Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

I hadn’t called my mother in a long time. The last time I called her was at the beginning of the new year. My mother wasn’t too interested in my career as a model, and she often worried about me. She worried about me so much, in fact, that I ended up distancing myself from her.

My father had passed away for five years. During my first year in New York, my father was still paying for my tuition and living expenses. When he died in my second year, I began looking for a job to pay for everything on my own.

He didn’t leave much of an inheritance for us. The company he had built over his lifetime with hard work had to be sold to someone else to cover the company’s debts. Even his life insurance money had to be sacrificed to pay off the bad debts.

From riches to rags. I was forced by circumstances to become more independent. That’s why I insisted on working while studying, even though my mother disagreed. But I felt that was the only way to support myself, and I didn’t want to burden my mother more than this.

“Yes, mom.”

I dragged myself across the kitchen floor to sit, leaning against the fridge. The pain in my head was still there, and my throat ached until I coughed.

“Hey, honey. Are you okay?”

My mother’s voice sounded as gentle as usual. She was a sweet angel to me. That was what always made me feel guilty, so I avoided her. I didn’t want to disappoint her and make her say, ‘I told you so.’

“Yup, mom. I’m okay. I just choked on a drink.” I wiped my wet nose and mouth with my sleeve.

“Oh, thank goodness.” She sounded relieved with a sigh.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, honey. I just wanted to know when you’re coming home.”

I was speechless. It had been more than a year since I last went home due to my busy schedule. This time, I knew my mother was hoping to spend the winter holidays and Christmas at home with her.

“I know you might be busy, but I hope you’ll come home this year and celebrate Christmas with us. You know, this year I am on the committee for a social fundraising event and opening a second-hand bazaar in the park. I hope you can join us.”

My mother was still the administrator of a charity foundation for children with cancer. She felt it was her calling in life, and she hoped I would have a job as noble as hers.

I remembered when I ended up donating the prom night voting money to my mother’s foundation. Around $600, and my mother insisted that I hand the money directly to the hospital. In addition to playing and spending the day with them, my mother said it would calm and heal my broken heart. And yes, it worked quite well for me.

“Uhm, do you think I could be useful there?” I asked, hesitant.

“Yes, of course.” Her voice sounded more enthusiastic now.

“If you want to donate, you can sell the used items in your room here. I swear, I’ve never touched your stuff, and I just hope you will organize it every now and then.” She spoke in a hopeful tone, almost begging.

“You know, people say that organizing used items at home is great for…” she mumbled for a moment. “For cleanliness and tidiness.”This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

I wiped my nose again and held back my sobs. My mother might have seen the ads and news about me. I guess she wanted to comfort me, but I just couldn’t confirm it with her.

“Okay, mom. I’ll come home for Christmas this year.” I then tucked my knees back into my chest.

“Oh, thank goodness; praise the Lord. I’ll be waiting for you at home, honey. You’d better book a ticket now before they sell out,” she said.

“Yes, mom. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know,” I whispered.

“Let me know so I can prepare your favorite bread pudding.”

“Yes, mom.”

The call ended. I rested my head on my knees. Once again, I cried after hearing my mother’s voice on the phone. Sometimes I wondered how a loving mother like her could live in this world. Wasn’t I very lucky?

I took deep breaths. My head leaned against the fridge door to reduce the effects of the beer. I closed my eyes for a long time to calm myself down. Both of my hands wiped the tears from my cheeks.

Something then pushed me to open the online ticket booking app. Then I booked a flight ticket to Boston that very day at 7 p. m. After booking the ticket, I stood up, threw the beer cans into the trash bin, and walked to my room.

I opened the closet, took out my clothes, and put them in a large suitcase. Next, I went to the sofa. The gift items given by Alan had been lying there since we finished shooting the ad last week.

I took the items out of the bag, then put everything in the suitcase. Along with various clothes and branded items I had stored, I put everything in the suitcase. It didn’t take long for me to get ready, catch a taxi, and ride to the airport.

***

“Oh, honey! You weren’t kidding when you said you’d be home before 10 p. m. today!”

My mother exclaimed in amazement and extreme joy. She hugged me in a tight embrace. The warmth of her embrace relieved my heart in a tremendous way. In an instant, I cried again as I hugged her body, which now felt more frail than mine. I laid my head on her shoulder and cried for a long time.

She hugged me while stroking my back. “It’s okay, honey. Everything will be alright. I’m here, always here for you.”

She said that to me in her still-soft, soothing voice. I realized that I was back home. I knew I might just be sulking and being pampered by my mother like a child, but I just realized how much I missed my mother.

“I missed you, mom,” I said in between sobs.

“Yes, honey. I missed you too,” she whispered patiently in my ear.

“Forgive me for being ungrateful. I know I’m not a good child, and I made you lonely.” I released my hug and looked at her with my eyes blurred with tears.

“It’s okay, honey. You will always be my one and only beloved daughter. Besides, you’re busy. I can understand that.” She stroked my hair with tears in her eyes.

I sighed in relief and hugged her again. “Thank you, mom.”

“Welcome home, honey,” she said as she tightened her embrace.

I cried and cried until the cold wind blew into the house. The cold wind made me realize that I had to close the door to bad things at night. Therefore, I closed the front door, went inside to warm up by the fireplace, and curled up on the sofa in my mother’s lap.

Just for a while. I just wanted to rest for a while.