Amnesiac

Forty First

A wave of nausea hit me big time when my mother said the last line. I can actually feel her smirk in the other line when she ended it, and I kept my phone in hand. I wondered how I haven't managed to drop the damn thing, but that doesn't matter anymore. The last thing I need is to have my phone destroyed.

"Andromeda what's going on?" Karlos asked me, his hands on my arms, holding me in arm length and looking down at my eyes.

"Can you please put Colleen in her room?" I asked him. "Please?"

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Are you having headaches again? Is Leen too loud?"

"Karlos, please?"

"Son, I think you should listen to your girlfriend for the moment. Stay with your sister as well, if you may." Marj spoke from our left, her eyes on Karlos and she paid me glances as she spoke.

Karlos looked unsure for the second, but he nods when I gave him an assuring smile. When the two of them were out of sight, I looked at Marj. "My mother's outside." I breathed.

She smiled. "Really? Oh! I can't wait to meet her!" she exclaimed and ran her hands through her clothes, straightening them, "Wait, why do Colleen and Karlos have to be in a room if your mom is the only one outside?"

I exhaled long enough to show how the situation stresses me to the highest level. "Marj, wherever my mom is, war is with her." I tried to make it sound like a joke, when we talk about my mom, nothing is good in the ears.

She blinks at me and I just ignored that she is confused by the way I put it out. Exhaling once more, I went to the door to open it. My hand fumbled with the knob and I twisted it open, waiting for the click sound to confirm its opening. When I pulled it inwards, there stood my mother in her usual casual clothing and perfect hair and make up.

Marj was quick to quip. "Oh! You must be Andromeda's mom. I'm Marjorie, the mother of her boyfriend." She sounds so cheerful and all, too bad that my mom would ruin her perfect mood sooner or later.

Marj extends her hand to my mom, anticipating for a shake and maybe a friendship. In a typical romance type, that is what happens. But we're talking about my life here. Nothing in my life is typical. Nothing at all.

My mother stares at Marj's hand and keeps her face neutral. She walks pass Marj and went in the house of the Labajo's. I shot Marj an apologetic smile for what my mom did and for what she is about to do.

The three of us walk in the house and I shut the door closed. My mother's eyes were wandering around the house. "Small," she says then turns to me, "Andromeda, darling, you didn't tell me that your boyfriend's house is so small. Good thing you don't find any hardships adjusting in the small space?"

My cheeks flared. "I don't find the space a big deal, mother."

"Why, why," she tsked, "And... dear, they do not even have AC centralizing the house. Don't you feel hot in here? Don't you get rashes or something?" she looked over the kitchen. "And what's that? Is that what you're eating in here? No wonder why you look like you've lost weight!"

As much as I missed my mom, this was not what I was anticipating. She's obviously trying to manipulate Marj, and I was thankful that Karlos was in Colleen's room or else, she might have gotten herself in his head as well. That is where she is good at. Manipulating people and making them run in her palm, playing with their fates and lives.

She was lying when she said that I lost weight. This is my body build. I don't come out as fat or thin, I have it in between. Even though through the stress that school and work give; I manage to maintain my figure.