Friends Or Enemies? Love Maybe...

Chapter 4

4

A new neighbour?

            I can see Mom waiting in the car impatiently. I open the car front door. "Christina, do you know how long I've been waiting for you? After this I must go to the supermarket and..." Mom's voice starts to sink as I think about Sam. Am I being too curious about her? Does she really has changed or I'm the one that think she has changed? Maybe what she said is true. She just wants to be more serious. Actually, I must start being serious in my studies too. Next year is our senior year. I must manage a scholarship to some kind of great universities before the end of my school life. I must think of being serious from now on. Maybe I can get a scholarship to Harvard. Wow! I can imagine Mom boasting around about me to all our neighbours.

"Christina Anderson, are you listening?” Oops, now Mom will nag about me not listening to her and bla, bla, bla.“Uh... yes of course I'm listening." "What I've said just now then?" God, please give me a clue. "You said something about supermarket and stuffs." God please, don’t let my mom nag, grumble, or even babble.

"I know you're not listening. What's bothering you now? Is it about Sammy again?" Thank god,she’s not doing any of the list I’ve mentioned just now."Yup. I think she's hiding something from me. And she even denied that she have changed now." Mom knows Sam just as much I’ve ever known Sam cause we’ve been best friends since 6th Grade. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I have something to tell you and it'll sure boost up your mood." "Maybe mom, maybe."

            "We’re having a new neighbour?" Mom said I’ve got a new neighbour. That’s so cool! New friend, new dog, new…"Yeah. You know the Goth family just moved out. A family just moves in. They invited us for dinner tonight. I hope you're free tonight. Christina, you are free, aren’t you?"I’m free but just not in the mood today. Should I make an excuse? "I think so." Why did I say that? "Great. And please forget about all your problems for a short while. I don't want our new neighbour to think that we didn't welcome them." "Ok Mom. I will forget all my problems.It’s just a bad hair day for me and I can absolutely deal with it.I've grown up Mom. I know what I should and shouldn't do."

            I'm seriously not in my mood now. I felt like not going but what Mom said is true. They will feel not welcomed. Actually I'm kind of relieved because Goth family was not a good neighbour. They hate us. We hate them. End of story. And I'm guessing who's going to use the bedroom opposite to my bedroom. Our house is just next to each other so we can see most of activities carried out in their house. That's the most annoying part actually. I hope this new family is more polite and kinder than Goth family. As we arrive home, I just walk upstairs, lie on my bed and do my homework.

             As time passes by, I didn't realize that it's time to have dinner with the new neighbour. I rush towards my closet and put whatever t-shirt I can wear on. I walk downstairs and I can see Mom is putting on her makeup. She look gorgeous and beautiful-since Dad died, she seldom looknice (I mean makeup etc.). Just look at me, with a t-shirt with so many words and colours on it. I'm so damn opposite to my mom tonight.

            As Mom saw me going downstairs, I start to hear her nagging about my shirt and my face and stuffs. "Tina, why don't you dress up?" The radio is on. "I've dressed up Mom. Look." I turn my body like a model and I know Mom wants me to change now. "I want you to go upstairs and change right now. You can't dress like this to have dinner at our neighbour's house. As Mom finishes her words, the doorbell rings. It isMary. She is my mom's best friend. She's kind of like my best friend too.

            "Oh no!" Mom is panicking as if she forgets to turn off the stove. "What's the problem mom?" "Mary is here and you're not dressed yet!" In science, you know that calcium carbonate’s formula is calcium, carbon and oxygen. But in real life, Mom’s formula is nag, babble, grumble and paranoid. I think that makes a normal mother. "Mom, chill. I'm already dressed. Can we just go now?" "Ok. I'll let you go for now but you can’t put on that expression. Give me a sincere smile. Now that is my beloved daughter." I gave Mom this huge Barbie smile. "Mom, can we just go now?" Only now, Mary starts talking. "Both of you, can you be quick. I don't want the new family to wait for us. They might think we're not coming." Mary is a normal mom, she made up of that formula too. "Ok, Mary. We can get going now. We're ready. And their house is just next to ours. So chill Mary."