No Good In Goodbye

Six - Glowing

- P A S T - 

“Alright darling, you’re all finished here.” Mum wiped her hands on her apron then reached to the counter to get a brown paper bag. She handed it to me with a smile before having to rush back to the kitchen.

“Thanks,” I mumbled before she disappeared completely.

“You’re welcome!” She called back from the kitchen.

The customers had mostly disappeared from the lunchtime rush so I didn’t feel bad for leaving, even though my shift was up. If it was still busy I probably would have hung around a bit longer to help out.

I set my lunch on the counter before untying my apron, hanging it on the hook beside the hallway to outside.

“Lena! Lena!” I heard a young voice shout from the doorway. I’d know that voice anywhere; Leilani. She was standing at the door with her long blonde hair tied up in pigtails with her friend to her left and her friend’s mother beside her.

“Hi, you must be Leilani’s sister,” the mother said after Lani ran and wrapped her arms around my middle. The mother’s dark hair was pulled into a tight bun, making her face look stretched and stressed.

“Yes, I’m Lena,” I told her, returning the smile.

“Is your mother here? I don’t want to leave without seeing her but I have to take Jacob’s brother to swimming lessons.”

“She’s out the back but it’s fine. I can tell her you dropped Leilani off,” I said, keeping my voice polite and not showing the fact that I had to talk to a woman I hardly knew. I was hardly comfortable talking to my own friends and even then I wasn’t very polite.

“Aw would you mind, darl? I’m just in such a rush,” she said.

“It’s not a problem,” I assured her.

She sighed before taking the hand of her son who had dark hair to match her own. “Thank you so much, sweetie. I really appreciate it.” Then she turned to my sister, still attached to my waist. “Bye Leilani.”

“Thanks for having me,” Leilani called out, something Mum had taught us to say since we started going to other people’s houses. I was glad Leilani was catching on.

“How was your sleepover?” I turned to my little sister.

“Oh it was super fun!” She prattled on about this movie and that comic book which gave me time to collect my bag and food. She continued as we went down the hallway to the backyard, but I didn’t realise there were people still there until I had stepped out into the sun.

Four sets of eyes shifted to me and my little sister, before they all smiled.

“Hey Lena, you’re back!” Isabelle exclaimed.

Dammit, I didn’t think they would still be there.

“Yeah…” I trailed off awkwardly, before my sister saved the day.

“Hi! What’s your name?” She skipped to the long wooden table and climbed onto the bench beside Isabelle, looking at her with marvelling eyes.

Isabelle laughed. “I’m Izzy. What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Leilani, but Lena calls me Lani and Mum calls me Leila,” she rambled. Everyone chuckled.

I took a few more gravel-crunching steps to get to the table but paused. It wasn’t as though we had been invited to sit with them nor was I really friends with them. Well, maybe Isaiah but I hardly knew the others.