Chapter 13: The Journey
955 Words
The morning Maria left felt too quiet for something so important.
There was no celebration, no dramatic goodbye—just a small bag by the door and a clock ticking louder than usual in the background.
Elena stood near the couch, watching her mother move around the apartment one last time.
Checking things.
Straightening things.
Pausing between actions like she was trying to stretch time.
“I’ll be gone for a few days first,” Maria said gently, kneeling in front of Elena. “Just to settle in.”
Elena nodded.
“Then you come back?”
“Yes,” Maria said quickly. “Always.”
Elena studied her face.
“Promise?”
Maria hesitated for half a second—just long enough for Elena to notice.
Then she smiled.
“I promise.”
That was enough.
For now.
Mrs. Thompson arrived earlier than usual that day.
She stood at the door, arms folded, watching Maria finish her final checks.
“You ready for this?” she asked bluntly.
Maria let out a tired breath. “Not really.”
Mrs. Thompson nodded. “Good. Means you understand what you’re doing.”
Maria gave a small, weak smile.
“That’s comforting.”
“It’s honest,” Mrs. Thompson replied.
Elena walked Maria to the door.
She didn’t cling this time.
She didn’t ask her not to go.
She simply stood there, holding her mother’s hand a little longer than usual.
“Be good,” Maria said softly.
Elena nodded. “I am always good.”
That made Maria pause.
Then she smiled gently and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I know.”
The door closed.
And the apartment changed immediately.
Not physically.
But something in the air shifted.
The first day passed slowly.
Elena stayed with Mrs. Thompson, who tried her best to keep things normal.
“You hungry?” she asked.
Elena nodded.
“Good. Eat.”
There was no warmth in Mrs. Thompson’s tone—but there was care. Quiet, steady care that didn’t need to be spoken loudly.
Elena accepted it.
But she still looked toward the door more often than usual.
At school, she said less.
Not because she was sad.
But because something inside her was thinking constantly.
Calculating time.
Days.
Moments.
Ms. Carter noticed.
“Your mom will be back soon?” she asked gently.
Elena nodded. “She said so.”
Ms. Carter smiled. “Then she will.”
Elena didn’t respond immediately.
Then quietly, “What if she is tired?”
Ms. Carter paused.
“Then she will still come back,” she said softly. “Tired people still come back to the people they love.”
Elena absorbed that.
Slowly.
The second day felt longer.
And the third day felt even longer than that.
Time, for Elena, began to feel less like movement and more like waiting.
At night, she sat by the window.
Watching the street below.
People moving.
Cars passing.
Lights turning on and off in other apartments.
She wondered where her mother was in all of it.
“Mommy is working,” she whispered to herself.
Like saying it made it more real.
Mrs. Thompson watched her from the kitchen one evening.
“You thinking too much,” she said.
Elena didn’t look away from the window.
“I am waiting,” she replied.
Mrs. Thompson sighed. “Waiting is part of life, kid.”
Elena finally turned.
“Why?”
Mrs. Thompson shrugged. “Because people leave. And people come back. And sometimes you do both at the same time.”
Elena didn’t fully understand.
But she remembered the words.
On the fifth day, Maria finally called.
Elena ran to the phone immediately.
“Mommy?”
“Hey, my love,” Maria’s voice came through, slightly tired but warm.
Elena froze for a moment.
Then asked quickly, “Are you coming?”
A soft laugh on the other end.
“Not yet. But soon.”
Elena held the phone tightly.
“Are you okay?”
Maria paused.
“Yes,” she said. “Just very busy.”
Elena nodded even though she couldn’t see her.
“Okay.”
After the call, Elena sat quietly for a long time.
Mrs. Thompson watched her carefully.
“She alright?” she asked.
Elena nodded slowly.
“She is busy,” she said.
Mrs. Thompson grunted. “That’s adult life for you.”
Elena looked down.
“I don’t like busy,” she said softly.
Mrs. Thompson didn’t respond immediately.
Then, “Nobody does.”
When Maria returned at the end of the week, it wasn’t dramatic.
It was late evening.
The door opened quietly.
Elena was already half-asleep on the couch.
But the moment she heard the sound, she sat up instantly.
“Mommy?”
Maria stepped inside, looking exhausted—but present.
“I’m here,” she said softly.
Elena stood up and walked quickly into her arms.
She didn’t say anything at first.
Just held on.
Tighter than usual.
Maria closed her eyes.
“I missed you,” she whispered.
Elena finally spoke.
“I waited.”
Maria pulled back slightly.
“I know,” she said softly.
Elena looked up at her.
“Will you leave again?”
Maria hesitated.
Then nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Elena looked down.
Then quietly said, “Okay.”
But her grip didn’t loosen.
That night, Maria stayed awake longer than usual again.
But this time, she wasn’t alone.
Elena was awake too.
Listening.
Thinking.
Understanding that distance didn’t mean absence forever…
But it did change things.
And something inside Elena began to shift again.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
But awareness.
Of time.
Of separation.
Of how love could exist…
And still require waiting.
- Writer
