CHAPTER 22: FOR EVERYONE’S HAPPINESS

"Of course, that is how it should be. You should live with your husband," I told her with an encouraging smile. My mother looked even more conflicted than before, and I wondered if I had said something wrong.

"You see, I’m not so sure that I feel comfortable about leaving you here alone. It just feels like I’m abandoning you simply because I’m getting married," my mother confessed, and she looked so heartbroken that it hurt me inside to see her that way.

"You don’t have to worry about me. I’m all grown up now seriously, and I can live on my own," I told her with a firm nod of my head.

Even though I’ve spent my entire life living with her, I knew that it was normal for people my age to have moved out by now. If other people could do it, I couldn’t see any reason why I wouldn’t make it on my own.

"I don’t know how to explain this, but it just feels so strange for me to be apart from you. It makes me feel like I’m abandoning you, and that’s not what I want," my mother said with clear distress.

"Mom, you’re not abandoning me, and it’s not like we’ll never get to see each other again if you move to live with your husband," I said as I tried desperately to calm her down. My mother had tears in her eyes, and she had to wipe them away with the back of her hand.

"Maybe this is all just a big mistake. Maybe I’m just being selfish and forgetting about my only daughter," my mother said, and her face was red with intense emotions.

"Please don’t think that way. Just as you think my happiness is important, I think your happiness is very important as well. Listen to me, it’s time for you to finally be happy and for you to live your life for your own sake," I said passionately as I took her hands into mine and gave them a squeeze.

"Abby, I didn’t want to make this selfish request, but do you think it will be possible for you to move in with us?" my mother asked, and I had never seen her look so torn before in my life.

I could understand her feelings of guilt and worry for leaving me alone in the house while she went off to live in a luxurious mansion along with her new husband. It had always been a dream of my mother to build a perfect family, although that dream of hers was completely crushed when my father left even before I was born. I sighed in resignation when I realized that I was the one who was now standing in the way of her achieving her dream.

"If that’s what you want, I’m willing to do it. I’ll move in," I said as I nodded my head slightly before smiling at her.

"Really? You’ll really do that?" she asked, as if she couldn’t believe the decision that I had made.

"Sure. I’m sure we’ll make a great family together. Let’s be happy from now on, Mom," I told her sincerely.

...

Despite the help from the organizers, there were many things that needed to be done in preparation for the upcoming wedding. I made the convenient excuse of helping out my mother with all those tasks as a way to take holiday leave from work. The truth was I was just running away from reality because I didn’t feel ready to face the entire truth. By that time, I had gotten over the fact that both my ex-fiancé and best friend had betrayed me to a certain degree. All the ’what if’s’ and all thoughts of trying to figure out when and where it went wrong no longer haunted me. Although I didn’t want to admit it, it felt like that steamy night that I spent with Raphael truly served its purpose of propelling me forward and helping me to move on, even if it wasn’t completely.

The hard truth was that I hadn’t made up my mind about what to do about my job. Like it or not, I was still employed by the company owned by Emily’s family, and that was also the same company where Sam was working. Although we worked in different departments, there was still a high chance that we would run into each other at the company. Even though I knew that I should keep my professional and personal life separate, it became hard for me to do in practice.

The thought of returning to work while risking hearing people gossip and talk about the end of my relationship and the news of Sam’s and Emily’s wedding, which seemed to coincide in perfect timing, wasn’t something that I looked forward to. On top of that, I had very mixed feelings about working at Emily’s company, and because of that, I used my mother’s upcoming wedding and its related preparation as an excuse to stay away from work until I made up my mind about my future career. Getting a new job at another company seemed like the right solution, but that would mean that I had to find a new job first. I let out a loud sigh without knowing it, catching my mother’s attention.

"What’s the matter?" My mother asked as she turned to look directly at me.

"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking of something random," I replied.

"Are you sure it’s fine to take so many days off from work? Honestly, I know that you want to help out, but I don’t want my wedding to disturb your job," my mother said, and I was reminded of all the times that she always put me first.

A lump formed in my throat when I realized that I hadn’t gotten around to telling her about the fact that Sam had broken up with me and that he had married someone else.

"I think this is the perfect opportunity for me to take a break from work. As you know, we’re quite busy, and I do need to take a break. Helping you out for your wedding is just perfect," I replied before smiling brightly.

–To be continued...