I'll be Home [On Going]

Chapter 33

Lea has been staying with Aga and Lianne for almost a month now and they hardly ever had a long decent talk. Most of the time especially when Aga is in the office, Lianne is in her art class and whenever just the three of them were in the house during Nana's off, that means sundays, Lianne would still do her paintings and Aga is as usual, on his laptop— working. So far, nothing has been lifted from the past. And she knows she has to make the first move.

But she's afraid.

Burying herself in the four corners of her room or of the house is kind of draining. And it's becoming tedious each time. Not unless Nana is around. She has this thing in her that makes her day swift and dynamic. Sometimes, she hopes Nana can stay 24/7 but that would be a selfish wish.

She remembered the first sunday she was left in the house with the two, her husband and daughter. It was not so bad at all. Nana was not in the house and she knows enough that it's her duty to make a meal for them so she decided to cook simple dishes of which she thought they haven't tried before. Though she's not really a good cook, in fact she took instructions online for reference. Good thing, Nana left the stock room full.

'She was in the kitchen on her apron when Aga came in. He was just leaning sideways on the wall while staring at her with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Oh goodness! How long have you been there?" Lea asked instantly, she almost dropped the bowl of soup when she noticed him. Aga was immediate to stand straight, he was a bit surprised too with her reaction. He bit his lip to suppress himself from laughing. The same scenario seldom happens before. He doesn't know if it's her love for coffee that makes her jumpy.

"I'm sorry. What are you doing?" he asked as he walks towards her direction. Lea suddenly got tensed, she doesn't think she cooked the right food.

"Uhm... this one is lyonnaise potatoes, this is onion soup and salad niçoise." she answered shyly as she placed each menu on the table. Aga nodded in response.

"Dinner is ready in a minute." she said when she presumed Aga has no plan to say something. She was about to excuse herself to change when she stopped and faced Aga.

"C-can you call Lianne for dinner?" she asked gently. Aga stared at her before nodding and making his way up to call their daughter.

"Thanks." she added.

Lianne was staring at each dish on the table, they're quite familiar but she doesn't guarantee these are the same as with those she sees in tv. Lea seemed not to notice her furrowed brows.

Lea kept her attention somewhere, afraid to see their reaction. Suddenly, she felt ashamed. She got a glimpse of Aga's reaction as he takes a spoon of onion soup. She mentally smiled when she took a spoon of soup in her mouth.

'Not bad.'

It doesn't taste bad at all. Lianne on the other side is just passively eating. Nothing that she could decipher on her face.'

One afternoon, she saw Lianne at the backyard under a tree doing her thing— painting. From the window, she could see her gently stroking the brush on her canvas while holding a palette on the other.

She thinks her daughter looks cute on her denim jumpsuit with an inner white loose shirt. There are visible stains of paints on some parts of her clothes and body that makes her look like a pro. She smiled at that sight.

Her plan to talk to Lianne has vanished again. Something in her is stopping her from doing so. Maybe it's because she knows that anything she'd say or does might give her puzzles. Even she, doesn't know where to start explaining, one word will open an ongoing questions that she won't be able to answer. She wanted to ask for help but from whom?