not The Perfect Life

No school today

Chapter 6

Thursday, 8th of November 2018

No school today

Like every morning I go to school with Galen. I've got used to the new school vibe. This 'anti-rape club'  has not given up yet. On the contrary. They seem to be just getting started, and it's just getting worse and worse.

We go to school and see several teachers in front of us who are blocking our way.

"Sorry, but did .. did something happen?" Galen asks one of the teachers. Mr Walsh comes through the crowd and says: "Please wait outside. We have to clarify something here first." He seems very angry and serious. Galen and I turn around and just want to leave. As we walk we hear screams. "Don't protect rapists!" Shouts a girl. I immediately realize that this delay has something to do with this club. Galen and I leave the building and just wait outside.

We are sitting on the bike racks opposite and throwing grapes from Galen's lunch box at each other. Sounds strange, but it's extremely fun. We can't do anything except wait anyway. I grab some grapes from the box and Galen opens his mouth. Then I just aim and, if it works, throw the grape into his mouth. Fun fact: It works more or less well.

More screams and slogans can be heard in the background. These girls went really crazy.

"Give yourself a little more effort with the grapies.", Galen complains laughingly, after I haven't hit and caught several times. I'm so easily distracted by things at school.

"Oh, your family has money."

"It's still a waste. Where's your focus, Liv?"

I look at the entrance to the school.

"What is going to happen there?"

"What should be there? The man haters are making terror again. I've only been here two months and even for me this is nothing new," he replies without taking his eyes off me.

"But we've never been sent out. Do you think they're doing something bad, Gal?"

"What are you even talking about? Do you think they're raping men now?"

It all still seems like a joke to Galen. I, on the other hand, have a very uncomfortable feeling. Sometimes that happens. Then I feel something I can't explain and get goose bumps and nausea.

"Gal, I'm serious. I just have a bad feeling." Galen slowly realizes that I'm really not feeling well and no longer reacts quite as coldly and sarcastically. He looks at me with pity.

"Galen, I have such a .. feeling. I don't know why I have that and what exactly it means, but it scares me. It always just comes over me,"I explain calmly. He sighs loudly and looks me in the eye. Then he puts his hand on my lower leg and apologizes: "Sorry, Liv. I didn't mean that."

"No, no, it's okay, it's okay. It's just a .. such a feeling. Maybe things will turn out very differently." I don't like that feeling and I'm trying to change the subject.

"But now I'll definitely hit it." I smile and pull out a new grape. He grins briefly and then opens his mouth again. Another fun fact: I actually scored.

After a few more hits and non-hits, Mr Walsh finally comes out of the school building. Galen and I get up from the bike racks and walk towards him. While Walsh arrives, an ambulance and a police car drive onto the compound. It really seems to be more serious. Mr Walsh looks very serious.

"Dear students," he announces, "due to an incident at school, lessons have to be canceled. Please go home and enjoy the day off. If there is no school tomorrow either, you will receive an email from us."

Then he goes to school with the rescue workers. I look at Galen, who looks very surprised.

"Wow.", He is amazed, "Your feeling seems to be really good."

"Told you."

A girl walks out of school with her eyes wide and crying. I quickly run to her and ask rather insensitively: "Hey, what happened in there? What's the whole hassle here ?!" I am very upset because I really want to satisfy my feelings and my curiosity. She is shaking very badly and I realize that I should have been much calmer. But then she starts to stutter: "Penelope is there and .. she .. she tried to kill herself in the bathroom." I took a deep breath. The subject of death hits me a lot as I have many nightmares about it. The girl just runs away with tears in her eyes. It's running cold down my spine. My knees are shaking.

"Um..Gal..", I say slowly and quietly, "I have to go home and see.. after .. my mom."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes, everything is fine. Everything is fine, really. The subject of death is just something that bothers me a lot."

"Should I drive you home?" Asks Galen, slightly worried. I shake my head quickly.

"No thanks. I can take my bike. I just want to see my mom quickly."Without saying goodbye, I just run away and get on my bike. Now I need to know that my mom is fine. Sometimes I dream how she loses to her depression and just kills herself and my unborn sibling. To be honest, I can't really judge my mom and have no idea whether she's really suicidal at times or whether that's just an illusion of mine. While I'm on my way, I slowly calm down. Penelope must have gone through something that no one can understand. Nobody knows exactly what happened. I'm so sorry for her. I take several deep breaths and try to focus my thoughts on other things.

Then I arrive at home. My mother's car is still there, which gives me a very bad impression. It looks like Mom didn't go to work. I quickly hook up my bike and run to the front door. From the outside you can already hear that loud music is playing in the house. Now it seems more like Mom is throwing a party. I open the front door with my key and step inside. The music is extremely loud. "Mom ?! Mom!" I call. She doesn't hear anything. I close the door behind me, put my bag down, and go into the kitchen. Mom stands there and dances on the spot. She is wearing one of her favorite dresses.

"Mom!" I call again. She turns around quickly and smiles at me. I haven't seen her so happy and so pretty in a long time. That makes me very happy. With a big grin I ask, "School is down. Mom, what happened here?" Mom picks up her cell phone and turns off the music. Then she comes up to me and puts her hands on my cheeks.

"Olivia", she says very lovingly, "I read the letter today that I kept forgetting recently."

I am very tense and excited. What could have happened? It can't be too bad when mom is so happy. She keeps her hands on my face.

"Olivia, the letter is a bit old and gone down." She gets glassy eyes.

"It must be a coincidence that I just opened it today."

"Mom, what's going on? Just say." I interrupt her in a nervous voice.

"Liv, Daddy is coming home. And tomorrow."

It's like my heart is skipping. A huge burden suddenly falls off my shoulders. My dad is back from Africa. What can I say? How should I react? A few tears of joy run down Mom's face. Dad has been gone several months now and hasn't even seen me or Mom. I hug my mother as tightly as I can and laugh uncontrollably. My father is coming back. That's a sentence I've been waiting for a long time. Soon I'll be able to hug my dad again. He will be with me again. At the moment it sounds very unrealistic.

After this school day, I would certainly never have thought that the day could be so beautiful. If my mom had opened the letter later, neither of us would have had a clue. I feel like the happiest person in the world.