Feathers Of A Bird

Chapter : Five (Part Two)

(Listen to the music while reading for a better experience!)

"Mom! I'm back!"
I shouted, standing at the entrance.

"Good! 10 minutes till sunset!"
She chuckled as she came out of the room.

"You hungry?"
She asked.

"Yup! I'm starving!"

"Get fresh, I'm setting the table up."

"Mom! I'll just wash my hand and eat up first! Or I'm gonna starve to death!!"

She made a suspicious glance, and said,
"Why?! How many days haven't you eaten for?"

"15 years!"

"Oh since you were born! I see!"
She laughed.

I nodded.

"Take the books, I'll go wash my hands."

I gazed at my hands.

"Where are my books?!?!?!"

"Oops! You lost them?"

"Umm..."

I tried to recall what happened.

I went to the library, took the books, and came back. In the middle of the way, I met Ryan, I held his hand, he...

"Perhaps, I handed them to Ryan? And forgot to take it back?"
I murmured.

"Kathy!?"

"Yes, mom! I think the friend I met today has them!"
I scratched the back of my head.

"Oh? Okay. No problem then! Don't forget to take them back before returning to the library!"

I nodded as I walked towards the washroom.

-------------------------•-------------------------

"You're aunt is coming."
Said mom, while peeling an apple.

"Oh...When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Okay..."

Mom passed me the apple. With a dark face.

"There you go! She has become normal again!"
I said in my mind.

I was used to her being gloomy every single time I looked at her. Before going to work, after coming from work, she used to be downhearted all day.

After all, it's been a couple of months dad left, and she started living like this. It was only natural for me to get used to this depressing environment. However, I couldn't control tears whenever she shouted at me.

This house seemed really empty with only two people, mom and me. Plus, I didn't even enjoy having guests. Maybe for what life showed me when I was even younger!

"Grace will stay in the room beside yours, and Ava will stay with me, in mine."

"Okay?"

Ava was mom's only sibling; and my aunt. And Grace was my cousin who maintained a big distance from me. God knows for what reason.

"For how many days will they stay, mom?"
I said, in a kind of uncomfortable tone.

"What kind of manners is this?!"
Mom suddenly shouted.

It happened so unexpectedly that I was shocked.

"The house is already depressing without your f*cking dad and now, when I'm trying to make things a bit better, you ask when they'll leave?!"

I stare at her. Now, this was what I was used to, mom shouting at me. And I knew she'd start crying after a moment.

And that's what happened.

"What the hell does your dad think?! Leaving all of us behind?!"
She busted into tears.

"And seems like you're as same as him! Selfish!! Why would you want them to leave when all they want is some company!?"

I stared at her, with a blank vision.

She kept saying.
"All men are like this!! Your dad left us, Grace's dad left them! My sister now wants her sister's company and you don't want them to c-"

"Mom!!"

I shouted in the middle of her sentence.

"I am neither telling you to stop them from coming, not to make them leave fast! What I am trying to say is, my school trip is coming soon!"

She wiped her tears with her eyebrows twitched and kept silent looking at the wall behind me.

"This will be my first trip after dad's gone! So I'm worried about you! I'm worried whether you can stay alone or not!!"

I couldn't hold my tears.

"Can you please stop shouting at me for what dad did?! I'm tired!! I want love, mom! If you can't give me it, don't ruin my days, please!"

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I wiped my tears and showed her,
"Tell me, why do these water fall from my eyes for no reason?! None of this is my fault mom! And you know that! So please stop! I beg for your mercy upon me!"

I rubbed my eyes with my sleeves and with a serious face this time.

Leaving the rest of the apple, I stood up and walked to my room upstairs.

The sound of the door slam was louder than I thought it would be.

Hearing a sound of throwing something from my room, I understood mom threw the apple I was eating.

"I'm sorry half-eaten apple..."

I whispered in a broken voice.
"I shouldn't have said those things to mom! I'm a jerk!!"

I grabbed my hair and pulled it.
"Except freaks, who says mean things to her mom?!"

Throwing myself into the bed, I looked at the moon out of the window,
"I hate myself."