February 2005...
After a while, Amanda went back to her room. By then, Savannah was already done arranging half of the clothes in the closet. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her but she mind couldn't stop reminding her of the same thing. No matter what she did, she just couldn't get her mind to relax.
Amanda felt like she was walking on thin ice and at any moment, the ground below her would break into a million pieces. At that moment, Amanda didn't know what to do, she felt broken on the inside but had to stay strong for her kids.
Amanda made her way to the cupboard. Upon noticing someone's presence, Savannah fidgeted and stopped what she was doing before turning to look at whoever was behind her and breathed a sigh of relief once she saw Amanda.
"Don't worry, I'll complete the rest," Amanda said as she snatched the dress Savannah was holding from her hands ", "So, what will you be having for lunch"? Amanda said as she looked up to see Savannah's expression.
"No, I'm not really that hungry". Savannah said as she was about to walk away but Amanda held her hand.
"Don't tell me that. You ate so little at the restaurant, you must be hungry".
"No, really, I'm fine".
"You're really stubborn aren't you, well, I'm much more stubborn than you. I'll make lunch for us, but that's after I'm done with this". Amanda said as she continued folding the clothes.
Savannah didn't say anything but just left the room. It was almost evident in her expression that she was totally devastated and weak.
After Savannah left the room, Amanda tried to put most of her focus on folding the clothes and arranging them in the cupboard. She tried to push those thoughts away but no matter how much she tried, they kept coming back.
And it wasn't helping matters that her children would have to bear the consequences of her mistakes. How badly she wanted to tell someone all what's been going on lately. If only she could tell Trisha, but she couldn't give her the burden of having to listen to her problems when she knows she has her own problems.
Amanda felt the bag for any more clothes but it was empty. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize when she'd finished arranging the clothes. Not long after that, Amanda made her way to the kitchen to prepare their lunch. Since they just moved there the day before, Amanda wasn't really that familiar with how big the drawers were or how big the kitchen was. There was even a back door which led to a stairway.
After bringing out a pack of Spaghetti from the grocery bag, Amanda washed a pot before pouring water into it. As she was about to put the pot on the stove, Savannah walked into the kitchen. Upon hearing her footsteps, Amanda stopped what she was doing to see who it was.
"Oh, I'm making Spaghetti, is that okay with you?" Amanda asked Savannah upon noticing her presence.
Savannah who was still standing by the doorframe, walked into the kitchen before saying, "Yeah, it's fine, what can I help you with?"
"Uhm, you can help me by giving me that lighter over there". Amanda said as she pointed to where the lighter was.
Savannah handed the lighter over to Amanda and stood next to her, ready to help Amanda with anything if needed.
Amanda put the Spaghetti to boil for a while before leaving the kitchen.
After leaving the kitchen, both Savannah and Amanda made their way to their room.
For a while there was complete silence. None of the two of them said anything, with Amanda putting the box's back in their place and Savannah on her phone, none of them were interested in having a conversation, that is until Savannah broke the silence.
" Mom", Savannah asked as Amanda turned to look at her, " Did Adam agree to join Saints Academy?"
"Yeah, he did". Amanda said as she made her way to the duvet - bed.
"Wow! Does that mean we'll be joining the school?" Savannah asked in an ecstatic tone. It was clear, her mood improved just by hearing the news. Amanda couldn't ruin their mood by refusing this.
"Yeah, it does. Can you go and check the Spaghetti and see if it's soft?" Savannah nodded her head before leaving the room.
Amanda sat down for a while before she lay down on the duvet- bed. ' It won't be the best thing if I ask Trisha. But what if she agrees, she's always given me good advice when I needed it . Maybe I should ask her'. Amanda thought to herself before making her way to the cupboard. She was about to take out her purse when she heard a knock on the door. Amanda stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the door.
" Oh, the Spaghetti is ready, I just came to tell you".
" Don't worry, I'm coming". Amanda said before Savannah walked away. Amanda stood by the door before breathing a sigh and walking out of the room.
Amanda went to the kitchen before turning off the stove and dishing out the food in small bowls.
"Go and tell your brother to come and have lunch". Amanda said to Savannah before she left the kitchen.
Before taking the tray of food to the living room , Amanda lays a small mat on the floor for them to sit down while they eat. The mat wasn't that big but it'd be able to contain the three of them. Amanda then brought the tray of food to the living room. Not long after, both Savannah and Adam came to the living room .
"But didn't we just eat at the restaurant not long ago, why do we have to have lunch now?"Adam asked as soon as he sat on the mat.
" Well, if you had checked the clock then you'd know. It's already 2 pm or do you want to stay hungry". Amanda said before the three of them settled down.
Other than eating, the three of them talked and laughed. During that time, Amanda forgot about all her worries, she didn't feel stressed or pressured, maybe it was because she was with her family who'd support her in every step of the way.
After they were done eating, Amanda packed the plates and washed them before putting them back in the cabinet.
...
That night, Amanda felt restless and couldn't sleep, and because of that she decided to go to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Before she could leave the room, she remembered something. She still hadn't called Trisha regarding the matter.
She almost immediately rushed to the cupboard while still trying to not wake Savannah up.She then quickly reached for her purse and brought out her phone before quietly leaving the room. She then made her way to the living room before dailing Trisha's number.
The phone rang for a while before Trisha answered the call.
"Hey Amanda, how have you been? You haven't even updated me on what's been going on recently". Trisha said as soon as she answered the call.
"Oh, about that..."
"What's wrong, why do you sound so serious?" Amanda held the phone tightly in her hand as her heart beat faster, was she doing the right thing? She took a deep breath before saying, "Actually, I'm in need of money, I need to pay for the children's school fees, buy furniture and other things ..."
Trisha cut her off by saying, "Don't worry, I understand, I'll send you the money".
"No, you really don't have to.."
"Don't worry, I know how much you're struggling there with all those bills, Can't I even help a friend anymore?"
"But you also have bills to pay, I don't want to you to stress yourself so much for my sake".
"Don't worry, I have everything under control, and besides, you need this money more than I do".
For a while, Amanda didn't say anything, to shocked to speak, she managed to utter a few words of appreciation, "What did I do to deserve a friend like you?" Amanda said as Trisha chuckled.
" Nothing, now go to sleep, it's getting late".
" Don't worry, I'll repay you". Amanda said before she ended the call...