My Mr. Artist

Chapter 4

Kiyah

Knock... knock...

"Surprise, Mumma!" I excitedly shouted as soon as I saw my mother while jumping on her and hugging her tight.

"Oh my god, dear! How come you are here?" Mom gasped as she hugged me back. "You should have told me! Oh my, oh my....come inside, wait, let me take your bags."

"Mumma, if I had told you, how could this be a surprise?" I replied as I reached to drag my bags inside. Mom helped too.

"How come you've brought this much luggage? Are you planning to never return?" she asked, eyeing my bags with both hands on her hips.

My mom had rich, dusky skin, long black hair she always tied half-up, a tiny nose piercing that caught the light, almost-black eyes that felt like home, and a small dimple on her cheek. To me, she had always been the most beautiful woman in the world. My dad, in contrast, was fair, with hazel eyes that softened when he smiled and a mess of unruly curls. I got my skin tone and eye color from him, but my straight hair, from Mom was now dyed a reddish brown. My brother, though, was almost her mirror image, except for the deep dimples that only I had.

Mumma had a strong, decisive personality I really admired, while my father could be a little soft-hearted when dealing with tough situations. Still, they matched each other perfectly, and I loved them a lot.

"Mom, I'll tell you everything later. Right now, I'm really hungry," I whined while pushing her toward the kitchen.

_

"Kiyu, it's time for your father and brother to come. I have to prepare dinner, so stop clinging to me and let me work!" Mom grumbled, pushing me away.

"Okay then, I'll wait for you to finish," I pouted sadly and made my way out of the kitchen.

"Yes, go, go!" I heard her say.

As I entered the living room, I heard the front door open. I had a fair guess who it could be, so I immediately hid myself by the side of the door. One... two... three... and—

"Bhhhoooooo!" I jumped out.

The person opposite me screamed, jumped in fright, and fell flat on his butt. That must have hurt a lot. I burst into laughter, slapping my thigh.

Hearing me, he looked up.

"Di!" [Sister] He was shocked to see me, but his expression soon turned to rage. He got up, and I knew I'd just invited my death.

"Just you wait, Di!"

I started running, yelling, "Mumma! Help! Your son is going to kill me!" He chased me at full speed as I darted toward the kitchen.

"Kiyah, Karan, stop! You're not little anymore......behave!" Mom's voice rang out, scolding us.

It brought back such sweet memories of childhood.

It was really good to be back home.

_

After dinner, we were all sitting in the living room. Mom, Dad, and Karan were waiting to hear my reason for the surprise visit. They were sure I'd made a mess and wanted their help. Karan even had his phone ready, just in case he needed to make an excuse to leave. I scoffed inwardly.

"Guys, it's nothing. I just got transferred to City R to work on a new project. I'll be working as the head architect, and I'll get a promotion after the project is complete," I said, giving them time to process.

"Then are you going to live there alone? No, that's not good. In a new city, all alone... You should have just denied it. Money is not more important than safety, Kiyu," my dad frowned.