Her Invisible Smile

1

[I suggest you read the prologue before you proceed on to this chapter. You will get baffled while reading the chapters trust me. But no one's forcing ya!]

Time passed by since I've met her when I was 8. She stayed with us for a month & a half and soon my mom told me that she put her up for adoption when no one claimed her because she didn't have the will/vow to go through all the trouble of signing adoption papers and taking care of another child, specially when she looked like she didn't love it in here. Considering the fact she did nothing at all in this house.....no offense. She was rarely seen eating, but she did help my mom at doing things like feeding the dog or even cleaning the table. She was obedient, too obedient for her own good.

I didnt exactly miss her. Its just that I felt even more lonely and alone in this house after she was gone. And I had no one to talk to about how school went.

I did went to school while she didnt. My mom didnt know how to give her bio data to the principal so she decided that both she and I would teach her. So everytime I came home I would always bring out my textbook and teach her lots of things that I've learned, and she would as usual listen to me without saying a word. I didnt really bother to know if she understood what I'm saying or not, I just kept talking. That is until she was gone that I realized.

I knew nothing about her.

I didnt know why she was out in the rain that cold night, I didnt know when her birthday was, I didnt know what her favorite color was, I didnt know what her name was. Hell, even me and my mom forgot to give her a temporary name and felt bad about it. All my mom called her was "Honey, sweetie" and all the nice things you can imagine while I just called her "you". It was like she was a nobody in this house and we utterly felt guilty about it. But atleast she didnt complain.

Or maybe she's not the type to.

Two months of over-thinking and conscienciousness pass by and I heard from my mother that she got adopted by a rich family. And finally a wash of relief came and calmed me down. Now all I ever think about is how she's doing, is she eating well unlike here? Does she start to talk? Will she start smiling? Will she play with other kids? Will she be happy?

No one knows. But I'm hoping she'll live a good life. Its a rich family so I expect them to be nice with her and finally spoil her for once because she looks like she needs it.

One day, my mom came home with someone. Nothing has ever made me feel more shocked than now.

It was her. It was the girl.

"What happened?" I asked with concern. My mom sighed.

She was outside once again in the same place my mother picked her. She was wearing the same clothes as she did when she left this house. Her shoes were the same old broken one and she never changed. Once again she came to live with us in this house but this time I didnt utter a single word to her and the next day she was up for another adoption. It seems like her family had abandoned her already.

I'm such an idiot. I didnt take the time to talk and soothe her. Why didnt I comfort her?

Was I flustered? Anxious? Guilty?

No. I was blind.