The Weepings of the Moss: Twenty-Seven Missed Calls (Chapter 2, Part 2)




Image: Chapel of Ease, St. Helena Island, SC. Image taken by myself. 

 *FICTION*

He sat down on the edge of his bed, the gas fireplace burning low and casting some light across the floor. He tapped the notification and then the call back button. It only rang once.

“Gabe? Gabriel?” His mother’s soft voice crackled out of his phone speaker. He heard who he could only assume was his dad getting up quickly.

“G-Gabe! How ya’ doin’ son?” His father’s voice sounded, trying to speak over his mother. He could already see them in their house in Ellijay, Georgia.

“Hey Ma, hey Pop.” Gabriel said softly, running his hands through his hair.

“That’s all ya’ got?” His dad said with a small laugh. “Your Ma’s only been callin’ ya’ darn near every hour!”

“Hush Harold!” His mother said sternly. “I…I know things haven’t been easy dear but I…I just want to be sure you’re okay. You just…up and left without a word.”

“We just love you so much son. We just want you to know that. There ain’t nothin’ you could do to change that,” his dad said, softness entering his voice now. Gabe could feel his eyes burning as the tears welled up and fell to the wood floor. Rubbing his tears away, he tried to muster some words but he couldn’t.

“Gabe, honey?” His mother said, sounding no different than she had years ago when he was a child. “Are you there?” Gabriel stood up, pulling at his hair, seeming about to scream.

“I…I’m so sorry,” he choked out, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, burning like liquor.

“Oh honey, don’t cry!” She nearly sounded ready to cry herself.

“Gabe, now I…I can’t claim to know what went on between you and Adrienne,” his Father said, “But whatever it is we can work through it together. We just want you to come home son.” They don’t understand. How could they ever understand? Why can’t they just let me go? He groaned internally. For a moment silence prevailed as he stood in the darkness alone. Unsure of what he should say, what he could say.

“Gabe where are you honey? Wherever you are we can come to you, we can help,” his mother’s voice said, he did not fail to hear the tremors in her voice.

“I can’t. You don’t understand but its best if you just didn’t get tangled up in all this. I’m safe and when this blows over I’ll…” Gabriel hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be back okay? I promise.”

“Son,” his father let out an exacerbated sigh. “what is going on? Why can’t you tell us? Please, we just want to help.”

“Yes, please baby just tell us,” his mother chimed in.

“Things aren’t the same! I just…I just can’t okay?!” It came out more harshly than Gabriel meant to. Softening his voice he continued, “I can’t. I just need time to deal with all this. I promise, I am safe, I will be in touch when I can, and I will explain everything in time okay. Can you please just trust me?” A long silence lingered tensely. There were no longer voices outside. Glancing at the digital clock by his bed the red letters showed it was after two in the morning.

“Okay,” she said in barely a whisper. “We just love you so much Gabe. We are always here for you.”

“That’s right, it don’t matter what the trouble is. Call us in not too long okay? We miss hearing you around here ya’ know?” A small crack made it into his Father’s voice too, very uncharacteristic for him.

“I know,” Gabriel said, resting his head against the white wood wall. “And I’m sorry. I love you Pop. I love you Ma.” Silently he tapped the end call button, and stayed there for a moment, staring at nothing but the white paint barely shining through the darkness. What do I do? How can things ever go back to normal? Lamenting in his mind, he fell into his bed, sinking into his mattress like soft black loam. Grabbing his pillow he held it over his own face. Struggling to breathe against it, he pulled it even tighter until there was no breath at all. Until there was no light. No sound. No words. No pain.

Gabriel is pushed to his breaking point. Follow the blog to find out what happens in the darkness.

Location: St Helena Island, South Carolina 29920, USA

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