My Words Are Law

A young, single Mother

Fortunately for Amaryllis, today is one of the days God scheduled to shower the world with pity, accidentally hitting her in the process. She managed to hide her face behind her hair when the silver car passed by, and she had already ridden the bus before Samantha could even notice her. Finally. A successful escape.

At precisely three in the afternoon, she arrived at Ivor's School. The downpour was already over, but drops of water were still falling from the eaves of each roof. The lush trees in the schoolyard were no different as water dripped from the leaves when she walked by. She had been looking at the children's faces, hoping to spot Ivor, but her efforts were unsuccessful even as she reached the first floor of the preschool building. Maybe he already went home, she mused as she fleeted across the numerous children and a few exhausted-looking teachers standing watch by the sidelines. Just as she turned to the stairs, she glanced at the students being scolded by a grimacing middle-aged woman who bore a slight resemblance to the pair of kids. The mischievous children's faces didn't look sorry at all, one of them even clicking his tongue resulting in a karate chop delivered straight to his head.

Amaryllis chuckled at the pouting face of the child who gazed at the woman as if he had suffered the greatest injustice of them all. She eventually turned her eyes away from the scene as she ascended the stairs to the second floor, heading to her brother's classroom. Climbing the last of the treads, a long hallway stretched in her path. There weren't as many students here, so it was easy to spot the familiar small figure standing by the doorway of a particular room. It was Ivor. When he heard her nearing footsteps, his head whipped in her direction with an expectant look.

"I told you not to come." A frown tugged at the child's forehead, quickly hiding his initial reaction, but the slight tinge of color on his usually pale cheeks betrayed his feelings.

"But if I didn't come, you would have waited here for nothing," Amaryllis replied fondly as she ruffled her brother's hair.

Ivor swatted her hand away and turned his back towards her with a huff. "Whatever. Suit yourself. I'll wait for you here, so hurry with the meeting."

He's so easy to tease, she thought, amused before muttering an okay at the young man. "I'll tell your teacher to hurry because my little brother wants to hog me, I understand," Amaryllis said as she entered the room.

"Wha-! That's not what I said!" he retorted, but she just nodded at him with a smile.

When she entered, several heads immediately turned to her, their eyes wide and brimming with subtle criticisms. She ignored it and focused on finding Ivor's seat instead. The chairs have been marked with tags, so it shouldn't take much time. A few whispers didn't fail to reach her ears when she passed by a few parents.

"How old do you think she is..?"

"She's so young... To be a mother...-"

"She would have to be a teenager when she was pregnant... Oh my..."

She sighed. They weren't far off with their suspicions. She's practically Ivor's mother, anyway.

"Sister! My seat is by the windows, the third row!" Ivor's voice suddenly rang from the doorway, she had to look back at him. My... How dashing. Just like a knight in shining armor.

"Oh. Thank you," Amaryllis smiled, amused, before heading to his seat, chuckling at the displeasure oozing from his tone. She sighed, feeling sorry for her brother. If only their parents were still alive... Amaryllis' thoughts ended plaintively as she stared at the wet world beyond the window.

The PTA meeting didn't take too long. After handing the students' report cards, Ivor's homeroom teacher explained about grade computations and discussed a few other things like school activities and the upcoming sports festival. Amaryllis took note of the dates in her head as she glanced at Ivor's impeccable report card. He's actually ranked first in his class again. Recalling how he was cooped up in his room for over three hours every day, it would make sense. She wondered if her brother was missing out on his childhood too much and if she should bring him outdoors for his next birthday, not noticing a few parents were looking at her every now and then. This was until someone discreetly poked her arm from the chair beside her.

Startled, she looked at the middle-aged woman inquisitively.

"Oh, um... Yes, Mrs...?" She quickly glanced at the name tag on the chair but couldn't read it from her position.

"You can call me Aunt Swanson... No- Aunt Marie." The woman smiled at her amiably. Amaryllis crinkled her eyes and gave an equally friendly smile.

"Aunt... Marie..." The woman was the last parent to appear, looking fashionably late in her extravagant suit. "Please call me Amaryllis. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked in a low voice as the teacher was still in the midst of discussion.

The woman chuckled the way rich women do in movies when trying to get along with their peers. "Oh, I was just wondering about the woman who usually sits on that chair."

"My aunt? She's currently on vacation, so I came instead," Amaryllis replied honestly.

"I see," Aunt Swanson- No. Aunt Marie's eyes twinkled as she stared at the young woman. "Then you are Ivor Larson's..?" She paused, waiting for Amaryllis to fill in the blank.

"I'm his elder sister."

"What a responsible sister you are! I'm Rosemary's mother, by the way... Ah, Rosemary is the seatmate of your little brother," She added the last information as if it wasn't already obvious.

"I see. I might have heard my brother mention her name once." Which is a lie. Amaryllis was certain she didn't hear a Rose nor a Mary from Ivan's mouth, but she decided to try and take this chance to intervene in her brother's social life. Ivor's short responses whenever she asked about school were worrying. She's afraid his aloof personality is causing him problems to make friends, which may become a big problem as he grows up.

"Is that so?" Aunt Marie's eyes widened, looking pleased as she clasped her hands in a hopeful manner.

"Yes. Actually..." Amaryllis nodded vigorously. "My brother may seem aloof on the surface, but he is just a timid kid, so it would be nice if a few kids could look past that and try to understand him," she supplied her initial sentence with suggestive ones, sighing and trying to look very troubled while doing so.

"Oh, not to worry! I'll tell my dear Rosemary to peste-*cough* befriend Ivan... I hope those kids can help each other to study, too, while they're at it. I mean... friends should help each other whenever they can..." Mrs. Swanson- No. Aunt Marie proceeded to blink her eyes at Amaryllis.

Aha. So that was her ultimate goal. Amaryllis' smile widened. "Of course! I agree with Mrs- I mean- Aunt Marie's words." Friendship can blossom in many ways, too.

"Ohohoho... That's good to hear." Mrs. Swanson looked delighted. Amaryllis could only smile in response as the teacher's eyes began to squint in their direction.

After the meeting was over, it seemed like a few other parents overheard their conversation and didn't miss the chance to appeal to Amaryllis, glossing over their previous behavior and reassuring her that they would chip in to help with Ivor's issues. They've also apologized for how they acted, looking quite ashamed. Amaryllis accepted their apology with a smile, saying, "It isn't a big deal, and even if it were real that I'm Ivor's mother, I wouldn't feel bad about it... Ivor may not be perfect, but he's a good kid, and I'm proud of him."

After she said this, their hearts softened, and they began to look at her more preciously. She didn't know it, but their promises to help Ivor had somehow also managed to include her.

Before the day ended, her phone's notification had been ringing every few minutes, and Ivor, who had never seen this happen, looked at his sister's phone curiously. However, only the back of the phone was visible to him as the difference in height between them is still vast. 

"Your classmates' parents are kind people. Their children must be, too," she muttered as she glanced at Ivor from her phone screen. "Why don't you try befriending them?" she asked.

He scowled at her suggestion but didn't comment on it. Otherwise, he'd get an earful about his crappy personality, but it seemed like his sister changed tactics again, seeing how she remained relentless despite his silence. In the end, he had to say "Okay," but Amaryllis was not yet contented and wanted him to sign a contract.

He rolled his eyes as he scribbled his name at the bottom of the paper. Ah... How meddlesome...

***

A/N: I wish I also have a little brother~ (￣▼￣) Do you guys, too? Being the last child is really pitiful... The chores that my parents asked my older siblings to do were always automatically passed to me. (ㆆᴗㆆ) The trauma is real. Lolol.

Thank you for the votes!