Behind me, my mother suddenly caught up, “Olivia, she’s just being straightforward as always. Don’t overthink it, Maria. We know you’re upset. But your dad and I have been looking for you all these years. How could we not love you? We can’t live without you.”
I nodded perfunctorily. “Okay, I’m leaving now. The car will be here soon.”
She pursed her lips, her voice timid, “Then text us when you get there.”
I pushed my wheelchair to a place where they couldn’t see me and took out the backpack from under my bottom. I cashed a check at the nearest bank, opened a card and deposited the money. Just as I booked a flight to an overseas destination three hours away, the taxi arrived at the airport.
As I walked onto the jet bridge, a voice message from John popped up on my phone. In the audio, I could vaguely hear Maria saying that I still had a knot in my heart, so I was pretending to be generous. My parents chimed in, agreeing with her.
"Yes, yes, then let's make her apologize again, okay?" John sighed.
"Olivia, could you come over again and explain in more detail? You were definitely being a bit sarcastic just now."