Persuasion

Don't

When I woke up the next morning, I noticed the empty bed beside me and the quietness of the apartment. When I rolled over to look at my phone I noticed the handwritten note sitting on my nightstand.

Went for a run, will return with coffee.

I smiled and stretched. I grabbed my phone and threw on some shorts and a t shirt and sat down on the couch before promptly dialing the phone.

"Your grandmother cancelled Thanksgiving" my mother answered the phone.

"How do you cancel Thanksgiving?"

"She had her maid call and say that she wasn't feeling well."

"Poor grandma."

"Poor me, now where am I going to eat Thanksgiving?"

"Wasn't Luke planning on cooking your own Thanksgiving since you love leftovers?"

"Yes but that was for leftovers, I need a place to go for original Thanksgiving."

"Go to the Dragonfly" I suggested.

"We don't have a chef."

"I thought Cat Cora was there this week?"

"She wanted to make cornbread stuffing."

"So obviously you had to let her go."

"Obviously. Well I guess I'll have to have leftover Thanksgiving for original Thanksgiving. Unless, hey where are you going to eat?"

"Paris's."

"Hard pass."

I laughed "So the reason I'm calling, I'm trying to get stuff packed up to move out of my apartment by the end of the year, would it be okay if I sent some stuff to your house? I don't really want to get another storage unit if I don't have to."

"I suppose if you can't bother to visit your mother, your stuff visiting will just have to do."

"Thanks mom" I said ignoring her not so subtle dig "So then I just got to call grandma and see if I can store some things there and I'll talk to Paris today. Maybe I'll call Lane too spread my stuff around a little."

"Just what every mother wants to hear, that her daughter is spreading her stuff around."

"Oh look at the time."

"Have fun with Paris."

"You almost sounded sincere."

"Bye hon."

"Bye mom."

I pulled some boxes out of the closet and began to assemble them. I emptied the closet quickly, separating its contents equally into the boxes. I moved to the kitchen, leaving silverware, wine bottle opener, and two coffee mugs in the cupboards but emptying the few other belongings into the boxes. I opened a drawer in the kitchen and saw a photo album that I recognized immediately. My mom had made it for me and packed it in my suitcase when I left on the campaign trail after graduation. I remembered crying when I found it, I had been feeling so alone and scared and it was the perfect reminder of home. I flipped through the album with the same feeling of nostalgia. There were pictures of mom and I from when I was younger. My favorite picture of Lane and I from elementary school. A picture of Paris and I from our high school graduation. I stopped staring at the picture of me standing with mom and my grandparents at my college graduation. Mom looked so happy, her eyes the slightest bit red and puffy from the proud tears she had shed. Grandma was beaming, poised and elegant. I paused and ran my fingers along the photo looking at Grandpa. His smile was radiant. I felt tears form in my eyes thinking about how much I missed him. My eyes wandered over the picture and focused on my face, the sadness caused a knot in my stomach. The intercom buzzed me out of my daydream and I jumped up to let Logan into the building, turning the knob of the door leaving it slightly ajar. I flipped the album closed and picked it up to put it in one of the boxes as I did a familiar picture slid out of the back. I put the album in one of the boxes, and slid the picture in my book that was sitting in my purse.