Читать книгу Almost 5'4" - Isobella Jade - Страница 6

I was en route to the subway with my case dragging behind me when I felt the vibration of my cell phone in my coat pocket, but I ignored it. It was on vibrate for a reason; I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

It kept vibrating.

Annoyed, I looked at the digital display. Shit. It was the worst person to call at that moment. Her voice would kill me.

‘Hello, Mom…can you hear me?’

Boxes of fruit, ketchups, and empanadas lined the street, ready to be shelved at the storefronts I passed. I had to zigzag through the commotion.

‘Mom, are you there?’ I had my mother and an uncertain future in my hands, an awkward mix.

‘Yes, I’m here, Heather, how are you?’ I hated it when she said my real name, especially at this moment.

‘I’m good. I’m going to SoHo, Mom.’ She had only been to New York City once before; I don’t think she actually knew where SoHo was.

‘Oh, that sounds like fun, what else are you doing today?’ Oh great, she sounded talkative.

Answering her with the truth would be like pulling my own teeth; I hated talking to her about modeling, about myself, about my living situation. She had given me the money to get the apartment that I had just walked out on. Telling her that I’d wasted her $1500 would not go over well. Telling her the truth would ruin my day, let alone hers. It would ruin this moment.

‘I’m going to do some laundry.’ Lie. ‘And mail out some more comp cards.’ Another lie; I had no stamps. ‘It’s a nice day in the city. I might go to the…Mom, I gotta go. I’m about to get on the train!’ I lied again. The train was three blocks away.

‘I wanted to see if you were alive. It has been a couple of weeks and you haven’t called.’

She was right. I had avoided calling her for fear that she would ask about my life and I’d be forced to lie, just like I was doing now.

‘Sorry, gotta go!’

Speaking with my Mom reminded me of home. It would be so easy to walk back into the security of my old life. I felt vulnerable hearing her voice. If anything was going to make me give up it was this. I needed to be strong. I had to push away the guilt and stay focused. I consoled myself with the thought that it was often at these lowest moments that a new modeling job would appear.