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*I am sorry for the lack of updates. I had a case of writer's block. Thanks to some of you and your feedback it helped me come up with this one. So guys I thank you! Sarah I left you a note on the nice feedback you left me on Revelation :)*

31

Mike stood there with the phone tight in his hand, gripping it if it were the only thing holding him in place on the earth. With a very shaky voice he finally managed to say something.

“Hello” He said not liking how small he sounded.

“Is this Mike Alexander?” His Mother sounded cold, just like Nick had made her out to be. Well, both Nick and his father. She sounded like she was in a rush; the last thing she wanted to do was speak to her son she had just found.

“Yes, speaking”

He switched ears during the pause, trying to escape the noise coming from the break room off to his left; people laughing and talking about some random game being played somewhere. Those people had no idea he was being reunited with an estranged Mother.

He was growing uneasy with every moment his Mother paused on the line, running through all possible scenarios in his mind. Would she yell at him? Or start crying out of pure joy for finding her boy after all these years?

“Oh” He wasn’t expecting that reply. An ‘oh’

“Is there something I can do for you?” He asked now trying to match her coldness word for word.

“Yes, I want you to tell me what you want from my son”

“Pardon?”

“Nick. Look, I know who you say you are and I know Nicky believes you. Maybe he’s right…”

“You say that like you are almost disappointed by it. Would you rather I just disappear again then Mom? Maybe dad will take me away again, I’m sure that would make you very happy” He was a little surprised that he yelled at her, but it was pent up anger from years and years of feeling unloved by the woman he should have felt loved by.

“Mike…that’s not fair”

“So now you think I am Mike? Make up your mind”

“I…I just want you to leave Nick alone. I mean spend time with him and all but please don’t take advantage of him”

He couldn’t believe it was possible to feel as hurt as he did just then, but he did. He found himself getting choked up on the phone, barely able to talk and suddenly very conscious of his surroundings and the fact that people were staring at him, one of them being Melinda.

“I would never do that Mom. If you ever bothered to get to know me, you would know that” He swallowed back his tears and took a deep breath which helped him compose himself better.

“And keep your Father away from him. I want him to have NO part of Nick’s life”

“I gotta go Mom. It’s been nice catching up with you after all these years” He didn’t let her say another word. Instead he hung up the phone and walked past everyone and into the men’s bathroom followed by Melinda.

“That was your Mom?” She asked once the door was locked.

“You shouldn’t be in here, it’s the men’s room” He said trying to laugh fooling no one at all. He walked over to the sink and splashed some water on his face.

“What did she say?”

He looked up at Melinda not turning around but staring at her reflection in the mirror. He smiled at her thinking if he was a little happier he would tell her she was beautiful. “Well, it wasn’t I love you, that’s for damn sure” She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Seriously Mike, what did she say?”

“Do you think I’m a bad person?” The question kind of surprised Melinda as she stood there with her mouth opened.

“Of course not, I don’t like bad people”

“I can never win. Sometimes I feel like no one is on my side. It’s no use”

“Mike don’t go feeling sorry for yourself now”

He ignored her and walked out of the bathroom, he had one thing on his mind, something he hadn’t thought of for a while and that was escaping the pain. Drugs would do the trick if only he could get his hands on some drugs. He needed something.

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk”

“Let me come” She followed him out of the men’s room and back out into the hallway, by now the curious crowd had dispersed leaving just the two of them there looking at each other.

“I really need to be alone”

“Don’t do something stupid Mike” He laughed and walked away leaving Melinda worried.

“You know you are still on”

“I don’t care let them fire me” Were the last words he said before walking out the door.


~*~*~*~*~*~
I slammed the phone down when I once again got no answer from my Mom’s cell phone. I bet she was trying to avoid me. She knew I was going to call her up and yell at her. She would deserve it too. Why always call Kevin? She didn’t even LIKE Kevin! Most of the time she would complain about him and how nosy he was. She hates it when he butts into our lives.

Kevin just sat there watching me have my little tantrum, not saying anything but being a silent witness. I turned toward him, “Do you think she will actually call him?”

He looked over at me and shrugged, “Not sure lil man. She sounded like she wanted to”

“I hope she doesn’t mess everything up between us”

“I’m sure she won’t”

“Then you don’t know her very well do you?” He gave me that look again but before I could even roll my eyes, my phone rang. I took a deep breath when I saw it was my Mom.

“It’s her” I said to Kevin hoping he would take that as a hint to leave.

He didn’t.

“Hi Mom”

“Hi”

“I have been trying to call you for a while now”

“I know” She knew? So she really didn’t want to talk to me. God what is her problem?

“Oh that’s nice to know. Well Kevin is here if you’d rather talk to him” I was really sarcastic when I said that. Making sure I over annunciated every word.

“Nick please don’t act like that”

“So did you talk to him?”

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb Mom. You know perfectly well who”

“I did”

I sat on the bed, “How did it go?” I asked trying to calm myself down a little. “Was he surprised?”

“He hung up on me” I have to admit, that surprised me.

“He did?”

“Yes. Nick I don’t want you near them anymore”

“You didn’t believe him then?” I stood up again ready to pace.

“I believe him” That made me refrain from doing so.

“You do? And you still want me to stay away from him?” She confused me sometimes this woman.

“Yes I want you to stay away from them both. Nick they aren’t good for you”

“He’s your son. How can you say that? I mean aren’t you curious at all what he is like? His life? His hopes? His dreams? I mean you just found your son Mom. You looked for him for so long and you finally found him”

There was a long pause. I took that as a hopeful sign, I was getting through to her. Soon she would fly back home and agree to meet her long lost son. We would be a family again. Kind of, I am a rational person. I knew she was very happy with Bob. So was I but how cool would it be to have her and dad speaking and getting along. That would mean holidays together the five of us, in the family I have always wanted….

“I always knew where he was” That blew me out of my dream world. I mean exploded me out of my fantasy land.

“What did you just say?” I had to have heard that wrong.

“Nick, I never told you this, but I did find your father when you were younger”

“What?”

“Remember when I had hired that private investigator?” I nodded, but of course she was my Mom so she kept going realizing that most likely that is what I did.

“Well, he had called long afterwards; this is when we were already with Bob. He said he found your dad” I felt Kevin’s eyes peering at me willing me to look up and let him know what was going on, but I ignored him. I just listened, probably concentrating harder than I ever have before, blocking everything out besides her.

“He traced him to an address in New York. I knew he was there”

“Did you go and see him?”

“Yes, I drove up there; made up some story that I had a meeting to go to”

“I think I remember that” I said.

“I drove all night with about a million things going through my head to say. At first I was going to call the police and have him arrested for kidnapping but as the drive went on Nicky, I realized that I enjoyed my life as it was now”

“So you didn’t do anything?”

“I found them. I saw Mike sitting on a bench smoking and talking with his friends. I wanted to go talk to him but I didn’t. I just drove away”

I was floored. More like appalled, how could she do something like that?

“Why? Why did you leave him there?” I was shaking my head and once again I felt Kevin’s eyes staring at me.

"You don’t understand Nick. My life, I was just getting on with my life. I had come to terms with what had happened. I had a new husband, a new life and I was happy. Mike seemed happy on that bench. He had also moved on with his life. He was in his late teens by then”

"I Can’t believe this”

“Nick…”

“Why do you want me to stay away? You told Kevin that dad was in jail?”

“He was. He has been in jail more than once for all sorts of things”

“Maybe you drove him to that”

“That isn’t fair!” She screamed at me. Like she had any right at all to yell at me.

“Oh it’s not fair huh? Well what you did wasn’t fair either. You kept me from my brother and my Father!”

“Don’t be selfish” Okay that’s when I blacked out. The rational Nick left the building.

“Selfish?” I briefly remember standing up then, I have to admit everything else is a big blur.

“How dare you call me selfish? You know what Mom. You are the most selfish stuck up botch I have ever met. All you car about is MY money! That’s why you didn’t want Mike in my life or dad because then you would have to share MY money with them”

“Nick don’t…”

“I am done talking to you! I hate you and never want to talk to you again do you understand me?”

“Nick you don’t mean that” She screamed.

“Yes I do. Goodbye” I clicked off the phone and then continued my tantrum by walking over to the lamp and flinging it across the room.

“Nick!” Kevin screamed at me.

“GO TO HELL! I HATE YOU TOO!” Why I said that I couldn’t tell you. I think Kevin understood, he just kind of shook it off and walked over to the lamp and picked it up.

“Nick…calm yourself down”

“You know what? Fuck her! I don’t need her…not like she was ever there before. She was the crappiest Mother ever. Good riddance to her” I was in my own little world. If Kevin said something I wasn’t listening. I didn’t hear anything but my Mother telling me I was selfish.

“Nick…”

“I can’t believe her! God she makes me so mad, well I’m done now. Seems like you will have to get off your own fat ass and get yourself a job now bitch!” I kicked the wall. I was so mad I was shaking.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Howie came in; I bowled past him almost knocking over him.

“Nick where are you going? We have an interview”

“Dammit!!!!” I stopped in the hallway and wanted to just lean against the wall and cry. Instead I punched it.

“Calm yourself down NOW Nick” Kevin stood sternly looking at me; he was done with my rant and thankfully so was I. Now I was exhausted; both physically and mentally.

I laid my head against the cool wall wishing I could just be sucked into it. Some kind of abyss where horrible Mothers didn’t exist. I felt a calming hand on my shoulder. “I don’t really know what happened Nicky, but it’ll all work itself out. For now, you have to put on a smile and fake it for an hour or so. Think you can do that?” I nodded at Howie and he smiled back at me gripping my shoulder as if giving it a hug.

Kevin walked up to me next, “We need to talk about what just happened Nick”

“I need to go see my dad and my brother”

“You will, but first we have to do this”

“I know” Then I finally allowed myself to look at Kevin. He didn’t look mad, he looked sorry; so did Howie.

That made me finally pull myself together. I knew as soon as I was done with this thing, I was going to see my dad and tell him I would help him live his dreams. My Mother could go screw herself!