A Break Apart

CHAPTER 13. Small World

"Nadine!"

I heard Mum from downstairs. "I'm almost done. Give me a minute!" I yelled back, jumping in my jeggings as I pulled it up to my waist. Then I picked up the baggy T-shirt on my bed and threw it on, before sitting on my bed to wear my black sneakers.

"Nadine!"

I groaned. "Coming!" I kept pushing my falling braids out of my face while I fastened the shoelaces.

"Nadine!"

"Ugh! Stupid ropes." I tucked in the shoelaces and ran downstairs, meeting an angry mum at the bottom of the stairs.

"You take forever to get ready, like I didn't mention yesterday that you were going to the supermarket this morning."

"Sorry..."

She handed me the list and proceeded to the couch. I rolled my eyes at her retreating figure before landing them on the items in the paper.

"All these? But it's just the two of us," I complained, stepping into the living room.

"Would you rather run the same errand everyday?" She tuned in to Eva-plus to catch up on the episodes she had missed over the week while I thought about my precious sleep.

"Nope. I'll go right away." I gave her a tight smile.

"You'll find the car key on my mirror table." She got comfortable in the couch to watch her Telanovela.

Staring at her with a frown, I took in a long breath, and then I exhaled slowly, calming my boiling nerves. "You should have told me before I came down. Now I'll have to go back upstairs and then down again."

She looked away from the TV and faced me. "After you're done whining, you'll go upstairs and get it. And when did you become this lazy?"

Groaning, I ran back up, entered her room, grabbed the car key, and went down again.

"I'm leaving," I informed her.

"Take care, dear. And don't stay long."

"With all that's on the list, I can only hope so. Bye!" I stepped out of the house and closed the door.

                         ××××

My eyes caught a familiar face while I shopped in the supermarket. I kept wondering where I had seen the lady who was stuffing her cart from the same perimeter as me, and she was also giving me the look like she knew me from somewhere.

Then it hit me. Mrs Matthew! I squealed on the inside. I never would have thought we would meet again. I then pushed my cart to where she stood.

"Good morning," I greeted with a grin. She paused, still trying to recall who I was.

"Uh, we were neighbours. I'm Teresa's daughter," I interrupted her thought.

"Oh, oh, oh." Her face started to lit up, and I chuckled. "My God! What a small world. You've grown so big! And more beautiful, too."

I giggled at the comment.

"How's your mum?" she asked.

"She's doing okay. How's Abel and Sandra?"

Her children and I were childhood friends, and we attended the same primary school. Abel and I were in the same level, but in separate classes. Like when we were in primary five, I was in 5A, and he was in 5B, and his younger sister, Sandra, was two levels behind us in primary three. Although only a few months older than me, Abel acted like an older brother; always defending Sandra and I from bullies. They moved out of our old street with their mum after their dad died, and that was the last we heard of them. Seeing Mrs Mathew again, meant a reunion with my old friends, and I couldn't be more excited.