Pieces

22. One more?

"Good morning Mrs. Lachowski." I smiled at her as I skipped down the stairs. The smell of garlic toast and coffee wafted around the house- the sharp smell hitting my nostrils and watering my mouth. Mrs. Lachowski was hard at work in the kitchen, she only looked up at me once to throw me a swift, weary smile in greeting. I couldn't help but notice the paleness of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes and it was then that I was reminded that she'd not been home until much late.

"Mrs. Lachowski, you should go get some rest. I'll make breakfast." I said, trying to ease her pain as I rolled into the kitchen, still in my pajamas.

She looked up at me briefly, as if wondering what to say. Then she said, "Nah, I'm good. I'm almost done and it's just the two of us today so it's not much work. If you really want to help, you can do the dishes later." She said with a sigh. "If you want to." She added.

I nodded, as I brought out plates for the two of us, wondering where Antonio had gone. I looked up at the round clock on the wall of the kitchen to find it was just eight thirty in the morning. Where was he off to so early?

"I was surprised to see this note when I woke up." Mrs. Lachowski's words snapped me out of my daze and I looked towards her, only to see her handing out a small post-it. Taking it from her, I read through it, able to decipher the familiar handwriting. It said Antonio had gone to school. I didn't blame Mrs. Lachowski. I was a surprised as she was. I even suspected he'd just lied and gone somewhere else instead, but i didn't voice my opinions. I didn't want to burst Mrs. Lachowski's bubble.

"Honey, do you think you'll be fine alone in the house? I have to leave immediately after this meal. I'm already late for work." Mrs. Lachowski said, with a lazy tone.

I immediately felt sorry for her. The woman had been under so much stress lately. She'd had to care for her son, to provide for the house and yet each time she'd decide to have a bit of refreshment, she'd end up regretting that too. Mrs Lachowski looked like she could use a warm sunny day at the beach. To think she was still going to work on her late husband's farm on a day like this, I hoped she got paid enough.

"Mrs. Lachowski, I wouldn't mind staying alone but do you really have to go to work today? You look like you could use some rest." I told her softly, as I chewed my toast. The sharp taste of garlic stimulated my taste buds, the entire interior of my mouth coming alive. Mrs. Lachowski cooked really well, I had noticed.

She sighed, expressing her distress, but didn't say anything. We had our meal in silence- the only sounds emanating inside the house being the sounds of forks clanking against plates and the occasional placement of a coffee cup. Neither of us spoke until we'd almost finished.

"Garima? Is something wrong?" Her question caught me by surprise and I nearly choked on the coffee I'd been sipping as I looked up at her. She was frowning and looked to be in a state of dilemma. I wasn't exactly sure what she was referring to when she said that.

"Why do you ask?" I expressed my doubts.

"I'm just wondering if Antonio decided to go to school today to avoid you or something." She said, concern laced in her voice. "I mean, you two seemed to be in the middle of something last night when I left as well. Is everything okay between you two?"

I sighed, wondering what to tell her. The thought of Antonio going to school simply so he could avoid me hadn't crossed my mind. But now that I thought about it, it definitely sounded like something he'd do.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I lied. I decided I didn't want to tell her something that Antonio didn't wish her to know. If she had to know about something, he'd tell her himself. He'd handle it himself. I was no one to come between him and his filtered words that her shared with his mother. Especially since I didn't know the limitations of the said filter.