~Ours~

Music of Fools: Chapter 9

Monday

Where’s Kelly?” I asked dad when I went downstairs to take my breakfast.

“I asked him to buy goods at the market. He’ll be here any minutes from now.”

“Oh great,” I snapped, grabbing a piece of bacon.

“Hey Mrs. Michael,” I added a greeting to my-mom-to-be (Think so.)

Dad really changed. Not in the way he speaks but on the way he acted towards others.

“I’ll find him. Later dad.”

“Not now sweetie, you need to help us in the kitchen.”

Ugh.

“Three is to one? It’s not fair. Our kitchen won’t win.”

“Stop complaining. Move.”

“Ayt. Alright, alright.”

Dear Allentown, I want to leave you now. Transferring to New Hampshire would be better.

Kelly came after I took a bath; he was on the kitchen eating something I could not tell what it was. He was smiling at me. I sought for the goods he bought but I found none. Did they eat it all when I was still in the shower? Geez!

“Where’s the food you bought?” I asked.

“It was for Mrs. Michaels,” he said, chewing the food he’s eating.

Oh! And my mom-to-be is gone.

I nodded, combing my hair.

Dad was staring at the sports channel and flipped it Nickelodeon. Uh-huh?

Tuesday

Achilles was gone, so as dad. Well it’s because Annie the Rich Bitch came. And of course girls talk would be promulgated: bitchy words, and flirty laughs. Guess what we talked about? Achilles, poison and Thorns and the Saturday break up.

“Dear, don’t tell me you’re in love with that singer? And he’s staying in your house? That’s a bitchy move of yours.”

“It’s a part of my plan, it will go smoothly,” I lied, knowing that’s all I can do.

“Well if that is what you planned. Great, I’m ready for Richard. Camera is ready, marker, album…”

“Plastic wrapper?”

“Why we need that?”

“Naw. Sam suggested that to me.”

Silence.

“Er. What if I’ll fail?”

“What?”

“Just asking.”

“Well, no ticket from me, no Richard, and no concert.”

It was an easy answer for her and hard to perceive for me.

“I’ll bring Shane,” Annie suddenly said.

Shane was the hottest of all the boyfriends I had. He had this eyes that could melt the entire woman he met, except me. I am invulnerable. Well in fact I’m the one who do the break-up. I can’t stand his stupid promises that don’t even exist. Promises that he’ll catch a star if I’ll marry him, he’ll drive me to Cali if I do sex with him and so much more. He had this sex appeal like even when you look at him sure he’ll promise unwavering pleasure at night. But, I never dream of that. I’ll be on his lists of virgins he passed through. I could see everything now that he’s gone. But he’s going back; probably doing something I didn’t know or even a hint of it. He was the best football player I’ve seen. He can catch anything thrown. But he’s dumb, hot men are dumb---sometimes. (They always got D or E…at least not F.)

It was 9 in the evening when Annie left my room with a lot of expectations from me and a few minutes after, dad and Kelly came. I was on my bed wearing pajamas reading my favorite book, Speak. (I’ve been reading this for a thousand times.) Finally, Kelly came with a smile.

“Hey,” he said, “how’s her visitation?”

“Well, we just talked about the concert.”

Gulp.

“How about you and dad?”

“He brought me to a bar. I heard great singers there.”

Really?

Achilles holds my hand. I smiled. Then he slowly moved his head towards my face. My lips touched to his lips.

“Good night,” he whispered.

I was expecting more than that. Moreeeeeee………

But guess it’s enough. It was enough.

“I love you,” I said.

He smiled and closed the door. I touched my lips as if it was my first time to kiss a man. I’m like a fifteen-year-old-brat-flying-high-with-just-a-kiss. I could feel my face burning up. GOSH!

Wednesday (Laundry Day)

My great ordeal with used clothes finally arrived. Dad doesn’t share my passion to clean clothes, that’s why I noticed him wearing the same pants for months. Emptying the hamper is hard, it’s bottomless, and dad kept changing his shirt so as Kelly. They should help me washing the clothes.

“Dang, it’s already noon,” I said to my wristwatch, as I looked at it.

I took a used shirt of Kelly, I smelled it. Geez! It smelled funny. It smelled like Kelly itself= funny. I didn’t dare to compare the smell of dad to Kelly’s, for sure dad’s odor is old like unwashed horse. Dad didn’t use soap when he took a bath; I noticed it when the soap is still dry.

Dad stood before me.

“What?”

“Just nothing,” he said. Nothing means something to me especially when dad says that word.

“I know you love playing games, Jen,” he started, “you play with men. And I have no rights to stop you, the things you wanted and you need, what you do and going to do---“

“Strike the bull’s eye dad, stop circling!”

He cleared his throat and said, “The point is that, you must love back the person who loved you. Achilles loves you so much, and maybe more than you know. He will do everything just to make you happy. All he need is to love him back. That’s all he need. He will never ask for more and never will. Love him.”

How dramatic. I didn’t know dad has his own words to express.

“You speak words that I didn’t hear yet dad. Weird,” I said, trying to break the seriousness.

He laughed.

I nodded.

“I understand that dad,” I said, “I love Kelly.”

He smiled in relief.

Puzzled, that was what I felt for the whole day. Ugh. Love him back.