Atlas

Chapter 3 - Polaroid Past

It's 9 PM when I hear the front door close from the living room and my mom's voice call out in greeting. I maintain my focus on homework, but I respond back to her, and seconds later, she's walking through the doorway with her purse in hand. Even from my spot on the couch I can feel the exhaustion radiating off her.

"Hey, hija," She sets her purse down on the coffee table, smiling wearily. "What are you working on?"

"Biology," I answer. "Mr. Gallagher wanted us to make a research paper about prokaryotes."

"Oh. Have you eaten dinner?"

"Yeah, I ordered some Chinese. There's a box for you in the fridge," I glance up and point towards the kitchen doorway.

Mami nods and enters the kitchen. She returns a few minutes later with the reheated dinner and takes a seat beside me on the couch.

It's the same routine. I come home, do homework or lay around a little, and by the time the clock strikes six o'clock, I transfer downstairs and order some Chinese takeout (occasionally, I opt to cook, but it's not too often), and I stay in the living room until Mami returns, and when she does, she eats dinner by my side, though I'm finished most of the time, and we share small talk. She told me once it's a comfort to have me downstairs by the time she arrives. It eases her worries, she says.

A silence settles over us, though it doesn't bother us; at least, it doesn't bother me. It's a sort of unspoken understanding we have. We welcome the silence like it is family.

I'm halfway through the paper when Mami decides to talk.

"So... how was your day, Camila?" She asks.

I glance at her. "It was... fine."

"Really?"

I nod, though there's a sliver of a lie that's seeped in. I can only hope Mami won't register it, though there's a mild sense of doubt in me, because it was raining and we both know Sofia loved the rain.

"It was raining cats and dogs today," She starts again, chuckling a little to lighten the mood.

I let out a short and dry laugh. "It was."

There's a beat of silence as she swallows down her food, before she speaks again. "Give Lauren my thanks for sending you home. God knows if she hadn't offered, you'd walk home in spite of the rain."

"That's true," I smile. "I guess I'll tell her."

We let another moment of silence pass between us. I'm finishing up my research when Mami sets the box and utensils down, saying, "She's only a couple of blocks over, right? You messaged me about it."

I nod as my phone vibrates from beside me. It's Dinah, griping on about Lauren and Normani refusing to offer her help and asking for algebra notes simultaneously. "Yeah, she does," I tell Mami whilst thumbing out a reply to Dinah.

There's a sigh, then, "I know you probably will disagree with me, but maybe you could have her send you home? Every day? I mean, you mentioned that she, along with the other girls, offered you a ride home. And isn't it exhausting to walk home every day?"

"Mami, I don't want to bother," I sigh. "And we don't live too far from school."

"I know, but hear me out," She presses. "Lauren does live close by, and she drives. I'm pretty sure it's not much of a bother for her."

"Why don't you just give me a car then?" I retort.

She looks at me pointedly, and I sigh, backing down a little.

"Well, it's... It's embarrassing," I huff, already worn out with this conversation.

"Camila," My mom looks at me sharply, and though I hold her gaze for a while, I know I've lost the argument.