Lilith

Chapter 3:

Martha Pov:

I stepped out of the airport gate. My legs were feeling numb from the 12-hour trip from Australia to California. My eyes were red and my body felt sore due to the 12-hour flight. 

The seat was cramped and there were kids crying during the whole trip. It was seriously annoying. I've never seen my son cry or make a fuss over anything and he is only 1 and a half years old.

How does John do this every month? 

John is a travel nurse. he's very smart and to be honest quite young to have this job. I'm an engineering student studying medicine. So that explains how we met. 

I'm glad I have a vacation before my last semester. I need a break before writing this exam. The pressure I'm facing right now is irresistible but also necessary. I have waited for this my whole life. 

If I ace this I can finally get my dream job and live the life I want. I'm sick of fighting with mom all the time. If she had only let me be myself, all of these things wouldn't have happened. 

My phone started to vibrate. It was John.

'Hey hon, how was your flight?'

'It was exhausting. But relatively less than facing my mother.' I sighed and hailed a taxi.

'Oh, what are you going to tell her then?'.

 The sizzle of the bacon and eggs is heard through the phone. My stomach growls at every little sound. The sounds of slight yawning and babbling could be heard in the background. He's awake. 

'I'm only going there to see Lily.' I said angrily.

'I know, I know, but what if your mom disapproves of you staying there?' he asked concerned.

'who said I was going to stay there? I'm going to stay at Rita's house. I'll just casually visit Lilith and take her out to dinner or something.' I explained my plan. 

Lilith was a lifesaver. She cared about me even when I was a disappointment. she sacrificed her ticket out of town for us so that we can be happy. I'm happy to see her again.

Just then I realized the taxi had been standing still the whole time.

'Take me to Greenlands please' I apologized and requested the driver.

John chuckled through the phone. 'Well, good luck is all I can say. Looks like our little Daniel is awake. Skype me later.'

'Sure' I replied and kissed him a virtual kiss. I hung up the phone and looked forward to the driver. The driver doesn't look like the average taxi driver you see at every airport. Odd-looking wears cheap perfume and apparently a nosy guy. He was driving the wrong route. 'Umm, That's not my-'

'I know Rita's house, that's a shortcut' he said as if he knows everything.

'really? I had been here for 15 years and I'm pretty sure that you took a wrong turn.' I said firmly.

'well, things change you know.' He looked from the front mirror. His face was oddly familiar. He wore casual cotton clothes in winter. 

'sure.' I said annoyed. If I arrive at the correct place that's all that matters. 

'Do you know how your mother felt after you left?' he asked suddenly. I kept quiet.

'well, it's her fault. he kicked me out.' I argued angrily.

'You know how your mother is, she's got a temper. But she was only looking out for you.' he said concerned.

'My family should be none of your business.' I blurted out

He was silent for a moment and turned back to driving.

'This is the easiest route, ma'am. And I really think you should go see your mother.' He smirked.

Was he giving me advice on what to do ??

Oh, I suddenly realized I know this man.'Henry?'

He is Henry, one of my mother's closest friends. He's like a godfather to us. He knows everything that happens to us. He seems very different from then.

 He had an old-fashioned wig around him, with a long black mustache, and always wore baggy jeans. Now he is almost completely bald and only has hair in his chest and armpits. The only things recognizable are his bad taste for fashion and his green Volvo.

I took a deep breath.

'sorry' I said meekly. 

He helped us a lot during hard times and I told him to mind his own business. How stupid of me.

Suddenly, the car stopped with sudden force. It was my house. 'And here we are, Greenlands. Don't you worry m'lady? It's in the house.' He looks a bit upset.

'No wait-'

'No m'lady, you've grown up a lot. I think I'll get out of your way for now. But please remember that your decisions can affect other people's lives too.' he sighed.

 He looked really disappointed with me. he loves my mother very much but didn't get a chance to propose to her.

'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch break to go!' He casually changed the conversation before the atmosphere got tenser.

Typical Henry, I smiled.

I looked around. The sky was light blue, the clouds were like little cotton balls floating around the sky. It reminded me of my childhood days, of how I and Lili used to catch fish during summer. Lili wasn't able to catch one so I secretly bought one for her and lied that the fish fell into the bucket from the fishing rod when she pulled it. She was delighted and even kept it on display for a week before we ate it.

 Hmm, it was delicious.

The people around me were looking at me like I'm a foreigner, with suspicion and curiosity. I can hear whispers like: 'Who is she?', 'Maria?' and 'Oh god look at her now!', 'She looks like a model!', 'Damn, I should get her number!' and so on.

I grinned and waved at them. Some waved back, others backed out. People love to gossip about me after I left. A lot of people came to see me just to confirm if I was kicked out of the house. But many people offered to help since they had a very close bond with my grandmother.

I stepped inside the house. It was the same as before: a spacious room with a flavor of warmth. Rita came outside. She still looked beautiful and fresh as ever. She embraced me as soon as she saw me. 

I looked up at the ceiling. It was still being repaired. I looked around a bit more for some time to relive memories from the past. I heard that she finished college and was going to work in a neighboring town. She was happy to see me.

I looked at the analog clock ticking ferociously by every second. It was half-past 2. I was early.

I walked out to the veranda where I can still see people standing and staring at our front door.

It was a surprise for a lot of people because it was like a miracle for someone to leave town for another continent.

My phone kept ringing. It was mom. I wondered why she called. Maybe to tell me to stay away from her. I declined it. then there was a message. I stared down at the bright screen.

1 notification from grandma.

I opened the message. This was weird.

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