Loving my feral one

ch_5: Tanaka: "when aunt visits"

Exhausted, I dropped my bag on the table, tossed clothes into the laundry, and collapsed onto the bed. My stomach was full, but my eyes refused to stay shut. I lay there, trying to give rest to my body while my mind wandered to the mundane routines of school, my gaze fixed on the whirling ceiling fan.
What a day it had been! Leon's cringeworthy antics, if he does something like that again I am not showing any mercy! Rois's stubbornness, and why did he have to join them during the break? And Tara, with her saccharine sweetness - could she be any more insufferable?And then there was Mom's attempt at making that apple pie. The only thing that brought a hint of amusement today was hearing the poor guy in the bathroom struggle with his emergency. Rolling over in my bed I grab my phone.

Turning the lights on and making up my mind, I sat on the chair.
I texted Rois. I had forgotten to ask him about the assignments. I ended up calling him instead. Usually, he picks up on the first ring. Now he has started to annoy me too. That is what you call the effect of the company. Hanging out with those knuckleheads had tarnished him too. He's not usually the careless type. I call Eva. It’s ringing. It’s still ringing.
After a long minute, she replies “Oh?...it’s Lily’s birthday! Did you not know?” she takes a long breath.
I don’t reply for some time. Clearing my throat. “And he didn’t even think to let us know beforehand that we were gonna be ignored”

He had never acted like this before and I thought that we had been friends for long enough for him to invite us to her birthday party…guess I was wrong. I am always gonna have acquaintances. Shuffling my way toward the window, I drop on the floor, adorn my ears with my earpiece, and blast music.
The sky is pale blue, hints of inky blue and puffs of faintly flushed clouds abutting the golden sun. The sun’s finally going down. Ah! Evening. The summer breeze rushed in through the open window, hitting my face.

Breathing heavily, I closed my eyes. High and lofty lush trees. Dark but a hint of pale light cascading down on my face, evading the huge canopies. Chittering of birds. Melody of nature. The crisp smell of pancakes drifting out of the smokey chimney. A round wooden cottage. Fluttering my heavy eyelids, I stared ahead. Boxes and boxes made out of bricks, touching the sky. Flats with windows and windows. Blinding bright lights. I pulled out my earpiece and leaned against the wall. Horns blaring. Kids screaming. Chatter and just chatter. More kids crying. I guess it’s one intense rush hour.

Flopping onto my bed, I grab my humongous pillow and jam my headphones on. Dad and Mom don’t like it but I-I am…one day gonna live in woods or countryside at least. If I were a man, I would have already been living my dream life. I squeeze my pillow and try to think happy thoughts.
“TANAKA!!!” Mom’s voice booms through the house, shaking the walls. I’m not in a neighborhood, Mom, my room is right next to yours. Geez, can she be any louder? I refuse to answer–wait. Don’t tell me it wasn’t rush hour but…from her voice, I can tell why she’s calling me. Staying silent doesn’t guarantee she’ll leave me alone either.

There’s a knock on my door. Is she using teleporting now? quickly burying my head under the blanket, headphones still on. Headphones can always be used as an excuse for ignoring her.
“I don’t care if you have your headphones on or not,” she says, yanking the blanket off me. I struggle against her, but she’s too strong. “Aunt Susan is here after so long,” she glares at me. Rolling eyes I turn my head away. Rebelling. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Tanaka, don’t you dare walk away the instant you greet her,” she adds with her death glare, lips pressed into a thin line. I don’t move an inch. After she leaves, I don’t move for a long while.

My fist hits my mattress. Calm down. Breathe. My fingers slide over my charcoal pencil. I look at it.  no, stop, don’t break it. It’s expensive. I end up snapping it into two anyways. Scratching my head, I throw the pieces on the floor. I can always get another one. A punch landed on my blankets again, imagining Aunt Susan's face. Doesn’t she have her place to go?
After throwing a silent fit, I tiptoe to pick up the pillow I threw earlier and lock up everything the kids might want to mess with. My drawing tablet. My laptop. My books. Practically everything.  There’s just my bed, an empty table, and a chair now.

The wooden stairs creak under my feet. Sliding my hand on the railing, I reconsider my decision. Taking the last step, I appear in the lounge. Lifting my eyes off the floor, I peek at the couch. A chubby and paunchy woman, her feet barely touching the floor. The couch sank under her weight. Like a toad, she sat smiling.
At the sight of me, she lunges forward, and I force a smile, pretending to be thrilled at her presence. Uncle leaves her here and gets a day off to deal with her. What a pain. She almost cracks my ribs with her hug, and as soon as she lets me go, her twins cling to my legs, rubbing their runny noses on me. Flinching I inch away.

"Wow, you've grown up now," she says, giving me a once-over. Just as I'm about to sit on the couch, she grabs my arm, making me spring to my feet. I tap my foot impatiently as she scrutinizes me from head to toe for an agonizingly long moment, all the while maintaining a smile.
"Oh my, you're quite tall for a girl," she giggles as if I hadn't noticed that in my sixteen-year-old years of life. As she laughs, I notice her double chin appearing. But look at you, your feet aren't even touching the ground... I'd rather be tall than this tiny. She looks at her twins, who are busy trying to pull a bag out of Aunt's tight grip.
"Aw, look at how happy they are.

Sweetie, you have no idea how much they wanted to play with you. They've been talking about you all day."
"Hey, sis..." the girl in the bright pink dress waddles heavily toward me and pulls out a doll from behind her. She leans against my leg and drools on my pants. From the corner of my eye, I notice their mother staring intently, taking in everything. I don't push the kid away. The other twin rushes toward me with two dolls in their hands.
"They bought the third one for you, dear," Aunt says, and I smile at her kids as their saliva and grubby hands linger all over my clothes now. She's well aware and could simply pull them away, or make them sit on her lap or the floor, but she chooses to ignore them and notice my reaction.

"Oh, sweetie, looking at Lulu and Bulu just reminds me of when you were so tiny," she says, laughing. "Did I ever tell you about the diaper changes?" she chuckles, and my mom's laughter echoes from the kitchen. Crossing my arms I glance down at my feet. Quite the comedian. Did she come here just to say this stuff? It's the same old routine, and I know! I know you had to change my diaper. Someone had to change yours too! It's normal. Jeez.

The sound of Mom chopping something in the kitchen fills my ears. Ugh! Hurry up, Mom. Make that curry or whatever and deal with her. She's your sister! My head feels like it's about to start pounding in a few minutes. A few more minutes in her company.
Bulu, I assume because she's in blue, hands me the doll. Both of the unbearable twins look at me with big eyes as they brush their doll's hair. Do they want me to brush this thing's hair too? I ignore them, but I feel the weight of my aunt's intense gaze on me. Awkwardly chuckling, I set the doll aside. No way I'm brushing them. I cut my hair because I didn't want to deal with all that brushing. Awkwardly smiling, I lean back and push the kids away a little, crossing my legs, just like hers.

Aunt edges closer to me. Her brows furrowed, and her lips quivered as she refrained from asking, "So um…how’s your love life going sweety?"
"Huh?" I stare back at her, dumbfounded. Seriously, Aunt? And then you complain to Mom that I don't stay with you for long.
"So is that a 'no'?" she asks, moving even closer to me. Could it even mean anything else?
"Ah! What a loss," she pouts. Mom chuckles from the kitchen, relishing the spectacle. Dad lucked out today, sneaking away already, leaving me to bear the brunt. I cross my legs again, only to realize I've inadvertently opened them wide. "Now now, don't worry, dear. I'll give you some tips," she says, tilting her head. Please, pick my soul, dear lord!

"Susan, take it easy on her. She's my only kid," Mom interjects. Oh, so helpful, Mom. Aunt Snickers in response, and her double chin makes a grand reappearance.
"First things first. Get rid of those oversized t-shirts," she sighs, preparing to say something dreadful. "No offense, but you look —"
My wrist slams on the table. Silence fills the house. Lulu and Bulu petrified. Aunt gawks at me. Huh? When did I stand up? Oh, crap. I should have held it in. But she had been going on and on for so long, and that was the peek!
I stomp out of the house, not even looking back once. I don't care how much I'll be scolded later or how long I'll be grounded. I slam the door hard. Yeah, go ahead and ground me, take my phone, whatever. It's not like I have anyone to text. Or someone who will get worried when I don't reply. You know what? Screw everybody! What does she think she’s even talking about? Tips? Like heck…just be quiet you failure of an Aunt. and just so you know I am good. I am okay! I don’t need anyone. No one!
“Hey, hey."

Stopping mid-track, I peek sideways. A head pops out from behind a tree trunk. Dad? I thought he snuck out... I guess he just didn't come back home from work. He gestures, asking what happened. I consider nodding and letting him go inside but I chuckle and sign Aunt.
His hands shoot to his head, clutching it, Silently, he pretends to scream. Yeah, same dad.