
Torn Apart
two.
“Scarlett,” Scarlett’s mom, Anne, said, her voice sounding weaker than usual.
“Mom, is something wrong?” Scarlett wondered as she took a seat on her and Zayn’s bed. Her stomach began to sink and she felt herself start to get hot as she expected the worst.
“I had a heart attack a few days ago and I’ve been in the hospital,” she responded, sounding casual. “I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Why not?” Scarlett asked, her mom’s statement causing her start to sweat due to nerves and her stomach to tie into knots. “Why wouldn’t you tell me if something like that happened to you?”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry if I was going to be better in a couple of days,” she answered. “I thought I was going to be okay to go home by myself.”
“But?” Scarlett pushed, knowing there was more.
“But the doctor said that under my current condition I can’t be left alone in case something more serious occurs.” her mom explained. “Scarlett, I know you have a life there and you’re with Zayn and you have a job, but the doctor is not going to let me go home unless I have someone to take care of me.”
Scarlett frowned to herself as she looked down at her hands as her eyes started to well with tears. She hadn’t been back to see her mom or her hometown, which was Columbus, Ohio, since she moved to England. If her mom’s heart attack was more serious, she could’ve passed away and Scarlett wouldn’t have had any idea until she got a call from the hospital. She knew her mom didn’t have any friends back home, and her dad abandoned the family for a new one when Scarlett was only four. The neighbors were pretty much assholes, and no one in the family had time to take care of Scarlett’s mom; Brooke had a full time job and a family now, she had no grandparents, and Scarlett’s mom didn’t have any other contacts that would be willing to check up on her as much as she would need it.
It would definitely be hard for Scarlett to leave Zayn for a matter of months, and she didn’t want to drop her well-paying job. She loved her life in England and she loved everything her days consisted of, but she knew her mom needed her help. And Scarlett knew that if she was in her mom’s position, her mother would be at her side in a heartbeat.
Sighing to herself, Scarlett looked up at the bedroom door to see Zayn sticking his head in, before she returned to her phone call. “How soon do I need to be there?”
“They want me to stay for a couple more days so they can make sure I’m alright,” Scarlett’s mom replied. “So, probably not for another week; I’ll be able to go home by myself for a few days, but not for a long period of time.”
“Okay,” Scarlett nodded. “I’ll talk to Zayn about it and get everything sorted out, and then I’ll be there by next week.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I hate to tear you away from your life,” Scarlett’s mom apologized, and Scarlett could tell she was genuinely sorry. “I’ll try and find someone who can take care of me so you won’t have to stay for too long.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Scarlett said, her voice quiet. “If it were me you would be right there for me in two seconds.”
“I sure would be,” she said, causing Scarlett to smile. “Well, I’ll let you go, honey. I’ll pay for your plane ticket to get here and everything. Just give me all of the details when you find out and I’ll pay you back when you get home. Love you. Bye.”
“Bye, Mom,” Scarlett said before pushing the ‘END’ button on her phone. She wiped the silent tears that managed to escape her eyes and she sighed to herself. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to talk to Zayn about what just happened on the phone because knowing her mom was in this condition worried and upset her. Scarlett was always a strong person and wasn’t one of those women who cried over everything, but whenever something came up about her mom, the only woman she was extremely close with, she got emotional.
She tossed her phone on the bed after she stood up, and she walked out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen, to see Zayn sitting at the table finishing his dinner. Once he heard his girlfriend enter the room he turned to look at her and immediately noticed that she had been crying.
“What happened?” he asked, concern filling his voice. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” sighed Scarlett as she sat down at the table. She pushed her plate of half-eaten spaghetti out of the way and rested her elbows on the table, trying to hold in her tears as best as possible. “My mom…”
Zayn set his fork down and pushed his plate away from himself, before resting his hand on Scarlett’s back, rubbing it comfortingly. “Love, what is it? Is she alright?”
“She had a heart attack and needs someone to take care of her,” she choked out. “The only one who can is me. My dad isn’t in the picture as you know, our other family members have their own families to take care of, and my mom doesn’t have any friends.”
“That’s not your job, Scar,” Zayn shrugged, his voice gentle. “You have so much here.”
“I can’t just leave my sick mother to fend for herself,” she commented, looking up at Zayn with watering eyes. “You know you would never leave your family member alone if he or she was sick and in the hospital.”
“I know,” he nodded. He was quiet for a few minutes, before coming up with an idea. “Why don’t we fly her here? We have an extra bedroom and bathroom. That way we can both keep our jobs and our home, and we can both take care of her here.”
“She needs to be by her doctor,” Scarlett objected. “I’m sure she has medication she has to be taking and I’m sure she’s going to have to go to check-ups by her doctor. We can’t just make her move. And you know my mom would never want to live here, Zayn.”
“But why would she make you up-root?” he asked, sounding as if he was getting agitated. “That’s not fair to you or me.”
“It’s not about me,” Scarlett shrugged, looking down at the table. “It’s about my mom. Maybe it won’t be for a long time.”
“What’s the difference if she’s alone the whole time or just for two months?” Zayn said smartly. “She wouldn’t be looking for someone to look after her for only two months, Scarlett. She needs someone to look after her constantly. Use your head.”
“Excuse me,” Scarlett gasped as she looked up at her boyfriend. Zayn had an irritated look on his face and Scarlett knew he didn’t like that she would have to leave him. “I know you don’t like that I’m going to leave, but what else am I supposed to do, Zayn? Say ‘Oh, sorry, Mom. That’s too bad because I don’t want to come take care of you even though you’ve been there my whole life’?”
“Bullshit,” Zayn said to himself as he stood up from the kitchen table. “You’ve got too much here to just throw it away, Scarlett. You have a house, a boyfriend, a job, and life here. You have everything, and your mom has to drag you away from it all because she just can’t move here?” he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Scarlett. “If she doesn’t have shit in Ohio, why the bloody hell can’t she just come live here?”
“I’m not going to ask her to do that,” she whispered, looking down at the table.
“Of course you won’t, because you let everyone walk all over you,” he exclaimed. “I’ve been telling you for years not to let everyone step all over you like you’re a damn doormat. I don’t care if she’s your mum; she’s making you leave everything here and doesn’t bat an eye.”
And with that, Zayn shoved the chair under the table and walked down the hallway towards their bedroom. He slammed the door loudly behind him, leaving Scarlett at the kitchen table.
“Mom, is something wrong?” Scarlett wondered as she took a seat on her and Zayn’s bed. Her stomach began to sink and she felt herself start to get hot as she expected the worst.
“I had a heart attack a few days ago and I’ve been in the hospital,” she responded, sounding casual. “I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Why not?” Scarlett asked, her mom’s statement causing her start to sweat due to nerves and her stomach to tie into knots. “Why wouldn’t you tell me if something like that happened to you?”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry if I was going to be better in a couple of days,” she answered. “I thought I was going to be okay to go home by myself.”
“But?” Scarlett pushed, knowing there was more.
“But the doctor said that under my current condition I can’t be left alone in case something more serious occurs.” her mom explained. “Scarlett, I know you have a life there and you’re with Zayn and you have a job, but the doctor is not going to let me go home unless I have someone to take care of me.”
Scarlett frowned to herself as she looked down at her hands as her eyes started to well with tears. She hadn’t been back to see her mom or her hometown, which was Columbus, Ohio, since she moved to England. If her mom’s heart attack was more serious, she could’ve passed away and Scarlett wouldn’t have had any idea until she got a call from the hospital. She knew her mom didn’t have any friends back home, and her dad abandoned the family for a new one when Scarlett was only four. The neighbors were pretty much assholes, and no one in the family had time to take care of Scarlett’s mom; Brooke had a full time job and a family now, she had no grandparents, and Scarlett’s mom didn’t have any other contacts that would be willing to check up on her as much as she would need it.
It would definitely be hard for Scarlett to leave Zayn for a matter of months, and she didn’t want to drop her well-paying job. She loved her life in England and she loved everything her days consisted of, but she knew her mom needed her help. And Scarlett knew that if she was in her mom’s position, her mother would be at her side in a heartbeat.
Sighing to herself, Scarlett looked up at the bedroom door to see Zayn sticking his head in, before she returned to her phone call. “How soon do I need to be there?”
“They want me to stay for a couple more days so they can make sure I’m alright,” Scarlett’s mom replied. “So, probably not for another week; I’ll be able to go home by myself for a few days, but not for a long period of time.”
“Okay,” Scarlett nodded. “I’ll talk to Zayn about it and get everything sorted out, and then I’ll be there by next week.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I hate to tear you away from your life,” Scarlett’s mom apologized, and Scarlett could tell she was genuinely sorry. “I’ll try and find someone who can take care of me so you won’t have to stay for too long.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Scarlett said, her voice quiet. “If it were me you would be right there for me in two seconds.”
“I sure would be,” she said, causing Scarlett to smile. “Well, I’ll let you go, honey. I’ll pay for your plane ticket to get here and everything. Just give me all of the details when you find out and I’ll pay you back when you get home. Love you. Bye.”
“Bye, Mom,” Scarlett said before pushing the ‘END’ button on her phone. She wiped the silent tears that managed to escape her eyes and she sighed to herself. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to talk to Zayn about what just happened on the phone because knowing her mom was in this condition worried and upset her. Scarlett was always a strong person and wasn’t one of those women who cried over everything, but whenever something came up about her mom, the only woman she was extremely close with, she got emotional.
She tossed her phone on the bed after she stood up, and she walked out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen, to see Zayn sitting at the table finishing his dinner. Once he heard his girlfriend enter the room he turned to look at her and immediately noticed that she had been crying.
“What happened?” he asked, concern filling his voice. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” sighed Scarlett as she sat down at the table. She pushed her plate of half-eaten spaghetti out of the way and rested her elbows on the table, trying to hold in her tears as best as possible. “My mom…”
Zayn set his fork down and pushed his plate away from himself, before resting his hand on Scarlett’s back, rubbing it comfortingly. “Love, what is it? Is she alright?”
“She had a heart attack and needs someone to take care of her,” she choked out. “The only one who can is me. My dad isn’t in the picture as you know, our other family members have their own families to take care of, and my mom doesn’t have any friends.”
“That’s not your job, Scar,” Zayn shrugged, his voice gentle. “You have so much here.”
“I can’t just leave my sick mother to fend for herself,” she commented, looking up at Zayn with watering eyes. “You know you would never leave your family member alone if he or she was sick and in the hospital.”
“I know,” he nodded. He was quiet for a few minutes, before coming up with an idea. “Why don’t we fly her here? We have an extra bedroom and bathroom. That way we can both keep our jobs and our home, and we can both take care of her here.”
“She needs to be by her doctor,” Scarlett objected. “I’m sure she has medication she has to be taking and I’m sure she’s going to have to go to check-ups by her doctor. We can’t just make her move. And you know my mom would never want to live here, Zayn.”
“But why would she make you up-root?” he asked, sounding as if he was getting agitated. “That’s not fair to you or me.”
“It’s not about me,” Scarlett shrugged, looking down at the table. “It’s about my mom. Maybe it won’t be for a long time.”
“What’s the difference if she’s alone the whole time or just for two months?” Zayn said smartly. “She wouldn’t be looking for someone to look after her for only two months, Scarlett. She needs someone to look after her constantly. Use your head.”
“Excuse me,” Scarlett gasped as she looked up at her boyfriend. Zayn had an irritated look on his face and Scarlett knew he didn’t like that she would have to leave him. “I know you don’t like that I’m going to leave, but what else am I supposed to do, Zayn? Say ‘Oh, sorry, Mom. That’s too bad because I don’t want to come take care of you even though you’ve been there my whole life’?”
“Bullshit,” Zayn said to himself as he stood up from the kitchen table. “You’ve got too much here to just throw it away, Scarlett. You have a house, a boyfriend, a job, and life here. You have everything, and your mom has to drag you away from it all because she just can’t move here?” he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Scarlett. “If she doesn’t have shit in Ohio, why the bloody hell can’t she just come live here?”
“I’m not going to ask her to do that,” she whispered, looking down at the table.
“Of course you won’t, because you let everyone walk all over you,” he exclaimed. “I’ve been telling you for years not to let everyone step all over you like you’re a damn doormat. I don’t care if she’s your mum; she’s making you leave everything here and doesn’t bat an eye.”
And with that, Zayn shoved the chair under the table and walked down the hallway towards their bedroom. He slammed the door loudly behind him, leaving Scarlett at the kitchen table.
update please
2/15/14