12 Chapters of Life

Eight

"Hello, Mia? I wish you were there. I hope we can meet this weekend before I go to the foundation tour. I really need you because I want to talk about some things." A message for Mia on the mail box was sent by Amanda. She really needed her but Mia seemed to be very busy. Amanda remembered that this was the last semester, but she decided to take a leave from her university as she didn't work anymore for these times.

"Amanda? Have you woken up? The breakfast was ready." After talking with her Mom yesterday, Amanda didn't feel good and she went to bed early. She just wanted to get some good sleep but ended up she was awake. She cried in silent because she didn't want her mother hearing her cry. 

"I'll be there, Mom. Thanks." After thinking for over a night, it seemed to be very bad for her to stay away from her mom. She remembered her purpose. She wanted to spend the good holiday with her mom and talked with her.

Amanda made her bed and combed her hair. She wore the T-Shirt and training pants. Her hair had been grown fast. She tied it up in the pony tail style. She headed to the dining room. 

As she arrived, she saw her mom was busy with her phone. She smiled because she looked at her mom's plate and the food was almost finished.

"Hi! Morning." Amanda smiled and sat across her mom's chair. 

"Hi, Honey! How was your sleep?"

"Good. It's been a long time I did not sleep on my own bed. It was nice to feel and wear my own blanket since I was a little child. What have you got for breakfast?"

"Oh, I made some toasts which you can take there with banana and berries. I have also prepared the Nutella and pineapple jam. Your favorites." Her mom smiled and held Amanda's right arm. She smiled back and went to the table which her mom had pointed out. She took a toast and spread the jam on it. At the same time she heard a knock from the front door.

"Let me, Mom." Her mom nodded. Amanda went to the front door with a little run. Her hair swung around and her feet made a little drum sound.

"Hi!" A voice was given by a man who was standing and smiling to Amanda. She froze and did not do anything. She just held the door handle. 

"Hi... Hmm. I am Sean. Is my Mom in there?"

"Sean?" At the same time, Amanda's mom went to the front door and called the same name.

"Yes, Mom. Hi, how are you?"

"You went home?"

"I did. I decided to go home because I got a vacation time for a week. It was a Mid-Term break."

"Oh well."

"Oh well? Introduce me, Mom. What is it all about again?" Amanda rolled her eyes before her mom even introduced her. 

"He called you 'Mom'" Amanda went to her bed and took her wallet. She did not even believe what has just happened.

"Honey, where are you going?"

"I needed to drink a cup of coffee. I realised that you don't have any." Amanda looked away and wore her sweatshirt from her high school. She did not care about what people think about a woman who was still wore, but she was at the coffee shop drinking a fancy cup of coffee.

"Who cares?" She said inside her heart.

*

By the time she arrived at the coffee shop, she directly ordered a cup of latte with an extra shot of expresso. She also ordered two slices of brownies cakes. She remembered she did not have any food inside her belly. She was angry but she would never given up food and let her starve control her anger. 

Amanda sat by the window and stared at her orders. She sipped her coffee and breath slowly. 

"Thank God I found this place." She thought it was bad to let the problem back there and she realised it was not a good thing. However, she had no idea what to do as she thought that there were two problems or secrets her mother was hiding.

"Why?" she whispered.

As she was thinking about her mom, her father, and herself, she saw a guy she recognized. He was the guy whom she met and called her mother, 'mom'. He ordered the coffee at the same place as hers. The guy saw Amanda and she looked away.

"Hey. I didn't think you would come here." Sean smiled.

"May I sit here? I think the place was full packed. "

Amanda looked around and nodded afterwards.

"You okay?"

Amanda did not answer.

"I am sorry. I was sorry to your Mom as well and I headed here. I miss drinking the cup of coffee here. It was the best coffee shop in town. They have opened for one year. What do you think about it?"

Amanda just nodded.

"Well... I knew you were angry with Mom. I had just talked to her. I told her I knew. You are... my step sister." 

Amanda was staring at Sean after he said 'the step sister' thing. She sipped her coffee and ate her brownies in her big bite.

"Food is the best escape, isn't it?" Sean smiled and smirked. He sipped his coffee and stared at Amanda.

"You know, we are grown up. I don't think we should take this problem personally. Do you think by getting angry you will solve the problem? Can it change the fact that your Dad goes somewhere and your mom is left alone?"

Amanda narrowed her eyes, "You know my Dad has gone?"

"I knew a bit, but for other things, I don't give a sh*t."

Amanda raised her eyebrow.

"You know, I don't really like to dig more information. If I think that is not related to me. I just knew, that was all. Okay, listen. Don't get mad at me, too. I just want to help you, or help my Mom exactly to get back to you."

"What do you mean? By the way, before you answer that, I want to know about you, too. Please explain it."

"Well, this will take a long time to stay in a coffee shop." Sean gave a long pause, "I was born three years after your Dad left you. Our Mom met a guy because she thought it was the best time to move on. That was what my Dad told me. When I was 10, my Dad passed away and I had to move to my aunty, from my Dad. I stayed there for five years. You moved and left your mother alone. That was the time I stayed with mom until I entered a university and worked.

"I had no idea. At the beginning, I also wonder about some times our mom felt guilty about something. She was quiet. Every time I asked her, she never answered why. I always wondered. By the time I grew up, my aunty came along and talked. I heard a bit about what they talked about. My aunty knew that our mom had a husband, your dad. She said that she saw him walking in this town. 

"My mom closed her face and the talk stopped. I never want to ask about it since then because I got the answered why my mom was always quiet sometimes."

Amanda took a deep breath. She sipped her coffee and looked away. Sean was right. The past is the past. It was not the time to recall the memory. Besides, Amanda was happy enough to know her mother was totally fine without her father. But one thing she still wondered, what if I met my father?

"So, do we have to go back now? I don't feel comfortable to see this quiet. Besides, I haven't heard about you yet." Sean cut Amanda's daydreaming and she smiled.

"Yes, we have to go back. I will tell about myself at home."