She pushes the glass door to the side.
"Welcome to your new abode" She throws her hands in the air just like how they do it on reality shows about buildings when they enter the building. She inhales the fresh scent floating in the air. The house is sparkling clean, with no sign of dusty or garbage. Wait...where is the garbage? I am a clean person, but this cleanliness is on another level.
I smile at mom as I follow her lead to the sofas placed in the centre of the welcoming lounge room. Behind the lounge in a distance, I could see the kitchen, spotless.
"Is this your first visit here?" I enquire as I have noticed that the air of the house was fresh and the floors were radiating, I could see my face. I feel like I should take off my shoes.
"Mom, should I take off the shoes?" I ask warily
"Oh no dear, don't...."
"Yes, please" He places a new pair of slippers next to me. Mom glance at him with disappointment, but her reaction didn't make him flinch as he continued to move about the lounge, trying to switch on the television. I sit on the sofa, take off my shoes and slide my feet on the slippers. They are so fluffy and warm. mmm, I feel good.
"So honey, you asked, if it was my first visit. Yes, it is. let's just say, this is our first visit too" she giggles coyly.
"Well...that's nice" I scrutinise the house thoughtfully. I can't help but feel left out. I have only been away for a meer week and suddenly there's this drastic change. Wait...have they been dating while I was still home and I never knew about it. I am impressed, mom is smart. With my math, there's no way she would get pregnant with a person she just met, and...there's no way that they built this spacious modern house within a month. Could it be? He seems monied, judging by how Thami handled himself around him. "Oh no, I insist let me settle the bill". I roll my eyes.
" Honey, what are you on about?" She sits next to me.
Oh no, did I say that aloud?
"Do you need or want to talk to me about something? I mean it's not good to bottle things up" She graces me with her smile. She's luring me, to open up. I don't want to. I glance at her with a pout and gently land my body on her lap.
"Mom..." I grunt
"What is it?" She runs her hand on my hair.
"I am just surprised. I am impressed that you managed to surprise me and fall for it, by getting surprised without pretence" I stare at the tv which was busy playing something.
"I know..." she pauses and continues to brush my hair with her hand.
I look up and glance at her thoughtfully. She is glowing. I smile.
"What are you smiling about?" She slaps my shoulder and I wince a bit.
"Mom!" I grunt and she chuckles.
I hear footsteps head towards us and they stop next to us.
"I am going to run myself a bath, I will see you in an hour"
She nods and he lazily leaves the room. I gaze at him as he walks out. She yanks me to sit upright and face her.
"I bet you have questions about us" She glances at me playfully.
"Yes...I do" I nod slowly
"Okay, okay" She readjusts herself on the seat. I rest my body on the seat, I now understand why Mr Kim is running a bath for an hour. I shake my head.
"Don't be like that, all judgy before I tell you anything" She gives me a reprimanding look.
"I am not" I cross my fingers for her to see my sincerity.
"Okay. So I am six months pregnant" She pauses and waits for my reaction. I burst out a chuckle. Wow! That is nicely done, mom. You deserve a standing ovation.
"Oh, I am going to a sister soon" I keep on nodding as a gesture that I am listening and she can continue spilling the tea.
"Yes...so I know you wonder whether I planned it or not because I am an organised person. but I guess with babies, I am not much organised with that" she stares at me. I nod urging her to proceed.
"So...I have known Kim for a long time. We first met five years ago but reunited three years ago" Her stare was now intense. She could see my face sliding from eager to sulking face. Three years ago, I lost the father I never met. While I was mourning my father, the one she kept me away from, she was falling in love. What an irony!
"Oh, that year huh" I try to find the words but my mouth could not let the sound out. I quickly remind myself, that my father and mom were not together anyway, so why would I except her that she mourned for him like Shudu's mom. I let out a sigh. "You can continue mom" I urge her on, as I could sense the hesitation and regret forming inside her.
"Okay...uhm.We reunited three years ago, but we have been in a relationship for two years. I know you might be mad and wondering why didn't I share this part of my life with you? I was discreet about it because I needed to be sure that it is love, not infatuation. Because you are my child, and every decision I make affects you too. So I need to be wise and cautious when making decisions, concerning my love life. I mean, I raised you alone without a father, and I understand being this old, and dropping the father and sibling bomb on you is much; but I need you to know that nothing will change my love for you. obviously, things are changing, but my love remains" she draws into her chest and hug me tight.
"So, it is officially, we are changing homes?" I ask curiously after the long tight hug that is leaving me gasping for air.
"Oh yeah, we are relocating. I am happy about it but dreading it at the same time" her forehead creases. She lets out a sigh and allows her body to sink on the sofa still holding on to me. After a while, she lets me go. I sit upright and gaze at her intensely.
"What about your job?" I ask concerned
"I am working on a transfer or I can just quit and become a housewife" She grins. She looks tired. I gawk at her, horrified by that idea of a housewife.
" Why doesn't he relocate?" I shy my gaze away because I am challenging her decision.
"I don't mind. I will be closer to you. My family at the same place" She grins with a satisfied look. I frown at her. "Aww, you scared you won't be free to move around because you might bump into me or your stepdad while holding hands with your new lover" She smirks.
Stepdad? How did I not realise this, that Mr Kim is going to be my stepdad? For the first time, I will have a father. This thought warms my heart. I think I should give him a chance to know him a bit and confirm if my mom is not blinded by love.
"What....no. I am not scared of that" I give her a proud look and roll my eyes.
"Oh, I know that you got a new lover. Calvin told me" She places her legs on the sofa and bury her face between the legs.
"Cavin, he told you that?" I glance at her baffled, how did he know? "You making it up" I chuckle.
"I am not, he told me when I had called to check on him and to see if you guys are going strong or weakening. And that's when he told me about the breakup which was caused by your new rich lover" She stares at me. "Rich boys, always cause trouble, they do not what love is" Her eyes sparkle a glint of sadness as she talks to me.
"I know what love is" Kim rests next to her and covers her body with a fleece. "You must be cold" He pulls her in and she rests on his chest. Awww! Aren't they cute? He reminds me of Musa. Oh, I miss him.
"How did you know about it, I mean how did he know about it? " I carefully contemplate the next question from her.
"So it is true?" She asks with an intense tone.
"Sort off" I confirm. She grimaces. "I didn't judge you" I try to save myself.
" You did what you thought was best for you. You can't afford to lose your happiness to keep everyone happy" He defends me and she gives him a scorning look.
"Well...I know what I am talking about" She defends.
"Let her write her own story. Let her learn her own mistakes. And I doubt she would leave that boy you talking about if she loved him. She's still young" He tries to ease her as she was now becoming defensive.
"If you only knew what I am talking about. The boy she's flirting with, is from that family" She was now livid. How did we get here? He draws her closer to him in comfort. He just kept his peace and let her simmer down. While in my head, I have a zillion questions.
"What family? I don't understand" I glance at mom baffled.
She opens her mouth but says nothing. She gapes at me silently.
"Deya, you should leave that boy" she whispers with a dense and deep voice. I glance at her and say nothing. I feel tears coming but I blink hard to push the tears back.
"I would understand you better if I only knew what you were talking about" I reply with a quavering voice.
"That boy you dating is Agnes's nephew. Agnes and her brother live up to their name and I don't want you getting dragged into the mud of fighting for love. Believe my words, it won't end well. By the look of things, I am assuming that the young boy who was with the elder Mala boy is him. You must heed my word to avoid heartbreak" Her voice was soft but firm. Her eyes were splashing sadness.
She must have been extremely hurt that every time she talks about anything relating to my father or Agness, she becomes sad.
I take a deep breath.
"I hear what you are saying. I will think about it. But you should know you can't decide who I love and like. Even if I don't know what happened, but nothing is guaranteed that my fate will be like yours. Although I appreciate your concern" I glance away from her and keep quiet.
"Uhm...Let me show you your room, you look restless. You need to refresh" He gently rise while my mother is left on the sofa dejected and not glancing my way.
I rise too and follow his pursuit as he guides me to my bedroom. He pushes the door open and lets me in first. The room was elegant and had a lavender scent. I smile, they noted it, my favourite fragrance. The room was furnished with a big queen bed adorned with silver and white sheets and pillows. At the corner, it had a grey painted wooden study table with a laptop and light lamp on it and a chair. The wall of the room was painted with different shades of brown halfway from the ground, then met halfway with cream white, at the top there was a line of silver. The colours in the room are low toned, a great way of not assuming every woman loves pink.
"This is your bedroom. Feel at home. If you need more furnishings, say the word and we will make it happen with your mother. The table is for your studying. The ensuite comes with a bathroom and walk-in closet. You are a big girl, so you probably need more privacy" He smiles.
I feel like hugging him. They were thoughtful and considerate.
"Ah, I almost forgot. For a change of clothing look at your closet and your bathroom is set" He pauses. "About your mom, uh...she is going through healing, and she was hurt a lot, so...she doesn't have the mindset at this moment to understand that her past is not yours and it should not prevent you from trying to forge relations with whoever you want. I understand your situation, been through it. Give it time, and you will find your way back. Okay?" His smile was faint but his eyes were affectionate like a father talking to his daughter. I find myself smiling and he caught that so he had to be nice, or I will consider him rude.
"Okay" I reply nonchalantly.
"Alright then. Have yourself a good night rest" He turns and shows himself out of my bedroom. I close the door. I start dancing around in joy. I throw my body on the bed and I bounce.
"Testing, testing" I get off and jump on the bed again. I bounce once more. I release a grateful sigh.
I get off and head for the direction of the bathroom and go through its entrance.
"So cleaaan" I move my fingers on the wall and the shower glass. Next to it, there was a toilet, far aside from the shower a big bathtub. Behind the door, there was a bathroom robe on the hook. Next to the door, there were drawers. I open them and find towels and toiletry.
I undress and enter the shower. As much as I want to continue savouring this moment, I am tired. I went to school, go shopping, met Musa, then, then...Musa, I can't break up with him. How do I convince mom that he is a good guy when I don't even know him that much.
"Argh!" I grunt.
I get off the shower, dry myself and wear the robe hung on the hook. I look at the mess I made. I sigh and shut my eyes. I am exhausted, I will fix it tomorrow.
I throw my body, one more time on the bed. This bed is comfortable, better than that wonky mattress I sleep on in the residence. I pull the blanks and bury myself inside them. I place my phone under the pillow.
I close my eyes. Let me rest. Today was the longest day of my life since three years ago. Today marks the beginning of father-daughter games. I smile at the thought of me having stories to share of my dad. I always wished to have one, ever since I was little. I am a little excited to have a father figure in my life.
Today marks sisterhood with my unborn little sister, I want a sister, not a boy. I want to be her role model, just like how mom has been to me. I am grateful for her, she's my superwoman. Today marks the beginning of a love struggle, this part, I do not look forward to. I wish mom sees what I see in Musa, and let the past slide. Lastly, I am happy she's dealing with her past and has found Mr Kim. Amen! oh, oh, I forgot, I hope that she...she...she.