Lucky Decade

1

Chapter one: Tears and strangers

Stella opened the front door of her house all tired out. Her heavy makeup did nothing to conceal her tired face. Working as a caretaker at Johnson's mental health home wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.

Pushing the front door open, the aroma of food hit her nostrils. Stella's eyes widen when she saw her mum in the kitchen. She had an apron around her waist and wore gloves as she did the dishes.

Stella stared at Ruth Menns, who was now fifty-eight. She looked stunning as ever, even though she did nothing to improve her skin. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and she had makeup on. She had a smile plastered on her face as she muttered quietly to herself.

From a distance, Stella stared at her mother as she contemplated running out of the house. Stella glared at Ruth, her jaw almost dropping to the ground.

Her mother was a lot of things, but she was rarely seen wearing a smile and cleaning at the same time. The woman was crazy.

Stella moved no further. Stella stood there studying the movement of her mother. She didn't look like she was high on drugs today. Stella scanned the room and found no bottles of alcohol either. She cleared her throat as she stood by the front door. 

Her mother turned her gaze to Stella. And for the first time in twenty years, she smiled upon seeing Stella. Stella continued to stare at her mother petrified. Maybe her mum was finally mad, from doing too many drugs.

The last time the woman smiled at her like that, she chased her all night with a cutlass. And to prevent her mum from getting arrested, she had to be smiling and clapping as if it was totally normal to be chased with a cutlass by your mum.

She even convinced the police that it was a family tradition. And her mum was bound to chase her with stones, guns, and cutlasses at least every once in a while so that a good husband will come her way. Since she was already twenty-seven years old and had been single her whole life. The police found it believable.

"Who knows it might even be an arrow or gun...but I promise she won't harm anyone" she would always say.

And today she was cleaning, wearing makeup and happy, all of that at once. She was doomed. Would she chase her with a bomb this time? She must be high on drugs today.

Stella braced herself as she stood by the front gate. Her jaw dropped as she listened to the words that came out of her mother's mouth.

"Stella, you are back. I cooked some assorted jollof rice and turkey. You can have some if you want," Ruth said, an inviting smile plastered on her face as she rubbed a plate with the napkin in her hand.

Stella did nothing but stare at Ruth bluntly. After so many years of ignoring her existence, this woman was finally behaving like a mother. What happened? The woman never cared about her. And now she was suddenly being affectionate and offering her food.

To Stella, Ruth was the cruellest human being she has ever come across but she still tolerated her since she was her mother. She recalled when Ruth would beat her without warning and call her a murderer whenever she saw her.

Stella walked closer to Ruth and sniffed her. She realised that the woman was sober and her eyes widened with shock almost dropping out of its socket.

"Mum, are you okay?" Stella asked Ruth, placing the back of her hand on Ruth's forehead. Before carefully examining her surrounding for anything strange.

She still had the fake antique vase she bought at a garage sale three years ago. Their glass cups were all there. The brown leather chairs were arranged facing each other on the tiled floor. And the chandelier she bought last Christmas still hung high above them. Everything seemed normal. Ruth's eyes were filled with emotions Stella had never seen before.