Teddy as a cowboy:
***
mother
3:22 pm
where are you?
I'm at the mall with friends
I told you earlier
what friends?
kiyoko, yachi, kaori and yukie
ok
your cousin and uncle are coming to stay over
they are moving here because your uncle has a job opportunity.
Goro will be saying in your room
ok
be home soon
you have chores
ok
***
When you got home, you entered to see your mum in the same spot where you had left her. She didn't even look over at the sound of the door.
All she said to you was "Chores." But it's like she didn't say it to you, rather she was just speaking out loud.
"Okay," you said in response. After putting your bag down on the dinning table, you walked over to the kitchen and began to unpack the dishwasher.
The house was silent apart from the sounds of the clattering plates and glasses you were putting away. It was always like this, there were hardly any words exchanged in this household.
It didn't bother you too much as you'd gotten used to it over the years; gotten used to the short sentences and eyes that were so dead they couldn't see you.
"After you're done," your mother yelled from where she was, "Set up your room so Goro can sleep in there," she finished.
When you didn't reply, she yelled louder.
"Okay," you said and continued with your task.
You grew nervous when you heard the pitter patter of footsteps coming closer to you. It wasn't often you physically reacted to the things around you, but when your mother threw her wine glass near your head and it shattered against the cupboard, you jumped.
"When I speak to you," she said hauntingly calm, "I want a reponse. Got that?"
You nodded.
"A verbal response."
"Yes."
She looked at you for a moment and then sighed.
"It really is like living with a robot," she muttered and walked off toward her room.
Once she'd left, you got out a dustpan and cleaned up the broken glass. That was the third thing she'd thrown this month. You'd been counting.
***
The following day, you opened the door to your cousin and uncle who would be staying until they moved into their own place. It had been getting renovated and wasn't quite ready yet.
"Yo!" Goro greeted you with open arms and brought you into a bear hug while your uncle struggled with their bags in the background.
"Please let go," you told him flatly.
Goro did as he was told and laughed. "You're still funny like I remember. How long has it been?"
"Five years," you answered.
"Oh."
"Yes."
"Well, I guess we have a lot to catch up on then!"
"Okay."
Goro was extroverted and the complete opposite of you. He had a lot of friends, you know this because you would occasionally see him on instagram but you didn't follow each other. It wasn't because you didn't like each other, it just worked out that way.
But now that you were both a little older, Goro hoped he could make friends with you, be a proper family and since he had moved to Tokyo, you were kind of the only person he knew. It was a familiarity, only if a familiarity was something you weren't familiar with at all.
"This is gonna be great!" Goro said.
"Ok."
To be continued...
sorry this is so short but it felt right to end it there!!!