The chirping of birds on my window wakes me up. It's 7am, I forgot to set my alarm last night. I'm not surprised that no one woke me up. I even doubt any of them knows I'm still home.
I prepare as fast as I can for school. When I get outside, I see mom entering her black land cruiser car. She hasn't used it in a while. She's exquisitely dressed and again, I wonder what job she engages in. She starts driving out and then she sees me.
"Christy, you're still at home?"
Obviously mum! I don't say that out loud though.
"Yeah, morning mum. "
She nods ."Do you want me to give you a ride? "
I turn around to be certain that Cathy has not appeared behind me and she's asking her instead.
No sign of Cathy, she's actually talking to me.
"Umm sure. "
I sit at the passenger's side in the front seat but soon I regret that because it seems awkward. This is Cathy's seat not mine.
"Did you ever love dad? " I blurt out.
"Well, Jesse's a good guy and yea I loved him, I still do ."
Is she nuts?
"Jesse's not my dad," I say calmly even though I'm not so calm on the inside right now.
A few seconds pass or maybe more, no words are exchanged between us.
"You mean your father? " She breaks the silence.
"Yea mum, my real father."
Silence. Then, "He wasn't a bad guy."
"Did you love him ?"
Silence falls upon us again.
"Mum? "
"Christabelle, we do not have to talk about this now. "
"We never talk about anything."
Silence again.
"What's his name? " I break the silence as her car parks in front of Star View High.
"Knowing his name won't change anything."
"Let me be the judge of that, mum. "
"You're probably late for school, this conversation will hold some other time."
I alight from the car with a heavy heart. I shouldn't have brought up the conversation.
It's a normal day in Star View High, but not a normal day for me. The feeling of sadness clouds me. I am engulfed with desolation. I don't like it because this is unlike me, I'm always the 'I have no worries ' girl.
When I get to class, I can't quite make out the words my teacher is saying and I really hate that I feel like this. I should not be worried about mum refusing to talk about my dad, I should be used to it by now.
"First you come late and then you decide to look gloomy in class. What's up? Did Cathy do something again?" Shan addresses me.
"Yea. She did, " I lie because I don't want to talk about what's upsetting me.
"That's typical of her. Cheer up please. Jeremy's schooling here already you know? "
"Really? "
Can't Shan tell that I'm not in the mood for conversations?
"Yeah. He's in school today. "
"Oh good."
"You sure nothing else happened? "
YOU ARE READING
SECRETS
Teen Fiction"Sometimes we keep secrets from people we love in order to protect them. " That's what most people think anyway. "But most times, it's safer to protect our loved ones when they are aware of what they are being protected from." That's what the secre...
