Martha(Sister) Pov:
I stepped out of the airport gate. My legs were feeling numb from the 12-hour trip from Australia to California. My eyes were burning because of my lack of sleep yesterday. I really needed therapy for my insomnia. How on earth can John travel like this and get sleep? Maybe he deserves a medal after all...
I'm glad I have a vacation before my last semester. If I get a good result this could be my ticket out of this place, forever. I'm sick of living the same, old, bland life. I'm sick of being controlled by my mom all the time. If she had only let me be myself, all of these things wouldn't have happened. How on earth will I explain the accident to her?
My phone started to vibrate. It's John.
'Hey hon, how was your flight?'
'It was exhausting. What is even more exhausting will be facing my mother.' I sighed and waved at the taxis riding down the airport entrance.
'Oh, what are you going to tell her then?' He smirked through the phone. The sizzle of the bacon and eggs is heard through the phone. My stomach growls at every little sound. The sounds of slight yawning and babbling could be heard in the background. He's awake. 'Don't worry, I got it all covered. I'm going to tell Lilith first, scheme a little, birthday party for Lilith, and in the thrill of the moment, convey it to mother through text and then blurt it out to the rest of the group. She can never deny anything amidst a crowd. Even if she did, we could take action against her.'
'Woah Bae, isn't that a little, I don't know, harsh?' he sounded concerned.
I know.it's completely harsh and tough. It has always been like that. She gets hit with the brutal truth at the last moment, even when she wants to be the first person to know it and expect it. It's not her fault. Though, it is her fault for not reacting in those situations. Whenever there's a problem, she would just freeze and stare at the void, and whenever we fight, she would avoid me until one of us apologizes.
I sighed. 'I know this is harsh, my love, but we need to tell her before it's too late. ' I replied coldly. I was already fidgeting around back and forth. I put my hand forth to call a taxi. 'I know she can handle it. She's a full-fledged adult. Sure, she'll be heartbroken and teared up, but she will be used to it. I made a mistake already. I should've told her about you and Danny. I just...didn't know how she would react. But now I really don't care how she will react. I know that I'm going down the right path and I regret nothing.' I whispered. An old, green Volvo stopped in front of me.
'Take me to Greenlands please' I instructed him while holding the phone close to my ear.
John chuckled through the phone. 'That's the Maria I know. You know what? Looks like our little Daniel is awake. Call me later?'
'Sure' I replied and kissed him a virtual kiss. I hung up the phone and looked forward to the driver. The driver doesn't look like the average taxi driver you see at every airport. Odd-looking wears cheap perfume and apparently a nosy guy. He was driving the wrong route. 'U, mm, That's not my-'
'So, you new here?' He asked, interrupting my statement. 'No, I'm just here for the summer vacation after a long time.' I replied, avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible. 'Ya know, You look like the hip star from the, uh, show.' He said, being absolutely irrelevant to the subject. 'Ok, I guess' I noticed him staring at me for a while. Maybe I should just walk from here. 'So, your husband aye?'
'NO! And could you please look at the road while driving! And use google maps for god's sake!' I shouted.
He was silent for a moment and turned back to driving.
'This is the easiest route, ma'am. And I really think you shouldn't be shouting at me. Because I know your mother and I recorded the whole conversation.' He smirked.
Wait a minute, he did what?!
'HAHA! Just kidding, but seriously you should tell your mother before she flips.'
Oh, I suddenly realized I know this man.'Henry?'
He is Henry, one of my mom's friends. He's like a godfather to us. He knows everything that happens to us. He seems very different from then. He had an old-fashioned wig around him, with a long black mustache, and always wore baggy jeans. Now he is almost completely bald and only has hair in his chests and armpits. The only things recognizable are his bad taste for fashion and his green Volvo.
'Since you listened to our conversation, let me tell you the whole story.'
I took a deep breath.
Suddenly, the car stopped with sudden force. It was my house. 'And here we are, Greenlands. Don't you worry m'lady? It's in the house.' He winked with a grin.
'No wait-'
'No m'lady, You sounded so confident over the phone, so I think I'll get out of your way for now. But please remember that your decisions can affect other people's lives too. Think about that,' he sighed.
'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch break to go!' He casually put down all my luggage and sped down the highway.
Typical Henry, I smiled.
But I had a lot of questions. What does he know now? What happened while I was gone? I thought I was updated regularly about the town. Did Lili lie to me about something? Does she know about my secret other life?
I don't think so.
I looked around. The sky was light blue, the clouds were like little cotton balls floating around the sky. It reminded me of my childhood days, of how I and Lili used to catch fish during summer. Lili wasn't able to catch one so I secretly bought one for her and lied that the fish fell into the bucket from the fishing rod when she pulled it. She was delighted and even kept it on display for a week before we ate it. Hmm, it was delicious.
The people around me were looking at me like I'm a foreigner, with suspicion and curiosity. I can hear whispers like: 'Who is she?', 'Maria?' and 'Oh god look at her now!', 'She looks like a model!', 'Damn, I should get her number!' and so on.
I grinned and waved at them. Some waved back, others backed out.
I stepped inside the house. It was the same as before: a spacious room with a flavor of warmth. Home sweet home. I looked up at the ceiling. It was still being repaired. I looked around a bit more for some time.
I looked at the analog clock ticking ferociously by every second. It was half-past 2. I was early.
I walked out to the veranda where I can still see people standing and staring at our front door.
I get why they were staring. We have quite a reputation for being losers and weaklings. So I kept my back straight for all of us.
It was a surprise for a lot of people because it was like a miracle for someone to leave town for another continent.
Suddenly I heard a cry from the kitchen. It sounded like mom.
How is she here and didn't hear me from the kitchen?
'MOM!' I ran over and hugged her. I wanted to tell her all about my accomplishments and maybe about my secret life. She didn't hug back. Now I know something's wrong.
I stepped back a few inches to give her the space she needed. She looked wearier than me. 'What's wrong mum?' I asked
She had her try-not-to-cry face on. She couldn't find the words or courage to convey the message. My lips twitched. Is that why everyone was standing out there?
'Mom! Where's Lilith? Don't tell me you-'
'NO!' she blurted out and tears started falling down her red cheeks. She knew what I was going to say.
'Ok, then what?' I was losing my patience.
'your grandma..S-she's
'Gloria? What about her?' I asked impatiently
'passed away this morning' she mourned
I was shocked by this reply. I didn't become sad or upset. Just shocked. Just standing at the corner with a shocked expression. I knew she was already very old. I know she was sick and was in the hospital, but I couldn't believe that she died on the same exact day I came back to share the news.
I tried to come up with the right words today but nothing came out. I was just standing there, confused and concerned.
The first thing that came to my mind was Lilith. She must be devastated.
Then it clicked in my mind. Lilith!
I already tried to call her, but she didn't pick up.
I got impatient and paced back and forth to get an answer. And then I saw it.
1 notification from grandma.
I opened the message. My hands and legs were already trembling from the fear and loss.