First there was one. . . then there was another. The sound of water droplets hitting against the asphalt echoed loudly in my brain. The next thing I knew, I was already soaked in the rain.
It was also raining, that day, when Dad went home, bloody, crying, like I’ve never seen before. What could have made my father cry, the man who I thought never feared anything, the man who never felt sadness, no pain, no sorrow, because his life was perfect. Tears immediately streaked down my cheeks when I saw him. Cora leapt under the storm, ran towards him, shook him, almost ripping his clothes apart, and screamed: “Where is she? Where is she?”
I was just frozen on the doorway when Dad crumpled to the ground, crying and cursing furiously at the sky, as if someone was up there, laughing at him. Cora was right beside him, dumbfounded, confused, and even amidst the rain, I could see her tears. And from that moment, I immediately knew that my life would change.
But still, I couldn’t accept it.
Mom’s death was supposed to be the end of it. We should not have let her death rip our family apart. We still had one another. I just don’t understand why Dad insisted on crying for our mother, who was already dead, than smiling for his daughters who were still alive. And now, because of him, Cora’s gone, along with my hopes that we can still be a happy family.
#
I think I have finally given up on searching for my sister when I spent three days walking along the highway without eating anything. She might be really far away now, considering she might have had several minutes head-start or she could have rode the bus to nowhere which I really have no courage of doing.
So I decided to just go to this place, Maplewood, the nearest place where I could eat something and dry my clothes. Sometimes, I would think about going home to my father, but then the whole running away epiphany thing would be useless.
I wandered on the streets for several days surviving on stolen fruits and one cheeseburger meal a day since I didn’t bring much money with me. During afternoons, I would then sit by the park and swindle some money from passers-by which I do through begging.
“I’m an orphan,” I would murmur and pretend to wipe tears from my face. “My parents died. I lost the house to the bank. I’ve got no relatives, no money, no food to eat. Please help.”
It works sixty percent of the time. When I melt to the ground and explode in tears, a hundred percent.
“Stand up,” the man said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “That won’t work on me. I won’t give you any money.”
I stared up at him. I really wanted to see his face, but the pocketbook he was reading was in the way. He was silently reading on the lone bench on the park when I decided to ask money from him.
“I’ve been watching you for days, now,” he murmured. “You’re good.”
I just remained on my position, somewhat confounded. When I finally accepted the fact that it was a failed venture, I reluctantly stood up and began walking away from him. Looks like I’m going to have to find another park then.
“Hey wait.”
I jolted when somebody suddenly grabbed me by the arm. I was just about to hit him when I noticed he was holding the same pocketbook. He was younger than I expected, maybe just as old as I was, dark-haired and he was almost a foot taller than me. I wanted to break free but his grip was just too strong. I tried harder but he just let go of me anyway.
“You know---“ he hesitated. “I don’t think you know that the main reason people hand you money is because you’re cute.”
I scowled at him. I was flattered. He was a bit cute himself, but I still scowled at him.
“Do you really think people will believe your story?” he said with this annoying smirk on his face. He then eyed me from head to toe. “Look at you! You’re even more well-dressed than most girls I know. And most of them have more money than I do.”
“I’m sorry sir, I’ve got to go home now,” I said as pleasantly as I could manage.
“I’m sorry but I think I noticed some inconsistencies in your story. I thought you lost your home to the bank?” he smirked. I really wanted to hit him now, because I really hate people who just won’t mind their own business. And most importantly, I hate people who won’t give me what I want but would still waste my time.
“What do you want?” I blurted out. He winced as I said the words, but he simply sighed.
“What I want---“ he stared right at my eyes. Now, I begin to wonder why he didn’t ask me about my eyes, like most people do. My purple eyes are rare, but I think his coffee brown eyes look much better. “---is you.”
“Me, too.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I’m sorry, did you just say---?”
“I mean, I want myself, too,” I almost shouted. I hope my face wasn’t as red as it felt. “I don’t know what you’re up to, sir, but I really have to go. Bye.”
I ran away as fast as I could, but just like I wanted, he called me back.
“Hey wait!” he shouted. My ears were clapping.
I turned around, just in time as he threw me the thing that he just grabbed from inside his sling bag. I wanted to catch it, but my body won’t move as I watched him just walk away with his back facing me. I just heard the thing land on the ground in front of me.
I was a bit disappointed, because silly me was expecting something better like a goodbye kiss from a hot stranger, but instead, what I got was a . . . a burger?
I picked up the burger and quickly undressed it from the paper wrap. My mouth watered at the sight of the plump bun and the juicy patty, still sizzling, still warm, or I might have been just hallucinating. All I know is that I just can’t wait to grab a bite already, but my eyes caught the words scribbled on the outer-side of the paper. I regret ever reading it because I completely lost my appetite.
Tomorrow. Same place. Same time. I’ll introduce you to my special someone.
I felt my heart sink into my lungs. And now, I feel like I am choking, like I seemed to have just forgotten how to breathe. Being heart-broken by someone you just met is a very terrible and embarrassing experience, after all. I’ll get my revenge tomorrow for sure, and his name, too. Same place. Same time.
#
Sure enough, he was already waiting for me on the same bench the following day. He was smiling as I approached. Anger somehow welled up in me when I realized that he was munching on a burger. More anger welled up in me when I realized that he was with someone.
“Wow, you look---“ he eyed me again from head to toe, just like yesterday. “---the same.”
“I know. Just like what I told you, I don’t have a home anymore, sir,” I muttered as annoyingly as I could.
“Speaking of a home,” he paused, then gestured at the person beside him. The lady folded down the upper half of the newspaper she was reading and stared up at me. My anger immediately faded away. “This is Mama Collins.”
For some reason I immediately liked her. For the first time in days, I was smiling. I never knew my grandparents, but she is just like what I imagined a grandmother would look like: saggy, fat cheeks, too much make-up and face powder, oversized earrings, wrinkled forehead, and a trendy hairstyle. I looked down and noticed the same rotund body that I was expecting. She was his special someone. More anger faded from me.
“So, you’re the cute but equally weird lady Gene was talking about,” she mumbled, then she squinted at my face. I simply smiled. “You must be really weird.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” I said pleasantly. “So you’re name’s Gene?”
Gene shrugged. “It’s a very cool name, I know.”
Mama Collins held my arm. I turned to face her. “What’s yours, dear?”
“Alexandra Hardin. Andie, for short,” I murmured.
“That’s a cool name, too,” Gene said. He was nodding at me, approvingly. “Now tell us your real name.”
“It is my real name!” I muttered defensively.
“Sure it is,” Gene winked at me.
“It is!”
“Sure,” Gene murmured, then winked again.
“It is my real name!”
Gene was smirking. “That’s what I said!”
Mama Collins grabbed Gene’s ear. Gene grimaced at the pain, then Mama Collins let go of him. “So, now that we know each other, why don’t you tell us what really happened? Why are you homeless? Where are your parents?”
I looked down. I wasn’t going to tell her the complete story, so I just told her a part of it. “I ran away from home.”
“Why, dear?”
“Because my sister’s gone.”
Gene and Mama Collins exchanged glances. Of course, they were confused by my story.
“What happened to your sister?” Gene asked.
“She ran away.”
They exchanged glances again, then burst out laughing. I knit my eyebrows at them. They think that I was just joking.
Mama Collins sighed. “Well, the point is, you can live with us in the mean time, if you want to.”
“With Gene? No way!”
“Really?” Gene threw his arms in exasperation. “You’d rather live on the streets than live with me?”
I was just about to respond when Mama Collins held me by the arms. She was caressing me. I wanted to break free, but her touches were so gentle and soothing.
“You’re still so young to be out on your own, Andie. How old are you? Eleven? Twelve? Nonetheless, you still need a home. And I’m willing to provide it if you don’t think your own home isn’t much of a home anymore.”
“I really don’t know how to decide,” I admitted.
“Mama Collins takes in orphans. I have eleven siblings right now. Mama Collins set her limit to twelve kids but since I can already handle myself, she’s decided to let you in. You can be the thirteenth kid,” Gene said reluctantly.
“What if I cause bad luck? I’m the thirteenth. That has got to imply something,” I said.
“I’m sure you won’t be bad luck, Andie,” Mama Collins chuckled. “I got bad luck, right here,” then she hugged Gene. They looked like a complete family, even just the two of them. If there was something in this world that I wish I could have, I know what it is now--- a normal family.
Gene stared up at me, red-faced. I wonder if it was because of me or because of Mama Collins smothering him with hugs and kisses. “So, Andie, wanna go home with us?”
“Yes.”
#
I finally found shelter with Mrs. Collins, although I really did not expect what my new and hopefully, much better home would be. They lived in a manor, desolate on a hilltop, surrounded with wild trees and hopefully not wild animals.
Mama Collins’ red hair was whipping at the wind like fire as we rode on her convertible chevy. We were now on a rocky road that spiralled the hill up to her house.
“My husband used to be a logger. We sold timber here and to other states. Business was booming when suddenly, he was murdered probably by some of his competitors in the business,” she said. I was sitting shotgun with her, Gene was at the back. “I was devastated. We weren’t even able to have kids. I locked myself up for years. But when I couldn’t bear the loneliness anymore, I had the idea of fostering homeless kids and make them my own.”
I was just nodding and sitting silently with her because I really didn’t know how to react. I only lived with my secluded family and our helpers for most of my life, so I actually have no experience being in an actual social setting.
We finally arrived at their home. Compared to the wild surroundings, the house and the other parts in the vicinity were completely clean. The shrubs lining the path to the main door were even cut to different shapes. Some looked like stars, some hearts, some triangles, some squares, and one was even shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head. We stopped in front of the door, where we were greeted by a flock of happy, and really noisy children.
“Welcome home!” they greeted. They were of varying shapes and sizes. They didn’t look like siblings at all. Like what Mama Collins said, they were all adopted.
“Hi, you rascals,” Gene began patting their heads and began giving some of them piggy-back rides. Others began climbing Gene’s leg as well.
“Is this her?” the child riding on Gene’s back asked. I really wanted to pinch that kid’s fat swollen cheeks at that moment since it’s just that cute. I began to wonder what they feed him. The other kids also turned to me. “She’s so pretty.”
“Yeah, I know,” Gene murmured. This time, the kids flocked to me like piranhas. They began staring at me.
“No, I’m not pretty,” I insisted, although I am sure that I was blushing this time, especially because Gene was nodding with them in agreement.
“Come on, get inside kids, I want to introduce you all to a special someone,” Mama Collins said. Gene led the kids inside. Mama Collins and I followed right behind them.
#
The sound of laughter and happiness ringed against my ear. It is something that I am not really used to, simply because it is not encouraged in our house. My father always associated laughter with shallowness and weakness, although he laughs most of the time. “My laugh is the physical manifestation of my seriousness and willingness to cooperate. It is the productive kind of laugh,” he would then say.
“Okay, Dad,” Cora and I would murmur while we did our assignments with Professor Gutlien, my mother’s uncle, who homeschooled us since we were kids. He was essentially our connection to the outside world.
Dad always wanted to watch us and make sure that we were being productive. As a matter of fact, that was the only reason he was sometimes at home. In most days, he was out of town doing “business”.
We were now seated all around the living room, me on the single red love seat in the middle of the room. All of them just stared at me expectantly when Mama Collins introduced me to all of them.
“Well, hello everyone,” I merely whispered. It was all that I could manage.
“You were a lot more charismatic back in the park,” Gene muttered. “I wonder if I am some kind of a distraction to you.”
For some reason, I felt blood rushing to my face. “No Gene, just no,” I said. The children began teasing.
“I am Alexandra. Call me, Andie,” I said.
“Hi, I’m Lenner,” said the boy with the very fat cheeks. The others also began introducing but I really wasn’t able to memorize all their names.
“So, Andie, what did you do today?” Gene suddenly asked with this annoying expectant look on his face. I was somewhat surprised by his question.
“I don’t get it,” I admitted. I turned to Mama Collins and she merely gestured at me to go on. “Well—umm, I met you guys and decided to live with you.”
“Me, next! Me, next!” cried the little girl whose name was Jessica. She basically pushed me out of my seat. “Well, I woke up next to Mary, gosh, I thought I was on my bed, so I pushed Mary off the bed. She groaned, then she began crying. Then, I realized that it was her bed. Then, I went down the kitchen to eat breakfast Derek and Franel had made. Gene’s cooking is still better but the spam and eggs were still delicious. Then, I took a bath, dressed up, rode on the van with the others to school. At school, we had this really hard math test, and I think I failed it, so I decided that I would study harder next time. Then, we had boring classes and I really didn’t listen that much. Then, we came home, played some table tennis in the back, until you guys arrived and we met Andie.”
The others clapped, I did the same. Then everyone just began taking turns sitting on the red seat in the middle of the living room telling the others what they did for the day. Most of what they narrated were basically the same. It was an interesting activity because I could really get to know them better, especially Gene.
“Well, first, I woke up early, because I really couldn’t sleep that much,” he began. “I just can’t really stop thinking about this interesting person I met yesterday. I was distracted, so I really wasn’t also able to participate in school. Then, I ate spaghetti for lunch, had more boring classes, then fetched Mama Collins from the house and we stopped by a fastfood restaurant to buy some symbolic burgers. Then, we waited at the park. Andie came. She decided to live with us. I was actually able to bring her home. Cool.”
Interesing person he met yesterday? Gene was talking about me! I feel really stupid right now. No, I don’t know what I’m feeling; I never felt anything like this before. I was giggly and flattered by what he said, and I just can’t subdue that . . . that . . . girl in me. Every inch of my body felt electrified. I could not say a single word when he locked eyes with me, with that annoying expectant look back on his face.
“What?” I finally said. I could feel blood rushing to my cheeks again.
“Nothing,” then he smiled as he looked away. He stood up from the red seat. Mama Collins then called us to dinner.
What we had for dinner was not as grand as what we usually eat back in our white stone house. Our food was always way more than enough. I wasn’t even really that fond of eating. This time, if I don’t grab food as fast as I can, I would starve. Everyone became piranhas when the food was served on the table.
“Slow down, kids,” Gene said as he grabbed his own portion of the food. “Andie doesn’t know the system yet. Let’s leave some for her, please.”
I don’t think there was even any system. Everyone simply just scooped up as much as they can. Fortunately, Gene was able to save some for me.
“So sorry,” he murmured. “Dinner’s always in demand around here. It’ll only be a matter of seconds before everything runs out.”
“It’s fine,” I said as I began getting my own food.
“No, it’s not fine,” Gene muttered. “You would starve if you treat these kids lightly. They’re like hyenas.”
There were snorts and chuckles all across the table.
“Gene’s right, dear,” Mama Collins said from the other end of the dining table. “It’s always this festive here. Haha.”
I noticed that Mama Collins had her own plateful of food beforehand. I managed to smile at her.
I am happy here. I really am. This is what a normal family is like and I’m glad I get to experience it right here. It’s just so hard to imagine that things eventually turned out good, after spending a very long time in that white stone cave of misery I used to call home. My life was filled with so much gloom and sorrow before I came here that I never knew life could be beautiful after all. I just had to spend it with the right people.
As a matter of fact, I spent the next few years of my beautiful life with Gene, Mama Collins, and the kids.