Hungry Love || Book 1

EIGHTEEN: So Lucky

Lydia carefully closed the door, and dropped her bag on the floor. Looked around and soon her eyes fell on her mother's back, sitting at the table. The redhead approached and that was when she heard a cry.

"Mom?"

Amelia turned around scared. Her eyes were red, it looked like she had been crying for years, and in front of her there were tons of papers and pictures.

"Lydia, hunny." She wiped away the tears and smiled, "I thought you'd come later."

"Mom," Jones approached her mother, still surprised, "why are you crying?"

When Lydia took in her hands the closest picture, she understood. It was her father, on their wedding day, probably one of the happiest days in her mother's life. He was very handsome, bright hair hitting his shoulders and beautiful green eyes. Lydia didn't even remember what he looked like, many years had passed.

Amelia took the picture from her hands, "I didn't want you to see me cry."

"Why not? I know you aren't superwoman." She shrugged, "I'd listen to you."

"It's just that... You talked about that and" Her mother sniffed, "I miss him so much."

Lydia sat by the woman's side, and held her hand with love.

"He left us."

"I know hunny, I know." Amelia nodded, "But I loved him."

"I don't know how you survived through all this..." She eyed her with admiration.

"Me neither." Her mother forced a crying laugh, "Sometimes you surprise yourself when you realize how much you can handle."

Lydia looked down.

She remembered quite well the day her father left. She knew Amelia hadn't just waken up one day and he wasn't the, that was a lie. Hal was there, and so was her mother and they fought. Little Lydia woke up with their screams downstairs, and when she went to peek through the grids on the stairs, she found her parents arguing. Later, Lydia remembers seeing her father clos the door with so much strenght that it shook the whole house. She stood there waiting for him to come back, and waited, but the door never opened.

"If he came back..." Lydia hesitated, "Would you forgive him?"

"Yes, I would." Amelia told her and seeing her daughter's surprised eyes, she explained, "I still love him, and if he came back, I'd run to hug him. That's what love - ."

"He left you, that's not love!" 

"I know you wouldn't forgive him, but -."

"Damn right I wouldn't, Mom." Lydia agreed, "Dad broke my heart before any boy could. I may have never been in love, I may not know what love is, but I think that's it."

"Oh hunny, your father had a reason to leave us, maybe he thought we'd be better off without him." She looked at her daughter like she was about to tell her a secret, "That's what love is, always wanting what's best to the person we love even if that doesn't include us."

Lydia's eyes fell on the table, on the pictures.

She knew she had been been in love, she also knew people gave a lot more importance to it than they should. She had boyfriends, many friends with benefits, but love? Jones didn't think she had ever felt it. Not like her Mom, at least.

"How do you know?" The readhead wondered.

"What, hunny?" Amelia eyed her with confusion.

"When it's love?"