Blood's Desire (Book 1 of Blood Ties Novels)

Phone Calls

The fog rolled in from the river like a serpent coiling around its prey as I drove down the February highway. It was bleak and cold outside, and I shivered at the thought of the frigid wind. It was still early yet, not quite seven o’clock. I was headed to a new town, pursuing the dream of freedom from my fears; my fears of inadequacy, of the unknown, but most of all, of solitude.

I received the letter in the mail two weeks prior requesting my presence at a job interview. I hadn’t put in for a new job, but the salary offered was too good to pass up. Turns out, Bobby, my boss, sent my resume without telling me. As excited as I was two weeks before, my fears of moving to a new place stifled all hopes of being cheerful on the long drive to Savannah. I hated moving, meeting new people, and being even further away from my family.

I had reluctantly moved away from my family and Little Rock, Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee for the last job I had taken as the Assistant District Attorney to three small outlying towns of Memphis. The job kept me busy; too busy, in fact, to notice that I never saw anyone outside the courthouses. I didn’t have friends in Memphis, just colleagues and a housemate. I didn’t realize until I was half way to Savannah, Georgia why I dreaded this move so much more than the move to Memphis. I was going to be an entire day’s drive from my family and living alone for the first time since I was twenty. No more weekend trips to see my parents or siblings. No more “Carino’s Fridays” with college friends. I would be too far away to be able to go home on a regular basis. This realization hit me harder than I expected; and to top it all off, I was going to be a great deal less active at work.

I had reached the top of the public servant’s ladder for lawyers who didn’t want to become cranky judges. I had taken the District Attorney’s position in Savannah. I never dreamed I would be so young when I was offered the coveted position. The paper work itself would be more daunting than my previous jobs; however, I could stay in one place all day instead of having to speed all over the countryside to get to the next court hearing without being late. I would make more money, but I would have to learn about EVERYONE who worked under me and for the courts. So obviously, there were advantages and disadvantages to this new position. I had weighed my options for a few days when a thought passed through me, “When will this request come again?” Just thinking about not getting the job offer again within the next decade killed me, so I took the position without looking back. 

I was re-weighing the pros and cons of the new job when my cell phone chirped to life. I blinked at the startling sound. My stare had become a quasi-trance which happened quite often on long interstate drives. The voice on my iPhone yelled at me again, “Your Mother’s calling!” I touched my earpiece as I looked at the dash. Eight thirty?! Jeez mom, couldn’t you wait a few more hours?

“Hey mom.” I was a little disgruntled about the time, but happy to hear her voice.

“Sweetheart, how far are you from Memphis? Your father just heard about a real big storm heading toward you.” She was worried, like always. That was her passion in life, to worry over me. She didn’t treat my brothers, or even my baby sister, with such kid gloves. It was infuriating.

I’m not a baby, mother! “I’m far enough away that the storm won’t hit me until I’m at my new place. Don’t worry about me. I’ve lived through worst disasters than a rain storm.” Of course those ‘disasters’ I am referring to are the reasons you fear for me. I could already hear her next questions bubbling to the surface. “I promise I will call you every two hours, call you when I get there, and let you talk to the person I’m staying with when he or she gets there. You know I’m not a child, I shouldn’t have to do all of this.”

There was mumbling in the background and I knew in that instant she had me on speaker. Not only had my mom heard my irritation, but so had my father and two older brothers. My sister was at school, I hoped. Then there was an explosion of words; “Don’t talk to mom that way,” “You’re getting too big…,” “Young Lady,” and, my personal favorite, “I have the right; I was in labor with you for forty-eight hours.” I just rolled my eyes and huffed at all the yelling. I knew she meant well, but I couldn’t help how I felt about being babied. She had always done this because for several years, I was her only girl. Then ‘it’ happened, and she couldn’t let go, so she worried more than she really should.

They treated me more like an adult fifteen years ago! “Yes, I know. I was just saying…” I trailed off, knowing I was headed into rocky terrain.  

Ever since mom’s little bout with cancer the previous year, everyone was a little more protective of her. I was the least affected by her diagnosis. I wasn’t there with her. I could only empathize, and I was dreadful at trying to understand something that I’d never gone through. I was always the one ‘hurting’ mom. As if anything I could do truly hurt her. She is the strongest, most willful woman on Earth. I was the only one under the impression that she took advantage of her illness to get her way more easily. Of course, I’d never say that out loud. 

“You know we’re only looking out for your well-being. I wouldn’t call if I didn’t care.” The famous mom line that came standard with all mom manuals along with the airline guide for guilt trips.

“I know, I know” was all I could say. She knew it was early and how cranky I get when I run low on coffee. She shouldn’t have called so early. She knew I used long drives like this as meditation time, a time to get centered; and with what I was coming up against the next day, I needed to get centered.

My family interrupted my thoughts yet again, “BYE, Sis, Hun, Andi.” All in unison, as always. Of course, my twin would have to call me by our mutual name. Our code for ‘we need to talk.’

I couldn’t help but smile a little as I said my farewells, “Bye, Mom, Dad, Alex, Andy. Tell Avery I said hi and to call me when she knows what she made on the government test.” I gave a sigh of relief when mom hung up the phone. Ahh, sweet silence. Wonder what he needs.

I had a few more hours to drive before I could see any reason to stop for food, but I did need coffee, and lots of it. Umm, hazelnut, Irish crème. My fav!