"My MaRiLyn..."

47.

I'm in the kitchen cleaning the dishes while Ciara watches me do so as she is sitting comfortably on top of the kitchen counter. I don't want to stress her out so I'm doing all the chores. I'm being a better best friend of hers because friends help out and sacrifice their lives for the others.

"My wound is healing little by little,are you happy for me?" Ciara asks trying to start up a conversation.

"Yeah,I am. I'm happy for you," I reply in a low tone of voice which indicates sadness and worry.

"What's the cheese? Why are you sad?" She asks worriedly.

"Nothing really. It's just that people will come swarming like bees in my house at your party and I hate people... And bees," I inform her and she laughs.

"Don't worry,Mr Anxious. You'll be fine because I'll be around you all the time to protect you," she says to me and I feel humbled.

I feel butterflies invade my stomach because I know she means it. I chuckle at her statement to keep the moment light for both of us and I turn around to look at her with my hands still dripping wet.

"I should be the one protecting you and not the other way around," I tell her and she laughs.

"I'm a big girl I can protect myself," she says to me and I remember her stab on the stomach. I sadly look at her real deep in the eyes and she furrows her brows in confusion though at the same time trying to figure out what my look indicates.

"I'm fine,It's just a wound," she speaks out to me.

She understood the look in my eyes which Marilyn can't understand.

"No,I'm sorry," I apologize to her and she shrugs her shoulder and deeply exhales trying to relax herself. I go back to washing the dishes.

"Everyone in the neighbourhood is reserved so don't worry about people trashing your house at the party," she informs me and I nod in affirmation.

There is silence between us two but I can feel her staring at me or maybe staring through me.

She suddenly speaks up again,

"Is your mom still around, Timothy?"

A question that makes my heart skip a thousand beats. I don't know what to say because it's been long ever since I saw her. And last time I did was when she swore to God I was the biggest mistake of her life. A mistake.

I killed my baby brother after all so I understood her never wanting to see me again. It's been years now that I have grown up without a shoulder to lean on when I cry. I'm internally sweating to the fact that Ciara wants to know about my life.

"Uh,I don't know," I honestly let her know after 2 minutes of contemplating what to say.

"Me neither," she says to me and I am in awe. I turn around to look at her and she has a light sad smile on her beautiful face.

"Biggest mistake she'd ever seen. I disappointed her," she speaks.

I feel so sorry for her despite her and I don't have guardians.

"Did you murder someone?" I ask projecting my sin to her and she laughs.

"No. I didn't want to do whatever she wanted. She hated the fact that I had dreams and ambitions of someday becoming somebody greater than she was. She wanted me to be just like her,a product to society."

Ciara is the smartest person I know. She Is the smartest person I truly know.

"I did whatever she didn't necessarily want me to do and I did things only a son could do and that's protect her but it was too much that she got sick of it and pushed me away forever," I open up and Ciara gets off the counter and embraces me.

We both stand in the kitchen holding onto each other with so much peace and understanding. We both understand. She understands and It's the first time somebody ever has.