michael
I couldn't stand my sister's queasy voice anymore asking me how many minutes were left before our mom got home. It was already past six in the morning, the hand clock in the living room was reading 6:31, and no Elizabeth Port was coming home. Every time I even blinked my eyes, Billie was already going to ask me if Mom had arrived. "No" was always the answer.
I was watching some kind of game that stupid adults played on national TV, it was an embarrassing thing, but it was the only thing that was available and free to watch on my TV channel package. It was a show called Money Earned, in which the sharp, wig-wearing presenter named Ralph Walker would invite a couple who didn't have enough budget to "realize their dreams." Silly, I know, but it was kind of funny to see the couple getting the questions that were so easy to answer wrong.
Today's couple was a man named Sergio Ortiz and a woman named Kathleen Anderson. The two wanted money to be able to afford a super famous college for their daughter. It was sad to see them missing an answer so obvious that it could even be compared to "one plus one equals two". They must err on purpose only to receive later. Televisions always lie, you bet.
Anyway, days here in town used to always be cooler in the mornings, but for some reason it's a little warm today. I got a message on my cell phone while I took off the sweatshirt I was wearing, sitting on the sofa in the living room.
It was my mother.
Mom 6:33
Hi sweetheart! How are you?
Michael 6:33
Hi Mom! I'm fine and you? Why haven't you made it this far? Billie and I are worried about you.
Mom 6:34
I'm sorry, but it's because it was after midnight when the bus started up again. The driver, he... anyway, I had to rent a hotel room for just one night before I got home.
Michael 6:34
Wait, what happened to the driver?
Mom 6:34
It doesn't matter now. The fact is, I didn't want to have to get home and tell you to go to bed, so I'm leaving today... later. I'm already on the bus, and it was even easier for me to walk because I'm already in town. Anyway, I'm coming soon. See you later, darling.
Michael 6:35
Bye mom.
I locked my cell phone screen, thinking about what must have happened to my mom's bus driver. Something horrible, I know, because she didn't even want to tell what.
I had just got up from the couch and turned off the TV, heading towards the stairs that led to the second floor, Billie was upstairs in her bedroom. She must probably be drawing or something, she usually does that every now and then while she thinks about our mom. It's sad, of course, but that's how she feels comfortable. Maybe the design is for our mother, maybe...
I had already climbed the stairs when I reached the hallway already being greeted by music at full volume coming from Billie's room. It was a Lo-fi Hip-hop style of music, she used to listen to that kind of music to draw, but I've just gotten used to them and I also use them for similar things, it helps to concentrate.
Shyly, even though she was my sister, I knocked on her bedroom door. I could have just walked right in and stressed her out for not knocking, but I don't need a fight when our mom is coming home.
"Go on in," she shouted from inside.
I opened the door and, guess what, I got it right. She was sitting in her desk chair with her drawing pencil in her hands. The legal sheet with the sketch of her drawing was on the table, next to her cell phone which was where the sound of the Lo-fi music was coming from.
"What's it?" she asked sweetly, placing her pencil lying beside the drawing. "It's getting good?" She excused herself from the front of the drawing so I could see it.
I went to the desk and watched him... It was our mother with us in front of a circus we had gone to here in town about five years ago. The Billie in the photo was the smallest and was in Elizabeth's lap, smiling showing her baby teeth. I was on their side facing them eating a bucket of popcorn. I giggled when I remembered asking our mom for that bucket... she held on saying "no" until she couldn't take it and bought it for me.
"Wow, Billie, it is..." I said, but I had to analyze the drawing more, it was "amazing."
She smiled at me.
"Thanks." She looked at the drawing. "I wanted to give this to her when you get...speaking of which, did you ask her why she took so long?"
"Yes, she had to spend the night in a hotel."
"But Manily is only ten miles from here and she was already past the county limit, wasn't she?"
"Well, I didn't understand either. She said it was a problem with the bus driver, I think."
"Hmm... Anyway, I'm done. Why don't you make her a breakfast table, huh? When I'm done here I'll help you assemble it."
"Okay, I—" I started to walk toward the door, but she cut me off.
"No, wait!" She stopped to think, putting her index finger to her chin like she was a TV show detective. "You can let me make you breakfast. I remembered those burnt scrambled eggs you made."
"Oh, stop, right!"
We both laughed, but I ended up letting her make the coffee. She was right, I really didn't know how to cook.
It was after seven now. I was scared of how late my mom would be just to walk about a mile to get home...by bus. There had been enough time for me and Billie to set up the breakfast table, but I was even thinking about changing the theme for the lunch table because of her lateness.
My sister had made toast with the shriveled buns she had found on the shelves above the sink, buttering them and putting them in the oven on top of a baking tray, then she made some natural strawberry juice without sugar and plain coffee, she had it too. like a chocolate cake that was even baking in the oven now, cream cheese (she didn't make it) and, finally, some guava sweets that she found inside the fridge.
"There's more old food here than fresh," I said, watching the table already set in the pantry. My sister was taking the cake out of the oven in the meantime. "Seriously, how come there was all this stuff here to eat and I didn't know about it?"
"Because you don't even bother looking for it," she said, arriving at the pantry with a pair of gloves in her hands and the chocolate cake tray being held by them.
With a slight sigh, Billie placed the cake on the table and then walked away, taking the gloves off her hands so she could look at the table fully. Everything was beautiful... it didn't even seem like two teenagers had set it up alone.
"Yeah... we did a good job, didn't we, Bill?" I said raising a hand for her to slap it in a "work done" way looking at her, who rolled her eyes.
"I did a good job, right?" she replied, but even though she was rude like that she relented and slapped my hand. Well, at least that, I thought. "I'm going to the bathroom, if Mom comes, tell her to wait a bit." And she went upstairs to the second floor.
"Leave it to me," I yelled.
It wasn't five minutes after Billie went upstairs and someone rang the doorbell. I heard my sister yell from upstairs that it wasn't to open yet, that she was just leaving, but I thought it would be rude to the person I was waiting for.
I left the pantry and walked through the kitchen to the living room, where the front door of the house was. I opened the door without even knowing who it was, but as it could only be my mother, I was already going with open arms to receive a hug saying:
"Welcome back, Mo..." I stopped talking as soon as I saw who was outside: the lady from the next street. "MS. Martin, what an honor to have you here." She smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry about... that's because I thought it was my mother coming back from a... anyway, what do you want?"
"Oh my good boy, you are really very polite, just like your sister. I couldn't help noticing your and her conversation saying that your mommy was coming back... Oh, but that was last night, young man, I was coming back from my bingo night back at the nursing home and I stopped by and, well, I brought some doughnuts in case you want to welcome Elizabeth Port. A great mother, I think, so she could have raised two cute little angels like you and her."
"It is very kind of you, Miss. Martin," I said as she handed me a basket of donuts covered in a white and blue checkered cloth, "very much."
"Oh, you're welcome, my good boy! For nothing at all. Now I'm going back to my house because it's time for my favorite show, you know. Naked and Afraid, it's really good."
"Yeah, I've heard about this program." I smiled.
"Well, see you, young man," she said as he started to walk across the street, toward his house. "Wish your mother a welcome for me!"
"Of course, I will!" I yelled at her as she entered the house.
Curious, I lifted a little of the cloth that covered the donuts. I felt the smell of melted guava passing through my nostrils, it was a delicious smell. I went inside the house again and closed the door, which made a noise that echoed through the house. Right off the bat, I saw Billie coming down the stairs with her ponytail on her head, turning it into a bun.
"My God, Mike! I asked you to wait for me!"
"And keep the poor woman waiting outside until now?"
She grunted and looked me up and down until she locked eyes with the basket she was holding in her hands.
"What is it?" She indicated to her, putting a sponge in the bun.
"Oh, the lady from the next street, Miss. Martin, she just gave me this. She said to welcome our mother when she arrives."
"And how did she find that out?"
I shrugged.
"Looks like she overheard our conversation on her way back from bingo night this morning."
"That's weird..."
"So it is."
"Anyway, what is this?"
"Guava donuts."
"Well then, let's put it on the breakfast table."
elizabeth
I was on the street from my house when I could see Billie and Mike through the living room window. Oh my God, I can't believe I'm finally back after two weeks there in that hell... I never called my house paradise, but compared to that clinic, it wins. Surely. Along with my two dear children, don't even talk!
The driver this time was no longer David. After Amy yelled at him on the bus this morning, he was so scared of her that he had to take another one to go to Greenstreet. He tried to say it as calmly as possible, but I could tell he got goose bumps just looking at her menacing face.
Speaking of Amy Baker, she was on the bus beside me again, just like before. I was no longer listening to music on her cell phone, she was sleeping soundly with her head on my shoulder as I saw my house for the first time after leaving the clinic. I don't think I've ever missed a place so much. My home, oh heavens! I'm at home!
"Who said you wanted to stop here?" asked the driver, turning to the passengers.
"We!" I yelled at him, waking Amy who was instantly startled, nearly falling off the bench she was sitting on.
We both grabbed our things and got off the bus as quickly as possible. I ended up stepping on the feet of an elderly lady who was sitting in the front row before the door, I apologized, but she scowled at me. I thought it best not to say anything else and left with Amy following me with her backpack on her back.
I stopped for a while to enjoy my house, my home.
"Lets go in?" Amy asked after a while. "We've been out here for two minutes."
I hadn't even seen time pass.
"Yes, of course, let's go in," I replied, heading towards the front door, where I rang the bell.
I could hear Billie's voice yelling at Mike, something like "Go get it" and "I'll wait there," whatever she was talking about. I held Amy's hand, crossing our fingers together, waiting for Mike to open the door. She was so excited!
"You're going to love them both," I said, and turned to face Amy, "they can fight a lot sometimes, but they're... angels."
She laughed. I turned to the door when Mike opened it, along with a huge smile on his lips. I saw his eyes start to water as he approached me and gave me a tight hug, which grew looser. I think he was afraid to suffocate me.
"I'm glad you're back home, Mom," he whispered in my ear, then walked away. A tear ran down his cheek. "We miss you so much."
"Oh..." I said as she wiped the tear from her cheek with her finger, "me too, darling. This"—I looked at Amy, who smiled—"is Amy Baker, my only friend I've had inside the clinic and..."
"Wait!" Mike cut me off. "Let's go in first before continuing the story. Billie is dying to see you."
I smiled. He cleared the passage so that Amy and I could get inside the house. We passed the living room just before Mike closed the door and after Amy and I left our bags and backpacks beside the rug. I walked around the house for a while, looking around and remembering everything I went through there in my entire life and also everything I will go through from now on since I arrived.
I'm at home.
I took a deep breath, smelling the same spray scent I was gushing around with the flavor of field flowers. The aroma of the house at least didn't change anything, which means that the two of them didn't even touch the broom to clean it.
Mike stopped beside me.
"Billie's in the pantry," he said, and led the two of us there.
As soon as we got close to the door, I came face to face with the fully decorated pantry table. Toast, guava donuts (I didn't even know they knew how to do that), coffee... all delicious. And Billie. She was there, behind the table. The chandelier covered a little of her face, but as she was short it didn't matter. She was smiling, her teeth white and happy as always.
She started to approach me right after saying a happy Welcome, Mom. That's when she hugged me, it was much longer than Mike's hug. She couldn't help but feel relaxed during that, it was one of the only things I missed at the clinic. Their scent, their embrace, their company, everything perfect.
"I couldn't wait to see you, Mom," she said as she walked away, showing her eyes that were so tearful I didn't even have the courage to wipe them.
"Me too."
I smoothed her hair like I used to do when she was younger. I had barely noticed that she had already grown a little. Very little, but she grew up. My daughter has grown up.
I indicated to Amy when I started talking again.
"This is the girl I told you about. Amy Baker." She gave a smile. "She's staying here for a while, she said she felt safer with me."
"I asked you not to say that!" she said patting me lightly on the arms and then we laughed.
"Anyway, I want you two to be great friends while she's here, okay, Billie? Okay, it's going to be weird being an adult with a teenager, but it's going to be nice for you to have company while I'm at work."
"Yeah," said Billie, nodding, "it'll be good, yes."
"Well, let's eat then?" Mike said, clapping his hands. "Mom, I have to tell you the story of the lady next door."
"Miss. Martin?" I said, seating me in one of the chairs at the pantry table. Amy did the same, as did everyone else.
"Oh, be serious!" Billie complained. "Am I the only one around here who didn't know her name?"
"No," Amy said, and we all laughed.
Yeah... I was wrong when I thought the only way to feel relaxed was to use drugs. I've never stopped to look at what's around me, a lot of good stuff, I admit. I never noticed my good house, my good kids... everything was back to normal now. It was all right.
Everything was the same.