Violets Are Blue

CHAPTER TWO

TROUBLE

VIOLET FORTEZA

"Liv, did I not particularly tell you to get gran to bail me out?" I pulled my cousin's blanket off her cocooned body.

My aunt dropped us at the family house where my grandmalother lives after a whole lot of explaining and convincing her not to drop me home where I had a big chance of seeing my father.

"I did call gran." Olivia started her justification on how she messed up. 

She just woke up. Originally, we would have done the discussion as soon as we got home last night from the precinct, but gran was already asleep and we didn't want to wake her up with all our arguing.

She stifled a yawn so she could keep talking, "But when I got here to come and fetch her, mom was here with her. I had no idea she's back early from her business trip. She convinced gran to let her take care of your craziness. Besides, gran needed a break."

If my aunt informs my mother about our life here without her, she would come back, but sure as hell would leave again after making sure we're not in serious trouble. That's how she always was. Just like a whirlwind in hot summer days, she come and go as she pleases, even though she  was not wanted in our lives anymore.

I took a deep breath. Relax, Violet. Relax.

"At least you didn't have to spend another night in jail." She reasoned out. "I mean, come on. Are you really going to hate my mom forever?"

"I can never hate your mom." I assured her. "I'm just mad at her, you know. I don't understand why and how she could help my mom runaway like that. They both abandoned us."

My mother left us five years ago for reasons I couldn't understand, then Olivia's mother followed her footsteps. But, unlike my mother, Koko is back - for good.

She looked down at her fidgeting hands. I hate it when she felt second-hand embarrassment and guilt because of her mother's actions. She had nothing to do with it. She didn't know. Nobody knew that my aunt helped my mother go off the grid, until my father found out about it. I didn't want her making up to the pain her mother made me feel, it's not her responsibility. She was never at fault. She was abandoned too. And I hated myself for always exploding on her like this.

I threw a pillow at her, getting her out of her rueful frame of mind. She's still not used to my sudden outrage and snide comments about our mothers. I try to control it whenever it's the subject of our discussion, but she's the only person I could really talk with about it. I just can't help but vent.

"Hey," I said, trying to make up for my insensitive remark even though it was true. "Don't tell Koko, but, I missed her. Big time. I'm glad she's already home."

She smiled. "Me too."

Koko made a crucial mistake of helping my mother take off without an explanation, but I cannot disregard the fact that she made me feel like I had two mothers. I am grateful for her treating me like her own daughter – my mother did likewise to Liv. Our relationship with our mothers for the first 12 years of our lives were good. But all of that goodness were ruined when they decided to abandon us. Leaving us nothing but scars caused by emotional problems.

My phone rang.

I immediately picked it up to see who was calling which made Olivia raise an eyebrow.

"Mom promised she wouldn't tell tito Richard. What are you so stressed out for?"

"The problem is not my father, okay." I told her before answering the phone.

"Morning, Phil." I greeted him, relieved it was him.

"Club riot? What the hell were you thinking?" He exclaimed over the phone.