Sanity

SNAKE!

     

It had been two years since I had moved in. I was already ten. Life was going great. School was great and home was amazing. I got everything I wanted. A good home, a loving family, good grades and bona fide friends. At school, it was never tiring or what the most kids would say, boring. I had good company and studying became way more fun than usual.

I was an introvert until I met a girl named Natallia, she was my best friend in school. She was always by my side, be it going for my first medical check up or even when eating during lunch break. We were always together, practically unbreakable. We were an odd pair, completely polar opposites of each other's personality. Natallia was the popular one while I was the quiet one, I was the sort to sit in front of the class and listen to the teacher attentively while she would be at the back, munching on her sweets or drawing cartoons on the assessment papers.

Aside from school, my home life was fun too. After school, I would come back home immediately, rushing back home with the excitement to see Jack again. He was now my best friend as well. He was someone whom I would share my secrets with. We would sit in the room at night being as quiet as possible and careful not to wake anybody up and played with the toys. We also told each other stories, trying our best to scare each other and when we did, we would  be right by each other in a blanket scared of the monsters under our beds. It was oddly calm realizing we had each other to rely on.

One day, he told me that he had a sister and that his mother, my aunt and her husband was divorced and he chose to be with my aunt and his sister decided to be with the father. It wasn't long ago that they got divorced and he told me that he was very afraid of his father. He was abused multiple times before. His eyes spoke stories of everything, I could see the fear and anger residing inside of him towards his dad, but I also saw love. I knew that Jack wasn't someone capable of any hatred.

Many months later, we were on our school holidays and as usual me and Jack were playing with our toys and climbing on the shelves like little monkeys. It was a lot of fun.

I was turning 11 that month and it was a week till the day. We were in our room and I was telling Jack about how upset I was that my dad was not going to be around for yet another birthday. I told him how I did not want him to be my father anymore and how I wanted him to stay out of my life forever. I do not hate my dad but sometimes I wonder why he's always not around on my most important days. I wondered if he even remembered that I existed. Jack simply told me that I should not be upset about it and maybe one day he would be there for my birthday.

A week went by, and my birthday arrived. I was displeased. I just wished my dad was around. Jack saw my face and gave me a hug. He told me not to be sad, for Jack was someone who doesn't like girls crying because of what he went through with my aunt. I smiled at the thought of how caring he was. And I never considered him as a cousin, but more like a brother.

Now, it was time to cut the cake. Everybody was singing the song when the lights switched off, my mind went blank and I started to panic. My eyes were looking for Jack and when my eyes found him, he was smiling. It was a smile that assured me that something good was happening. When the lights flipped on again, my eyes rested on one person. There they were, standing right by the front door with a huge smile, my own dad.

The initial thoughts I had about him vanished along with a wide range of emotions and everything was replaced with tears of joy. I ran to him and gave him a tight hug. He gave me a kiss on my forehead, something that he always did when I was little. I was more than glad to see him.

I spent the rest of the night playing games and talking to him about all sorts of things. Finally I had everything i wanted. A complete family, even though we were short of one more, I always knew my mother would remain in our hearts forever.

After some time, a question popped my mind and I asked my dad when he was going to go. He smiled at me and told me that he was going to moving in too. I squeaked in excitement and hugged him. I told him that I was so happy and that I love him.

A month passed by and school started. The day went by normally at school and when the last bell rang, me and Natallia walked out of school together, I told her how my dad was now staying with me and she beamed with joy. We continued to talk till it was time for us to part ways and make our way back home.

While I made my way home, I started to think about my Jack. For the past month or so, his attitude towards me was weird, he'd changed tremendously. He started to get agitated at everything I did and he would always leave every time I decided to spend time with my dad. He would be normal on some days but the minute I mention my father, he would get annoyed.

I pondered, did i do something that made him change the way he thought of me? Countless words filled my mind and without noticing, I had reached my lift lobby. Taking in a deep breath, I pressed the little button and went up into the house.

I entered the house with a smile and saw my father. He had a look on his face that I couldn't place. He seemed angry but at the same time sad? I was confused. I walked up to him and he walked past me without uttering a single word. My cousin walked past me donning an odd smile.

'Was it him?' I thought.

Did he say something to my dad? I couldn't place my mind on any situation or incident for the past month that I could've done to make my dad angry. Then my breath hitched, my mind entered into an instant panic and my heart stopped. Oh no, I believed it was what I told my cousin a week before my birthday, about how I did not want my father here anymore.

My cousin had just snitched on me. But why? Why would he do something like that? Why would he ruin the one thing that went well for me? What did I do wrong? My mind was filled with so many questions, I was in a state of utter confusion. So, I decided to confront him.

I searched for him and found him in our room, where he sat on the bed, finishing up his school assignments. I confronted him and all he did was to look up at me and smile. He said, "Now you will know how it feels like to be lonely."

I could not believe what I just heard. My sweet and caring Jack wasn't what I thought he was anymore. He got jealous of me for getting the attention from my dad and that made him a snitch or what we'd call, a snake.