A Break Apart

CHAPTER 2. Protective Measure

I opened the door and, palming my chest, immediately drifted a step back at the sight of Mum who I hadn't expected to see seated in the living room. Her head had jerked in the direction of the door at the time it opened, and I didn't miss the worry that dissipated from her face at that moment, replaced with a glow of relief.

I dropped my hand that was on my chest, easing the fright that Mum's presence had just caused, with a light, calming breath. I then closed the door behind me and walked further into the living room with hesitant steps, avoiding Mum's steady gaze that had so much to pour out.

"Good evening, Mummy..." I stood before her.

"Where did you run off to?" She kind of yelled at me with wide eyes, ignoring my greeting. Being her only child made safety her priority.

"I just went out for a walk," I said, the volume of my voice lower than normal.

She got on her feet. "And the least you should have done was inform me before wandering in an environment you're not familiar with. Something bad could have happened to you. And you weren't even answering your phone. Who does that? Tell me."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, it was on silent so I didn't hear it-" I paused, realising I was digging more holes for myself, especially with the scary look she was giving me. "But nothing happened, and I didn't even go far. And permit me to remind you that I'm twenty-two and soon to be a graduate. You shouldn't be worrying too much about me. It's bad for your health," I teased, which worked because she loosened her tight face.

"It doesn't matter, you're still my little girl."

I chuckled, closing the small space between us and placing my palms on her shoulders. "Not anymore, Mummy. I'm an adult now," I said, and hugged her. She quickly returned the gesture, drawing circles with her palm as she rubbed my back.

"Do you ever give up an argument?" she asked.

"You know your daughter too well," I said with laughter in my voice. I'll go in now." I pulled away with a smile, turned around and headed towards the stairs.

"Dinner will be ready soon!" Mum's voice shot the roof when I reached the top of the stairs.

"Okay!"

I turned on the light switch on the wall as I walked through the door to my room, proceeding to my bed. I laid on the rough sheets with my stomach, thinking back to the weird encounter I had with the jerk.

"Annoying bug," I muttered, then pictured Natasha's reaction if she ever got to hear the story and laughed quietly, hoping I never bump into him again. And Mum? She's the drama queen.

Speaking of her, I adjusted to my side, pulled my phone out of my pocket and laid back on my stomach with the phone in my hands. I noticed the blinking green light while I unlocked it, and then I double-tapped on the icon that led me to the obvious contact. But I had underated her anxiety, because she hadn't left ten like I had thought, but twenty-one missed calls. I sighed, wishing she would stop worrying about me too much.

Or you could stop giving her reasons to worry about you.

My conscience haunted me and I cringed. I then switched my phone from silent mode before I forgot again, giving Mum unlimited access to probably call me in the middle of the night to ask if I was having a peaceful sleep. I wouldn't be surprised. I only silence my phone before bed to prevent sleep interruptions from people who had problems with the "right time" to call. Not that the world cared that much about me, but safety always.

I laid in my bed for a while before heading back down to join Mum on the dinning table. She didn't have a problem doing all the cooking, and I enjoyed eating her mouthwatering meals. We sat across each other on the polished, rectangular wooden table that had a total of six chairs tucked underneath it, devouring the fried rice she prepared, enriched with chunks of spicy liver.

"You're the best chef, ever," I said after I had emptied my plate.

She appreciated my comment with a smile. "Make sure to tidy up the kitchen before going to bed, as for me, I'm done for the day." She stood up with a yawn, turning in the direction of the stairs. "Goodnight, baby..."

"Goodnight, Mummy."

I packed our dirty dishes to the kitchen, washed them in the sink before I called it a day by heading to my room and submerging in my bed.

I woke up with a hiss, the aura of the atmosphere telling me the day couldn't be far behind midnight, and I wondered what insensitive person was calling me at this time. Suddenly the world cared.

The phone continued to ring and vibrate violently as I willed my eyes to gain its full sight from dizziness and answer the call, or cut it. But it was far from my reach on the vanity where I had left it before going down for dinner, so I didn't get to do either one, succumming easily to the power of sleep.

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