The drive home was enveloped with moody silence, the twins oblivious of their terminal illness but aware of the tension in the air, sat huddled close to each other. Melissa and her mother sat in silence, not knowing what to say.
They got home and Melissa excused herself and went into her room to weep. She laid on the floor, back to the ground, facing up and let the tears go. She had been holding them back because she didn't want the twins to know anything was wrong.
She thought of her life, thought of abandoning the twins and running away, after all her mother was still with them but she couldn't bring herself to do it. They were the only family she had and with their mother's continuous appearing and disappearing act, she knew she was all they had.
She laid there, her mid wandering, her lips quivering, tears rolling down the sides of her face and she didn't know when she slept off. It was a fitful sleep, she woke up so many times from different nightmares and for every time she woke up, she prayed, she loved the twins and didn't want anything to happen to them. She prayed for God's guidance over them and also for him to help her through these trying times.
Melissa woke up the next morning to find her mother gone. She vanished. No bags, nothing. Usually when her mother left, she took just some clothes with her but this morning, she cleared out the room.
Melissa was shaken, she sat on the floor and cursed the day she agreed to move in with her mother. She didn't sign up for this, she just wanted to be a good daughter and be present in the lives of her siblings.
After minutes of sitting helpless and brooding, she decide to check on the twins. They were sleeping peacefully and Melissa decided not to wake them. She went over to their bed and sat down looking down on them.
"Oh, such pretty angels.", She thought. She made to kiss them but decided against it, instead she laid her hands on their foreheads and said a silent prayer. She wiped the drool on their cheeks and tucked them in and left the room quietly.
She set about preparing breakfast in their small and dingy kitchen while planning her next moves in her head. She needed to get someone to take her for a price at the auction. She thought back to when she beat up the man that was trying to make stupid advances at her.
He was spreading rumors about her and she was sure that by the next auction, no one would be willing to take her again. She thought about going to beg him but she couldn't imagine his leering eyes and stupid smirk and she decided not to do it, she wasn't weak and she knew that some way, some how, she was going to get through this.
She thought of Nate, her boyfriend of three years. She met him one day at a park, she had gone there to relax after a really tiring day at the auction ground. She didn't get picked by anyone and she was in a foul mood.
She was hungry and couldn't walk the distance home so she decided to rest at the park. She sat down on her favorite bench, putting all her belongings into her jacket and setting them down next to her so she wouldn't forget.
She sat watching little children play around with kites, mother's picking dandelions and sunflowers and she drifted off to sleep.
She was woken up by a tap on her shoulder and her eyes were greeted by a face smiling down at her. Melissa stared at him and she fell in love with his eyes, blue eyes that held hers for a long time, everything seemed to stop.
"You don't seem to notice that time is far spent, you look tired, what are you doing here all alone?". His questions brought Melissa's mind back and she became conscious of her surroundings.
It was already evening, she had slept for a long time. She searched for her jacket and found it, then she made to stand up. Nate extended his hand to her and with a bright smile on his face, he said,
"Hi, my name's Nate. And you have not replied any of my questions."
Melissa tried to avoid eye contact with his him as she took his hand.
"Hi, my name's Melissa. I'm not lost. I was just really tired on my way back home from work and I decided to rest here, I didn't know I've slept for so long."
"Okay, but now it's late and we need to get you home safely. Do you mind me walking with you till you get home?" Nate asked.
Melissa wondered why he wanted to walk her home. Her mind began to play out so many funny scenarios and she was going to refuse the offer. As if Nate could read her mind, he said,
"Please, don't say no. I'm not going to harm you, I just want to get you home safe."
"Okay."
The walk home was a very fulfilling one as Nate talked to Melissa and found out some things about her. He loved her smile, the way her brows furrowed when she answered questions, her echoing laughter anytime he said something funny.
He didn't want the walk to end but at last they got to Melissa's door step and it was time to say goodbye.
"So, it's time to say goodbye, Nate said stalling, "mind if I get your number?. I really enjoyed talking to you and I'll like to hang out with you some time soon." He said as a smile enveloped his cheeks
"I also enjoyed talking to you, we could hang out some time.", Melissa said without being sure.
They exchanged numbers and bid each other farewell. Melissa couldn't stop thinking about Nate the whole night.
He was a really nice guy and she enjoyed talking to him. Nate was excited about the prospect of meeting Melissa again. He hoped he didn't come off as too forward for asking for her number.
That one night, turned into so many dates and visits and with time, Melissa and Nate were officially a couple.
Nate worked two jobs and he was supportive but he wasn't so rich, he struggled to pay off student loans and he lao had family to take care of, his ailing mother and two brothers.
Nate found Melissa to be a hardworking lady but he wasn't okay with the fact that she alone was bearing the brunt of taking care of her twin sisters when her mother appeared and disappeared at will. One night they had a huge fight over it.
"I've said it so many times, Mel, please stop doing all these and live your life for yourself for once." Nate, said that evening at his place.
" You're always working to feed your siblings, your mother, paying rent, you don't have any money for yourself. I want you to have a good financial situation, because you know I can't always support you. I also have family to take care of."
"But they're my family. I can't abandon them, Nate, I can't. I've always wished to have a family of my own all through my childhood and now that I have them, I am willing to hold on..."
"You're holding on to what's not working, Mel, it's draining you and I don't like it. You'll have to learn to live for yourself and I don't know why you don't listen to me, but it's tiring me. And I can't stand it." Nate shouted and it made Melissa cringe in fear.
Melissa didn't like it when Nate was angry with her, she wish he would see that she was trying hard to give her siblings - the twins a better life, the kind of life the " Dior" family had given to her.
But of course, Nate didn't fully understand her and she didn't have a better way to explain to him, a better way to make him understand.
The room was tense that evening and Nate left Melissa there arnd went out for a walk. Melissa couldn't understand why Nate couldn't see reasons with her. She was just trying to be a good daughter and sister. She cried into the night.