I feel guilty that it took her upcoming biopsy to get me here. We haven’t had time alone like this in years, and I can tell she’s loving it as much as I am.
The sunsets here are incredible, and we’re soaking tonight’s up, walking arm in arm on the stretch of beach that’s hers.
“It never gets old,” she says, smiling as she looks out over the vast ocean waves. “I felt like I really started to heal when I moved here. Everything was new, from the smells to the sounds to the views.”
“You needed a fresh start.”
“I did. And I’m happy here. I’m not ready to leave this world yet, but…if this is my time, I’ll go knowing I found peace. When I first found out what your father had done…I didn’t think I’d ever be at peace again.”
I squeeze her arm. “Do you ever feel lonely here all by yourself?”
“I don’t. I read a lot, and I have friends. There’s even…a man I’ve been seeing.”
“Mom!” I stop and turn to her, my heart pounding with surprise and happiness. “Why haven’t you told me? I’ve been here for four days, and you’re just now mentioning this?”
She tries to hide a smile as she looks out at the crashing waves. “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you or anything, I just…we’re taking things slow, you know? He lost his wife to ovarian cancer six years ago.”
“Slow is good. I’m just so happy you’re putting yourself out there again.”
“I didn’t want to at first, but Ben was persistent. He sent me roses every day until I agreed to have dinner with him.”
I swallow against the lump in my throat. This is what my mom deserves—a man who treasures her. I could cry tears of joy right now.
“Sounds like he knows a good thing when he sees it,” I say, bending down to pick up a shell embedded in the sand.
“I haven’t told him about the biopsy.”
I look up at her. “Why not?”
She shrugs. “The loss of his wife was hard for him. She was very sick. I didn’t want to worry him unless I find out it’s cancer.”
I sigh softly. Even the sound of the word sends a jolt throughout my body. We went to the hospital for her biopsy yesterday, and now we’re waiting for the results.
I’m trying to be strong for her, but it’s taking everything I’ve got. I’ve always loved my mom, but I feel like I’ve neglected our relationship since getting married.
I’ve been constantly on the go, always at Jude’s side or working on my own career. I haven’t taken the time to not just see my mom for holidays but to spend quality time together like we have these past few days.
And now that I see how much I’ve been missing with her, I want to make it right. I want more one-on-one time with her like this. And if Jude and I have children, I want to bring them to this beach to be with her and have quiet days like this one.
My phone dings with a text, and my mom smiles. “I think Jude’s missing you. Give him a call.”
“He can wait.”
“I owe Ben a call back, actually.” She turns toward the house. “Want some tea?”
“I’d love some.” I take out my phone and see that she was right—Jude was the one texting me. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I touch my phone screen to dial Jude, who answers right away.
“Hey, babe, how are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Hang on a sec.” His voice becomes muffled as he covers the phone and talks to someone else. “Okay, I’m here.”
“Tyson?” I ask.
“Yeah. He took almost an entire day off. I’m not sure he’ll ever recover.”
