Mama's Boy

THREE

It was a detached house with three floors and a small front garden with a driveway on the right side. 

When you stood in front of it by the pavement, a few steps on the right side led up to the front door. To your left there was a small wooden rocking chair. Behind the chair was a large window. This area was lined with a white wooden fence. Below the fence was a flower patch, consisting of pansies and daffodils. The house was blue themed. The design and colour of the house gave it a modern and unique feel, which I liked considering I lived in a terrace house back in England identical to all the other five terrace houses to my left and to my right.

I grabbed my bags and made my way up the steps to the front door where Molly and Lena were quietly bickering. A small vibration was coming from my jacket pocket. I pulled out my phone and the word Eleanor B. flashed up on my screen. I hesitated but answered it regardless.

"Mother?"

"Hugo, darling! How was the flight?" She spoke as if it was difficult to sound happy, as if something was bothering her. "Your father called just after you left..."

I tensed up. "What did he want?" My father hadn't contacted us for years so it wasn't nice to finally hear from him. I wanted to believe he left for a good reason, I wanted to believe that he wasn't all bad, but it was hard, it always has been.

"He..." She choked on her words. "I-" I heard her take a deep breath and breathe out heavily. "He wants to come and visit you, there, in Brooklyn."

I didn't speak for a long time. I just looked at Lena's house and watched as I saw three or four figures bustle around the hallways and staircase. "Tell him I don't want to see him. Goodbye Mother, I love you." I hung up the phone, stuffed it in my pocket and made my way inside.

"So, do you like it?" Lena smiled at me. I'm never going to get over that smile!

"Of course! I love it, why wouldn't I?" I looked at her, confused.

"Well... I'm guessing you're used to living in a much more modern and expensive house than this?" She said this in a way to not cause offence, I could tell by the softness in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess. But I would do anything to live here." I walked slowly, admiring all the pieces of art on the walls, the wooden bookcases lined along the far wall, two floral patterned sofas placed in front of a flat screen TV. It was cosy.

"Wanna switch?" She laughed and skipped in front of me. "I'll show you to your room?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that." I pulled up the handle on my suitcase and followed Lena upstairs through a maze of halls and stairs. On the way up, there was always a piece of art somewhere along the walls. "Someone an artist?"

"Mhm," She said, still looking forward as we slowed to a white painted door. "My mum, she's been painting ever since she can remember. She said it was her destiny to become an artist." She laughed, she seems so happy.

"They're amazing," I said as I looked at a portrait of a girl with shoulder length blonde hair. "This is you I'm guessing?"

Lena shook her head. "Actually it was my mother when she was young." Lena opened the white door and showed me inside. "It's not fancy but it's probably the nicest room in the house."

When you walked inside, a long window was on the right side of the room overlooking their huge green garden. A desk was placed a little in front of the window. Opposite the desk was a double bed with a bed side table made of glass. In the left corner was a door half open. You could see a toilet inside as well as a shower, a sink and a counter. When you walked back inside the room, a wardrobe became visible. The doors were sliding mirrors and was probably a little taller than I was.

"I hope it isn't too small for you, we tried to clear out as much space as possible as it used to be a storage room." Lena rushed to something by the window. "Oh I told her to make sure there was nothing on the floor!" She was blabbering on about small imperfections about the room now.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and she whipped her head around to look at me, a stressful expression grew on her face. "It's perfect." I helped her up and smiled at her reassuringly.

She sighed. "Okay, I trust you." She smiled back at me. "Right, so, breakfast doesn't have a time since Molly and I are usually rushing around the house trying to get ready and basically the whole family eats breakfast at different times."

"I can relate to that." I thought back to the mornings I spent alone reading the notes Mother left on the counter tops apologizing for leaving so early again and again.

"Lunch is at school and dinner is at around 6:30 or whenever the whole family is home." She clapped her hands together. "And that's about it!" She turned to leave but quickly faced me again. "Oh and, if you need anything, my room is one floor up." She smiled and left me to unpack.

"Thank you, Lena." I said as the door clicked shut and her footsteps trailed upstairs...

***

Lena seems nervous, could she like Hugo? ;o

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