Chapter 19: YARON

When I got home, I found my mother sitting in the armchair in the living room. She was knitting a sweater. She looked up at me, but said nothing.

“She’s leaving,” I said. I was sure she could hear the pain and defeat in my voice.

She sighed and pressed her lips into a tight line. I noticed more wrinkles on her face than I remembered.

“You knew she would one day, Yaron.”

I smiled half-heartedly. I did know, I always had, but a part of me clung to the hope that it wouldn’t happen. Deep down, I thought our relationship would make her change her mind. That being together would become her new dream.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose her.”

My mother nodded slowly and continued knitting. I liked watching her fingers, moving the needles with such precision.

“You can’t do anything, Yaron. It’s her decision to make, not yours.”

“I could make her change her mind.”

“Do you really want to crush that girl’s dreams just to keep her with you?”

“No ... I can’t do that,” I admitted, defeated. Vee’s dreams were what had kept her going through her hellish life with a smile and her spirit intact.

Mom smiled and gave me a short nod of approval.

“So, I do nothing...?”

“You support her and you are there for her if she needs you. That’s what true friends do.”

I opened my mouth, but Mom continued, “It will hurt for a long while. I know. But then time will pass and it’ll hurt less. Then, you’ll meet another girl and she’ll become a distant memory. That’s life.”

My mother’s voice was sweet, carrying the weight of wisdom from someone who had lived a lot, and knew love was more complicated than we often believe.

“What if...?” I swallowed. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t dare say them aloud. I wasn’t that brave.

“What if you go with her?” Her fingers trembled for a moment before she continued knitting.

I nodded. “Just for a while. To make sure she’s okay. Maybe it’ll work. Maybe that’s what we both need.”

Mom sighed and laid the needles on her lap. She took off her glasses and looked at me, her eyes filled with tenderness. She had always been an expert at hiding fear.

“What would you do there, Yaron? What about your dreams?”

I didn’t care about any of those questions, as long as Vee was with me. I was terrified she would meet someone else and stop loving me.

But Mom was right. Vee had made her choice—a choice for a better future, a dream that didn’t include me. She wasn’t leaving because she didn’t love me. She was leaving because she had chosen what was best for her.

Right then, it was my turn to be brave and do the same.

I didn’t know if my mother could see the mess I was drowning in through my eyes. I didn’t know if her question was a coincidence or premeditated. All I knew was that her words helped me get back on my feet and face reality.

“Has she ever asked you?”

I blinked and looked away. No, Vee hadn’t. Not once had she asked me to go with her. We hadn’t made any pledges or commitments, and I knew why. She didn’t want me there because she was willing to do anything to become rich and famous. That had always been her goal.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“It’s okay to feel heartbroken, Yaron. But, believe me, it will pass. Everything does. At most, it will leave a scar and make you wiser for your next relationship.”

I tried to believe her, but at that moment, all I felt was pain.

The next day, I went to the travel agency and bought Vee a plane ticket.