Soul Swapped

Chapter 2

A little after 11am we finally arrived to our new/old house. The temperature had already kicked in and I was so regretting the full-sleeved shirt I wore. I looked at the big house in front of me. The very house I spent my first ten years. Somewhere deep inside my heart I knew I missed this old home too. After all I could still feel Dad's presence here.

"Anna?" Mom screamed at me straining her voice even when I was only a few feet away. She might had confused me with Nonna. Speaking of whom, she already disappeared. Now I'd to lift her boxes as well.

Damn!

"yea?"

Mom came nearer wiping her sweat from her forehead and scrunched her nose while looking up at me.

"Which room do you want? Your old one or one of those other three rooms?"

First of all I'd no idea why she thought she needed so many rooms. But her money her way!

"I think the old room would be better"

"hmm... I thought so too.. "

Mom still kinda lingered in front of me. I raised my one of my eyebrows, a trick I learned when I was five, encouraging her to speak up. She opened her mouth and then closed again. Okay that's weird. My mother never hesitated in speaking her mind out.

"Mom?"

"Hmm??" she feebly nodded and looked up at me again not meeting my eyes this time.

"Do you want to say something?"

"Nooooo.... " I waited a few seconds.

"Well yes I do have to say something" she mumbled.

She was getting on my nerves right now. I waited again.
She finally opened her mouth.

" I invited Nick to help me moving in these boxes. He'll arrive with his children shortly."

I didn't know who Nick was and why his children were coming to help us in this dreadful weather. So the next possible question I could ask was...
"Okaaay.. but who's Nick?"

My beautiful mother's eyes bulged comically and I'd have laughed if I wasn't this much confused.
"Ummm... He's my boy... boyfriend" she stammered a little. And now I'm sporting the same expression of what Mom did just a few seconds ago.

" your boyfriend??? But you said you were just dating some guys and those were not at all serious. How come you have a boyfriend now?..." I was flustering.. horribly.. "and why didn't you tell me earlier???" yea I was screaming now.

Mom started dating two years ago. Even if I was not incredibly happy about it , despising the very fact Mom dating someone other than Dad but I knew she deserved this. She was unhappy for way too long. But that didn't mean I loved listening to the sordid details of those dates. I ignored them with all my heart. She never invited her dates into our house so I never quite knew whom she was dating. And she never had a boyfriend! Like now!
"Well, I told you earlier. Maybe if you'd have listened to me and stopped wearing your headphones surreptitiously all the time I was speaking.. you definitely hadn't missed it out" Now she's angry..
I , on the other hand was feeling sorry, not sorry..
She unashamedly spoke way too much every single time but she's right. I zoned her out most of the times. Without any speck of remorse.

"Does Nonna know?"

"Obviously she knows." she huffed and went on.. "She kinda advised me to try this relationship out. I mean this is the first serious relationship... after your father" she spoke her last words in low voice if I had not strained my ears already I'd have missed that.