The Love Cube

Chapter 5

Heathers mom was the first person who welcomed her home. She knew something was definitely wrong since the last time her daughter had come home was when her boyfriend at the time had left her and she had cried for a week the longest she had seen her daughter destroyed over something. Young love she had assumed until the details were later revealed to her.

Whatever this was this time she hoped it was not as bad as the previous time.

“Hello, baby,” she greeted her daughter while warmly hugging her. She was still her child despite of how old she got and being a support system, she could always rely on was what she always prided herself as.

Heather’s nanny helped hurl her luggage into her room as both mother and daughter hand in hand left to catch up.

“Should I wait till you acclimatize or should I just ask why you are home?” Heather’s mother asked while smiling at her daughter. She was never one who was good at waiting always wanting to strike the iron while it was still hot.

Laughing Heather went into how she had landed her recent case and how Derrick had made his way back into her life like a dark cloud casting a shadow on her life. The few times she had attended her therapy sessions had not helped prepare her for what was currently happening to her.

“Will you tell him the truth?” her mom asked her. That was something that was completely in her court and her decision was one her mother was willing to respect. She would have preferred her daughter deal with her past once and for all and quit hiding and running away as it was catching up with her gradually and affecting her greatly.

“I have not thought about it. It means I would have to go back and unearth those memories and that pain and also apologise to Derrick,’’Heather replied. “Something I may not be ready for in the middle of a case. I can’t afford to fck this case up. I have so many eyes on me,”

“I just needed a change in environment for a while to gather myself together. I have a meeting with Ben once I get back.” She continued.

“You do remember him from school right?” her mother asked which made Heather confused as she could barely place a face to the name.

“Ben Carter was a class ahead of you and you used to share some classes together. You told me about him twice since he was the only one who beat you during in your coed classes apart from Derrick,” her mother replied smiling.

Heather remembered she was a one-track minded person at school and Ben had been forgotten like the rest of her classmates. But now that her mother had reminded her of him her brain was able to rack through her dusted memories to conjure the face of a lanky senior who she had never paid attention to. Why would she when she had Derrick occupying all her thoughts. Hopefully that small relationship would form a small base for their talk before she got into getting what she wanted.

“I still don’t have a clear picture of him but that helps,” she told her mother.

“Away from the work how is everything else? Are you eating well? Have you made any new friends and already have a new boyfriend?” her mother the usual gossip went right into it.

“No boyfriend,” she replied while remembering the detective for some strange reason.

‘What is that face?” her mother caught onto her stray thoughts.

“ I saw you broke up with the last one. If you have a new man just tell me. I am not the tabloids,” her mother replied excitedly. One would expect her mother would be concerned with her daughter’s-stained reputation but she was one of the people who encouraged her wanting her to live to the fullest believing in s****l liberation.

Heather had never been shy about sharing her experiences with her mother, their relationship being more like sisters than mother and daughter. “No mom. I am on a break. You will not be getting anything from me for a while.”

“I hope its not because of Derrick. Sweetie you can not let that man influence every aspect of your life the minute he shows up.” Her worried mother told her.

She assured her that he wasn’t the reason behind her decision as she had made the celibacy vow way before he had shown up.

Their conversation was later steered to their relatives and what everyone was up to. The days that followed she felt well enough to go and face the brutal world that awaited her outside of her parents house. Grace had confirmed her meeting with Ben to be the first thing she would attend to once she got back to the city.

Going home was therapeutic.Moms had something about them that caused all the pain to wash away. She had not completely tackled her problems but she was in a better position mentally that when she had come home she thought as the plane flew over the city.