A Replacment

Ms. Hilga knows best

Me and Kiki are sitting on my bed as I teach her about the modern world. I just finished teaching her modern slang, like awesome, insane, etc. I was just about to start teaching her about modern technology when I hear the front door open. Uh oh. Ms. Hilga's here! Help! My eyes widen as I grab Kiki and shove her in the closet.

"Stay in there and don't come out until I tell you." I close it quickly before she has a chance to respond.

"Okay Nikki, just be cool, just act like this was a normal day and nothing happened, ok, good," I say as I talk to myself like a loon. It's a really bad habit I've had, because, up until now I've had no friends. I open the door to leave when I hear a shrill voice call me.

"Quanika, come help your mother with the groceries."

I inwardly cringe, I told you guys my real name was lame. Ugh, I hope Kiki didn't hear that. I run to the front door and grab Ms. Hilga's bags.

Ms. Hilga is a tall thin woman in her 40s with red hair that she keeps in a bun, dark blue eyes that always seem to have a bit of a coldness in them, a thin face and a pointy nose.

After I put the groceries away, I go back to Ms. Hilga. I take off her sweater for her and hang it up, and then run back into the kitchen to make her tea, then I go into the living room and set her tea down, then after she sits down I take off her shoes and put them away.

After doing all of that I sit down by Ms. Hilga. She takes a small sip of her tea, then turns to me and pats my cheek.

"Hi, welcome home mother." Ever since Ms. Hilga took me in, she has insisted that I call her mother. I guess I do kind of owe her for taking me in, even if after all these years it still feels unnatural.

"Oh, Quanika, you clean the entire house and still are able to do all of that. It looks absolutely exhausting darling."

I smile at that. Ms. Hilga hardly ever complements me. Maybe she's being nice to me because she knows tomorrow's my birthday. Nows my chance to ask her. After all that happened today, I almost forgot.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Then I don't know why it takes so long. Hahaha, oh darling I'm just teasing," she says in a friendly tone while pinching my cheek.

I should've known, after every complement she gives me, she always says something hurtful. I guess I just forgot. But that's still not going to stop me from asking her.

Ms. Hilga gets up from her chair and walks to the mirror on the wall. I go over to stand beside her.

"Uh, mother, tomorrow is a pretty big day, so I wanted to ask you-"

"Quanika look at this," she said cutting me off. She wraps her arm around me and pulls me closer.

"Do you know what I see? I see a confident, beautiful young lady." I smile and stand up straighter. She looks at me and points.

"Oh look you're here too! Oh I'm just kidding, stop taking everything so seriously." She gives me a small shove and walks away laughing. See what I mean? I force out a laugh and clear my throat.

"Okay. So, mother, earlier I was saying tomorrow is a pretty big day, and you didn't really say anything, so I'm just going to tell you, it's my birthday! Tada!" I hug her arm and look up to face. She looks interested for a second, then just waves it off.

"No, no, no," she says. "I distinctly remembered, your birthday was last year."

"Heh, yeah that's the funny thing about birthdays, they're the kind of things that happen every year," I say. I take a deep breathe.