Mother

Chapter 30

As dinner came to an end, Dad pulled out his wallet with a sigh, glancing at the check. His face was lined with exhaustion, but he was trying.  he has been doing his best to make up for all the years he hadn't been around, but the gap between us was still there, unspoken and heavy.

 Across the table, Teodoro was quietly drawing on the kids menu, completely absorbed in his own little world. He always was, the silent one. He has lived in his own reality for as long as I can remember. 

He never made a sound, but his presence filled the room with an unspoken energy, like he was constantly listening, constantly aware. Julio, meanwhile, sat slumped in his chair, eyes glued to his phone, checked out from the moment we'd arrived. He hadn't said much to Dad in weeks, and the distance between them was almost palpable. I knew Julio still hadn't forgiven him, but neither of us talked about it. We all just existed in this weird limbo, trying to act like things were normal, but nothing really was.

Dad cleared his throat. "You boys ready to head out?" His voice was forced casual, like he was trying too hard to pretend that everything was fine. I nodded, standing up as Teodoro silently gathered his crayons into his small backpack. He moved with this quiet efficiency, his little hands quick and practiced. He didn't need words to communicate with us, we'd all grown used to understanding what he needed without them.

We walked out of the restaurant together, Teodoro sticking close to my side, his small hand gripping the strap of my jacket. Julio ambled behind us, his face still glued to his phone. As we made our way toward the car.

 I glanced up and saw her again. 

Ms. Ayla standing outside the restaurant, talking to two other women. Seeing her outside of school, made her seem... different. She wasn't the teacher watching over us from a distance. She was just another person, trying to get home like the rest of us.

I kept walking, pretending like I hadn't seen her. But as we got into the car, I couldn't help glancing back. She had now moved, while the other women had disappeared. she stood under the dim light of the streetlamp, waiting for the bus. wrapped up in herself. 

The drive home was quiet, as usual. Teodoro leaned his head against my arm in the back seat, his eyes already half-closed. Julio stayed absorbed in his phone, not bothering to look up. Dad drove in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel like he was lost in his own thoughts.

When we finally pulled up to our house I slipped out of the car as quickly as possible. The weight of the day hung heavy on me, and I needed to be alone before it all caught up with me.

"I'll get Teo," Dad said, his voice low as he carefully lifted Teodoro out of the back seat. My little brother stirred slightly but didn't protest, his eyes fluttering shut as Dad carried him inside. Julio lagged behind, his shoulders tense but his face blank as usual. 

None of us spoke as we headed into the house, each of us retreating into our own spaces. I went straight to my room, shutting the door behind. The second I was alone, the weight I'd been carrying all day crashed down on me. I barely made it to the bathroom before the tears came.

I locked the door, collapsing onto the cold tiles as I pressed my forehead against my knees. My chest ached, and I struggled to hold it all in, but the emotions spilled out faster than I could stop them. The stress, the pressure of keeping everything together, the fear that I wasn't doing enough for my brothers. It all poured out of me in quiet, shaking sobs. 

I tried to stay quiet, to keep anyone from hearing, but the pain was too much.I don't know how long I stayed there, curled up on the floor, crying into my knees. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I stumbled back to bed. The tears kept coming, but they slowed enough for me to finally fall asleep, my body heavy with the weight of it all.