Page 81 of The Forsaken
Gabe glanced at the clock. It’d just gone ten, so his mother would still be awake. He tossed back the whisky, grabbed his mobile and keys, and left the flat. He’d talk to his mother and take a walk—two birds with one stone.
“Hello, son,” Phoebe said when she answered on the second ring. “No, you didn’t wake me,” she added before Gabe could ask.
“Hi, Mum. How are you? Plumbing all right?”
“Yes, the water is running clear and the hole in the kitchen has been filled in and retiled. I still can’t bring myself to step on that part of the floor. I feel like I’m walking over someone’s grave.”
“Well, you sort of are, but it’s empty now, so you’ll have to get used to it, I suppose. Are you keeping busy?”
“I’m trying,” Gabe could envision the downward curve of her mouth and the sagging of her shoulders as she replied. “The house feels so empty without your father.”
“Are you eating?”
“Yes, but I’ve no desire to cook anything, not when there’s no one to eat it with. I eat toast and eggs, mostly. That suits me fine.”
“Mum! You can’t subsist on eggs.”
“They’re a good source of protein,” Phoebe objected. “And they are quick and easy to make. What’s the sense of doing a Sunday roast or making chops for one person?”
“We’re going to feed you up while you’re here,” Gabe promised. “I can’t wait to see you, Mum.”
“Gabe, are you all right? What’s on your mind?”
“Why do you think there’s anything on my mind?” Gabe asked, a smile tugging at his lips. She always knew.
“Because you sound particularly downtrodden tonight. I can hear it in your voice.”
“I’m just tired,” Gabe replied. “And frustrated.”
“With what?”
Gabe quickly filled Phoebe in on what’d been going on with Quinn. Phoebe listened intently, not saying anything until Gabe finished.
“Gabe, it’s only natural that Quinn should want to find her sister and feel angry with Sylvia for withholding such crucial information.”
“I know that, Mum, but I’m worried about her. Her blood pressure is spiking, she has terrible headaches, sometimes her vision gets blurry, and her ankles are swollen. She should be taking it easy, not obsessing about the mess her mother made thirty years ago. And she gets really angry with me when I fuss,” Gabe added grumpily.
“I know and you know the only reason you fuss is because you’re worried about Quinn and the baby, but it probably makes her feel like an errant child. Quinn is a grown woman, and she would do anything to protect that baby. If she tells you she feels up to doing something, then you must take her at her word.”
“So you think I’m being overbearing?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to call you overbearing, but I’d say maybe a little over the top. I know you’re worried, son, but you must trust your wife’s judgement.”
“You always put me straight,” Gabe replied with a chuckle.
“That’s what mothers are for, dear. Now, what else is bothering you? That was just the tip of the iceberg,” Phoebe said. Gabe heard her sigh as she usually did when snuggling deeper into her favorite chair.
“Mum, I’ve been offered a promotion at work, and a significant pay raise. I’ve been invited to sit on the Board of Directors.”
Phoebe didn’t immediately reply, as though processing what he’d said and drawing her own conclusions. “Darling, you don’t need to move up here. I know you want to be here for me, and you feel it’s your duty to look after your old mum, but I won’t have you doing so at the expense of your life. You have a successful career in London, as does Quinn. Emma loves it there and is about to start school. You have friends, and Quinn has her brothers. I won’t have you uprooting everyone just to make me happy.”
“But I want you to be happy, Mum,” Gabe said, sounding like a whiny child.
“Gabe, I’m happy knowing you’re happy. As it happens, I’ve been thinking about the house. I don’t like being here on my own. It just doesn’t feel like home anymore. When your father died, it was lonely at first, but now, after the discovery in the kitchen, it feels sinister somehow.”
“What are you saying, Mum?”
“I’m saying I wouldn’t be averse to a place like Cecily’s.”
