Fourteen Days

Chapter 3.

My mother wasn't standing on the porch when I came home, which was a good sign. It meant she had a good day, as long as she wasn't locked up in her room. As I opened the front door and smelled whatever was cooking, I knew for sure she was having a good day. Cooking was reserved for her good days, and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders as I let out a silent breath of relief. 

"Hi mum," I said in a raised voice, as I pushed my shoes against the wall and walked into the living room. My youngest sister was still sitting in front of the tv, but now she was sitting on the floor. Her eyes were glued to the screen, and I knew there was no use trying to get in contact with her. 

"In here!" 

As I walked into the kitchen, she was standing by the sink, washing potatoes. A bunch of carrots was lying on the bench ready to be cut, and something that smelled delicious was currently in the oven. 

"What's cooking?" I asked as I picked up a carrot and started slicing it into small eat-sized bites. 

"Dessert," she replied with a wicked smile, clearly enjoying the confused look on my face. "You'll love it." 

"Sure," I answered her with a small laughter. I didn't want to take the pleasure away from her, not when her mood was so bright. It had been happening less lately, so I planned to enjoy the moment. 

A raw chicken was lying next to the stove with seasoning on it, and a lot of vegetables was lying around it in a nice circle. Onions and bell peppers were brightening up the dish because of its colour, and I was starving just looking at it all.

When I was done with the carrots, I placed them carefully around the chicken along with the other vegetables, then I turned towards my mother and studied her face as she washed the potatoes and placed them in a pot with water. 

"The funeral was weird," I finally said, as she slipped the last potato into the pot. She pulled out two large cups and filled them up with coffee, while I found the small jar of brown sugar cubes and placed it on the table. 

I was hesitant, not really sure how much I could tell mer. 

"We've got milk," she said, as she placed the two cups on the table, and I pulled out the milk from the fridge. Normally I only added white sugar, since we rarely had any milk in the house. But my favourite coffee included brown sugar and a small amount of milk, just to brighten up the taste a little. 

I added sugar and milk to my cup and swirled it around with a small spoon as I stared at the coffee dancing around in my cup. Round and round, like a children's song. 

"So?" My mother was staring at me with a small smile, waiting expectantly for me to get into it all. She held up a hand and stood up abruptly, and got a plate of cookies that she placed on the table. "Go on," she said with another smile. 

"It was over quickly, people cried and told stories about him and his parents wouldn't stop crying. It was horrible, but it ended pretty quickly. Kaylee was holding her sister the whole time, who cried about as much as his parents, but they never once hugged each other." 

"Maybe they never met?"

"Maybe. But I ended up taking a little stroll afterwards to clear my head, and I found Mike sitting by himself feeling sad. He looked broken, and I would have done anything to help him. Except, how could I? He lost one of his best friends, no one can help you heal from that. So we talked a little, and he invited me to a party tonight." 

"Wait, a party?" My mum looked surprised, and I nodded with a small smile. I couldn't remember the last time I had been able to talk to her like this, and it felt great. Finally, I could open up about what was happening in my life again, just like I used to do before the accident. 

"In memory of Caleb, or something. Kaylee wants us to go, and I guess she needs it. I never knew Caleb, but even I'm hurting from his death." 

My mother took a cookie and ate it slowly as she studied me before she nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. Maybe they all need to blow off some steam." 

She was right. Of course, she was right. 

"Yes, I guess they do." 

Just a few moments later, my dad arrived home looking just as tired as he had this morning. His smile barely reached his eyes, and as I got him a cup of coffee he barely even registered it. He was exhausted, and I wished I could have done anything to help him. 

It seemed like no matter where I turned, someone who I couldn't help - needed my help. 

Like any other day, Amanda didn't show up for dinner. Instead, we had a silent dinner where no one talked, and everyone ate as quickly as possible. I was in a hurry to finish before Kaylee showed up to get ready, and I'm sure my father was dying to go take a nap or have a beer with his friends. My youngest sister was constantly checking her phone, obviously waiting for a show to start or some of her online friends to log on. 

When the doorbell rang in the middle of an average dish of cheesecake, I slipped my plate in the sink and hurried towards the door. "Thanks for dinner, mum!" As I opened up the door, Kaylee was standing there with a large bag over her shoulder and a big grin on her face. 

"I hope you're ready for tonight," she grinned, and I laughed as I stepped aside to let her in. 

"I hope you're not moving in here!" 

"Nah, not yet - I'll wait for Amanda to leave first, then I'll take her room." 

We both laughed as we walked the stairs up to my room, and when Kaylee yelled a hello to my family, no one answered. She wasn't offended, though, she knew them. She almost knew them better than me. 

"So," she said as soon as we got to my room. I closed the door as she sat down on my bed with a big grin. I was still wearing the long maxi dress from the funeral, while Kaylee was wearing sweatpants and a black tank top that showed off her stomach. "What's the plan?" 

I pulled a wine bottle out from behind my drawer and grinned as I pulled off the cork without any problems. "I've been hoping Amanda didn't find this, but my hiding spot behind my drawer is still undiscovered," I grinned. I took a large sip of the bottle as I passed it to her, and started looking through my clothes for something to wear.

"You know, I brought a purple tank top that would look absolutely gorgeous with your skinny jeans and a pair of high heels." 

"Sure," I replied as I pulled out my favourite pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of high-heeled wedges. Not wearing a dress wasn't a problem for me at a party, I felt so much more comfortable in my skinny jeans anyway. 

"Please no," she groaned as she spotted the wedges, and I threw them back into my closet with an eye roll. She hated them, so I rarely wore them around her. They were pretty damn comfortable though, which was why I still had them. 

Instead, Kaylee pulled out a beautiful and simple pair of black pumps, and my eyes widened as I looked at them. "Wow, you're wearing those?" 

"No silly, I'm wearing my new red heels. These are for you!" She threw them towards me, and I grabbed them as if my life depended on them not falling to the ground. They were beautiful, and I couldn't remember ever wearing such lovely shoes. They were so simple, like any other pair of cheap pumps, but something about them made them look amazing, and I knew Kaylee didn't own anything cheap. 

"No use in arguing?" I grinned as I looked at her, and she laughed loudly. 

"No use at all," she agreed.