Blank Canvas

Chapter Sixteen

"Is that Frankenstein?" That was Mia. I did not notice that she was back in the room. I did not even know if she was allowed to watch music videos (I was ninety-eight percent sure that the answer was no) but I did not want to make her go away because Mia was, at times, sensitive with being left out of things. It was the age gap. My eyes were glued again to the screen. Thankfully, the video was coming to an end, all nine minutes of it.

When a preview of the next show materialized, I laughed. Jay followed with a chuckle and then all of us were laughing.

"That was so bad that it was kind of good," Celia remarked. "I made a quick search on Google and found out that the song was released on my birthday years before I was born. How weird and coincidental is that?"

I laughed as I pulled Mia to my lap and fixed her hair clip. She was carrying Marjoram on her arms. "It's settled then. That is the song of your life."

Celia stood up and asked if we wanted sandwiches and juice. We all said yes. Mia also raised Marjoram's paw which Jay found to be adorable. Then she followed our older sister to the kitchen.

Jay put his hands behind his head and said, "It's truly fascinating how music evolves with time yet not really. It's still the same yet it's not."

"You like Oasis and Eraserheads though, right? I think those bands were from that decade too."

"And you like Alanis Morrisette and Wilco." I nodded without looking at him.

He looked at me and added, "I would never have been made aware of that song if it weren't for your bad taste in television shows."

"Bad taste? That comment coming from a person who watches nothing but Doomsday Preppers and Ancient Aliens?"

"Don't be a National Geographic snob, Talia. Those shows are way relevant to human existence. I know how much you get a kick out of an episode of MegaStructures. Also, I know you enjoy watching that odd couponing show so you're in no position to judge." He reclined comfortably on the couch and asked, "How's your final project?"

I nodded again. I loved that show that he mentioned. Sometimes Jay knew me too well. Or maybe I was that obvious. "I'm stumped," I answered honestly. I took my pencil and started sketching the mansion from the video, except that I added my own design to it as well as more modern elements like a bit more glass here and some steel there. I added a note on the side to make the design more environment-friendly. That was one of my dreams, to design an entire village that was both practical and ecological. After a few minutes, Celia called us to eat.

"Jedi Jay, do you like your organic peanut butter and adjective-free jelly sandwich? I put extra jelly in yours." Mia smiled proudly, showing her missing front tooth.

"She meant additive-free," I said as I poured fresh-pressed dalandan juice in four glasses. "But that works too, right?"

Jay nodded because his mouth was full.

"Mia," exclaimed Celia. "Don't call Jay that." She hissed at Mia as her face turned scarlet.

Mia smiled innocently. "It's okay. He knows that you gave him that name." She bit on her sandwich, unaware of what she had done. I wished I could be that age again. I wished I could be that unrepentant and carefree.

I looked at Celia and I saw that her face was redder than the apples on the fruit basket in the table. Her embarrassment tinted her cheeks. I stifled a laugh. Jay gave me a curious look.

My sister hurriedly excused herself, saying sorry to Jay and pulling Mia away and out of the room. I could hear my little sister arguing and saying, "What did I do?"

Jay finished off his sandwich in a matter of seconds. He was such an eating machine. "That was good." He stood up and said, "Please tell Mia that I'm grateful for the extra jelly and tell Celia that she did not need to apologize. I'm kind of attached already to my Star Wars-inspired moniker. See you when I see you."

After he left, I picked up my unfinished drawing and went to my room. I was still empty with ideas so I listened to some music. Aside from usual music, I also liked film scores. I could listen to them all day. I enjoyed the lack of lyrics. No words, only music.

I thought about how I was going on another date with Felix on Friday.

Moreover, I thought about what happened yesterday. Tim came over and cooked us dinner. Mia brought Marjoram to the table, right next to her plate. Tim asked her nicely to put the cat down. Next thing I knew, Mia was crying and shrieking at Tim, saying that he was not nice like our dad. No one knew where that came from. Tim tried to explain himself but the more that he expounded, the more frazzled Mia got. Mom tried to soothe Mia but Mia ran toward Celia. Celia had to carry her off upstairs because she was having a major tantrum. Mia rarely had hissy fits but sometimes, she would have attitude.

I was left at the table with Tim and my mom. Tim was distraught. Mom tried to comfort him but he ended up leaving the house. Mom was in disarray as she watched him go.

The night was silent.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Celia left to go to school. She added that after her classes, she would go out with her friends. She said she would be home by midnight.

Mom came home shortly after Celia left. I could tell by the way that Mom was still as a statue that she was still thinking about what happened yesterday. She was not exactly livid because she was seldom angry but maybe she was sad, or something similar to that.

We had dinner an hour after. Mom cooked chicken adobo paired with a simple mango salad with diced tomatoes, minced red onion and celery leaves as garnish. I set the table without saying anything.

It was quiet as we ate. It was too quiet.

All I could hear was Mia's humming about the colors of the rainbow. All I could hear was the crunching sound of crisp, mango strips as I stuffed it in my mouth.

When I was certain that Mom was still awake, I knocked on her bedroom door. I heard no sound but I tried again.

"Mom, it's me."

Mom opened the door. I could tell by the rosy tinge in her eyes that she had been crying. She looked extremely tired and sad.

I told her that I talked to Mia before she slept. She promised not to act up anymore. I knew that she did not mean that anyway. Mia liked Tim. Not as much as she liked our dad but she was fine with him. Celia was civil. I was the difficult one. My mom knew how I felt but she also knew that I would never do something that would give Tim a reason to confront me. I did not want to converse with Tim, let alone have one of those heart-to-heart talks with him. I retained my dislike and displeasure from a distance.

Mom pulled me close and I basked in it, praying that I would always have it — the warmth of my mom's hug.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Retail cassette variant of standard artwork from Meatloaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love" (But I Won't Do That)