’t wish he was here with me. It was never in the cards for us. Never.
How did I convince myself that was true? How in the hell did I come up with the money to get Mom across the ocean for surgery? I only had a couple of months to find out.
Chapter 2
Byron
Mom and I went to ourfavorite twenty-four-hour diner. The place had that familiar, humble, homey feeling, and sliding into the old mustard-yellow booths gave us a tiny bit of comfort.
“What’re you two having?” Asked one of the waiters, a guy who was new this year, but we saw him all the time. He wore a black apron, chunky black non-slip shoes, and a tired but kindly smile.
“Short stack for me, with lots of butter and syrup,” Mom said. “Tuna melt for the kid.” She jerked her head at me.
“And lots of coffee,” I added. “Two slices of apple pie a la mode, too. It’s been a rough one.”
Mom and I settled in to wait for our food as our waiter hustled away, calling out our order to the cook.
I stroked a finger over the condensation on the glass of ice water he brought me. “I’ll figure out which one is our best option. I have my savings, and maybe I can get a loan.”
Mom leaned forward and rested her meaty elbows on he table, crossing her arms. “Bye, I can’t have you going into massive debt for me. I can cash out my 401k.”
“Which won’t be enough by itself, Mom. We can add that into the pot. Plus my savings and my 401k. That’s getting us closer, but we’ll still absolutely need a loan. I have the credit for it, I’m sure. I should be able to use my car as collateral.”
“Your car?” she asked in disbelief. “Byron, I won’t have you going to the poorhouse for me.”
I held up my hands. “What other options do we have, Mom?”
“There’s got to be something else besides you ruining your future when...” She trailed off.
“Were you gonna say, ‘when I don’t have one?’” She didn’t reply, just looked at me defiantly. I knew she would be stubborn, but I never expected this.
“Mom, for heaven’s sake. Now’s not the time for your silly pride. You’d go all out if this was happening to me, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s not even a question, son. That’s just it, though, you’re my son. I take care of you, not the other way around.”
“No, Mom, we take care of each other. What’s my future if you’re not in it? One thing we’re not going to do-” I tapped my finger on the table hard, “is argue about getting you this surgery, by hook or by crook. I don’t care what it takes, and you’re not gonna change my mind. I’m not just gonna sit back and...”watch you die.
