Problems With The Hierarchy

#20 Serendipity

I like the word Serendipity! I'll upload more often so you can get a complete book soon! Okay, so, chapter 20. By the way Teresa is a good friend of mine! Teresa if you're reading this I hope I have  shaped the character well!  Enjoy! :) 

#20 Serendipity 

After I locked the door behind me I threw my bag on the couch. I wasn’t in a mood for anything.

I made myself popcorn; I was going to watch a movie, for the whole afternoon. I hope a movie might just distract me.

I watched Taken 2 again, can’t help but to wonder in awe at the beauty of Kim. She was brave and smart, so courageous she saved her parents in the movie. Then there was her dad.

I was jealous of her having her dad around her, then thinking of how it would be if Dad was still with us.  There was a heavy downpour outside, and the house is empty. I guess the weather was trying to be scornful. The heavy rainfall is to suit my crappy mood now huh? Then the fact that the house was empty, reminds me no one is there for me. So I have to think of anything that comes to my mind.

 I shut my eyes. My mind was in whirl. Then images started playing.

“I’ll make popcorn,” he said to me from the kitchen counter. I smell the aroma of sweet popcorn, diffusing in the air. I liked sweet ones but he liked salted ones. However he gave in every single time, because he knew I hated salty stuff, like salted popcorn. He never made me eat those once he knew, even though I know for a fact he hated sweet ones as well.

“We can have salted ones you know?” I offered; I felt bad for that.

He only smiled it off.

Then there was a food fight.

 “Stop throwing the nuggets!” Richard shouted, trying to sound serious.

“Then stop throwing the fries then, they burn!” I argued back.

“Guys, stop guys!” Momma Watson (what I used to call my mom, Tanya) brought us to Macs. Richard’s been good in results the whole year, while I finally pulled up my grades by a little. It was for celebration. She has only been away to the toilet for a few minutes and we’re having a food fight.

Reason: Richard stole my curry sauce!

How evil of him! And that smug look he wore on his face after taking it away from me when I wasn’t looking. Nooooo, my poor curry sauce.

Momma Watson comes into the picture. She shouted at us, and then made Richard return my curry sauce. We looked down at the floor sheepishly when she reprimanded us. She said we shouldn’t have wasted food like that because food is precious.

My face fell again. They will never happen again, in a long while. He was ignoring me, and he will continue to.

I was interrupted by a knock on a door. Who would visit now? I walked up to the door in curiosity.

“Good afternoon here’s your order, two Hawaiian Pizzas right?” a girl who looked like she was around my age stood by the door with a heavy backpack that seemed to say ‘Pasta Mania’ on it.

Her hair was all wet and her shirt was soaked by the rain. The rain made her hair turn into an entangled mess of black. I liked her unique black hair I've never seen before. Her white shirt was a see-through; it clung onto her slightly tanned skin.

“Uh, I didn’t.” I replied.  “Hey do you want to come in? You look like you need some hot chocolate.” I offered.

Her beautiful hazel eyes twinkled at my offer. She nodded, and then took off her shoes; her socks and shoes were wet from the downpour.

“Make yourself at home; let me go get a towel for you.” I told her, before headed upstairs.

When I came back down to the living room she was looking at the photographs in the photo frames that were placed around the house as decorations. Some were photos of my family of three. They were taken almost eleven years ago, back when he was with us. We went to Paris and it was taken with the Eiffel Tower. But mostly they were photos of Tanya and me. Then there was one I really liked, it was a photo of Richard and me. It was on a trip to Egypt, Tanya and I went along with Richard’s family. It was a photo we took beside the sphinx. Just us.

When she registered that I was there, she pointed at the photo, more like, at Richard.

“It’s him, right?” she asked shortly. Okay what?

“Huh?” I asked, not understanding why she asked as well as what she was asking about.

“You look so dispirited. It is because of him, am I right?” she explained, as she asked again.

What a psychic, how did she know?

She seemed to have read my thoughts, because she added,” That man is your Dad right? He stopped taking photos with your mom and you for quite some time because the frames with him inside were rather old. You seemed to be okay with your mom, because there is a note on the fridge saying she would be back late today. So it has to be him, right? The one who made you look so dispirited.”

What an analysis. But she wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t the one who makes me dispirited completely. In fact, I had no idea who did. I told you, it was some melancholy. Maybe I was just missing his attention on me. Maybe I was just hurt by the fact he was with Kelly. But who could I blame, I made the decision. It was me, only me.

I gawked at her, embarrassingly, like I was out of place (even though I was in my house) and said, “His name is Richard.” I don’t know why but I smiled when I introduced. I handed her the clothes plus a towel as I did so. Then I walked to the kitchen and made two cups of hot chocolate.

 She seemed a little lost. “Uh, toilet’s that way.”  I directed her to the right. She smiled a little and entered the toilet.

When I was done making the two cups of hot chocolate, she walked out of the toilet. “Thanks, they fit perfectly.” Sure, she looked okay for the shirt. Not too small, not too big, it was just right. She had the towel over her shoulders, so her luscious black curls don’t wet the shirt.

 I nodded in acknowledgement and said, “You’re welcome,” before handing her the hot chocolate. I went to the cupboard and picked out marshmallows. Then we walked to the sofa.

“These,” she pointed to my shirt. “I’ll return them to you.”

“Oh, there’s no need.” I shook my head and waved to mean that she really didn’t need to.

“I’m Teresa,” she introduced, as she stuck her hand out. I took her hand and shook it, saying, “I’m Elizabeth.  Call me Liz.” 

I grinned. She handed me the order. As I looked at the order, I recognised that it was the Howards, the friendly family who lived a few apartments down the street. They were number 88 on the street. My house was 86, but I guessed the 6 looked a little like a faded 8. So that was where the confusion was.

The rain has reluctantly stopped. Just like how my mood brightened up at her arrival.

She scratched her head saying she was sorry about the mistake and troubling me, while I told her it was okay and I really appreciated her visit. She nodded in understanding.

Then, I offered to walk her to the Howards but she insisted she was fine on her own because she didn’t want to trouble me further. So I gave her the directions.

A smile emerged up my face again after she left. For some reasons her aura made me wear a smile all the time. Maybe it was her pink cheeks that gave off a rosy glow. Maybe it was her charming hazel eyes that twinkle. Maybe it was her unique luscious black curls that shone.   But maybe it was just because she appeared at the right time when I needed something worth smiling for.