I opened the door, saw them get onto the school bus, and waved at them. “Bye, Mimi!” I shouted.
She waved back and made a fly kiss.
After the school bus left, I went back inside and climbed the stairs to my parents’ bedroom to check on my mother. She was awake, and I needed to bathe her and give her the pills she needed to take after her meals. She sat on the bed, and looked down on the floor, not talking. Her condition had gotten worse with every passing month. I went to the dresser, took the pills, and walked over to her.
I bent down to look at her face. She was beautiful, with dark Arabian eyes. I’d inherited my eyes from her, but the other parts I got from my father. He has African genes, which made me a mixed-race girl. That always provoked the question of where I was from, from everyone I knew.
“Celia, is that you?” my mother asked, and looked at me. She reached out to stroke my hair. It was one of the rare moments when she remembered my name.
“Yes, it’s me, Mom,” I replied. “It’s time for your medication.”
I filled an empty glass with water, and gave her the pills to swallow. She took the pills and drank the water, spilling some on her clothes. I took the glass away and placed it on the bedside table, and then took her hand and escorted her to the bathroom.
There, I brushed her teeth and helped her to shower. All I had to do was act as if I was strong, and act like I wasn’t hurting, because everyone needed me to be there for them. There was no time to cry.
****************************************
My boyfriend, Kent drove onto the driveway of our house in Virginia. Our sweet, humble home that showed people we were a happy and fulfilled family, that we had the perfect parents and the perfect siblings. No one knew the struggles inside our house, or any other house in the neighborhood. It was a shame that our houses were close to each other, but we rarely chatted with our neighbors.
I fixed my curly hair as flirtatiously as possible, and hopped in his car.
Kent leaned closer and kissed me, which gave me uncontrolled butterflies fluttering in my stomach. He was the perfect guy for me. Hot, charming, and nice. He had dark hair that reached to his ears, and he liked to dress elegantly. We always talked about our future together, though we had no idea where to start, because we’d only started dating three months ago. I was in no rush, but being away from him felt like some kind of punishment. I needed him around me every second of the day. I needed to smell his shirt, and to feel his warm hugs.
I needed his soft kisses that tasted like a summer watermelon.
“Hey, sexy,” he said to me, while holding the steering wheel.
I giggled, and stared at him with lust.
He stared back.
“Be careful, you might hypnotize me and make me do something outrageous,” he warned.
“Hmm, is that a new pick-up line?” I asked with a laugh.
“Just the truth.” He then peeled out of the driveway, and after a few moments sped up and yelled, “Woohoo!”
I held the seat tightly out of shock. “Are you crazy?” I shouted.
He half-drifted on the street, which made a few drivers honk.
“Like I said, you make me do crazy things!” he shouted.
“Kent!”
He finally slowed down and parked the car in the university’s parking lot. My body shuddered out of shock, and I immediately got out of the car.
“Come on, boo, I was messing with you,” he called back, while I walked to the main entrance.
I turned to him, flipping him the middle finger as I went.
****************************************
Mrs. Jensen kept lecturing about the types of art in the art industry, and for a moment I almost drifted away. While I tried to stay focused on the subject, I turned my head around to look at my surroundings and noticed a guy staring at me. Then I looked away in shame. Regardless of the geeky Gemland video game T-shirt, he did look good in his own way.
“Celia, just focus for God’s sake,” I told myself.
I kept my focus on the lecturer, but I still felt the goosebumps of someone’s stare. I started playing with my pencil, and did some sketches of Kent’s face. The feeling of holding a pencil and drawing was soothing for me. The way the pencil’s tip softly slid on the paper’s surface, creating lines and shapes, comforted me somehow.
When the lecturer wrapped things up, I got out of the class. As usual, Kent was waiting in his car. He arched one eyebrow and asked, “Looking for a ride?”
I smiled when I saw him. Simply seeing him was enough for me.
****************************************
Amelia screamed again. This time, it was something about Adam taking her stuff away, and not returning them. I rolled my eyes, “Adam, please!”
“But she ruined my headphones!” he yelled back.
“Who cares, just give them to her!” I ordered.
He twisted his face in anger and grumbled, “Fine.”
The same moment, Amelia hugged my belly and sucked her thumb, with tears running down her cheeks.
Adam shrugged, surrendering to her demands. “They’re upstairs. Come on,” he said, and held Amelia’s hand as he escorted her to the second floor.
My parents were in the living room, watching television together. I entered and my mother asked, “Did you eat, honey?”
“Yes, Mom, we just ate,” I stated, “We all did.”
“Oh, right,” she replied, and turned her attention to the television. I had no idea if she was really watching, or lost in her thoughts
