Ella
I stared at my reflection in front of the mirror as I was about to enter the bathroom. It scared me because my skin looked pale in contrast with the depressed mood that had settled over me. My curly hair which was in a mess was entangled and writhe as if it was also trying to escape from the custody of my thoughts.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples as I tried to massage the tension that had built up on my face. I tried not to focus on the conversation of the day before with my boyfriend, Jake but bits of it kept playing in my head.
"You have to do this for us," he said, "You know you wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."
I kept silent as he grabbed my face and turned it up.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he said, "If you do as I say, then we will never have a problem. Do you understand?"
I nodded as he let me go.
I hated days like this when it seemed that the world would come crashing down on me. The worst part was that of all days, I didn't want to get out of bed today because I've been up all night trying to finish up an assignment I was supposed to submit this morning.
And not just mine, I have to write for Jake too.
As I moved to my wardrobe to get something to wear, my phone buzzed. Of course, I hesitated for a moment before picking it because I was hoping it wouldn't be him. As I got close to the bed where I left the phone, my heart sank.
"Hey Jake, what's up?" I said, trying not to sound tense.
"What happened to 'babe' or any of the other sweet names you call me?" Jake said over the phone, "Is it because of our little misunderstanding that I turned from 'babe' to Jake?"
"I'm sorry Ja… babe," I quickly corrected myself, "I didn't sleep well all night, I'm so sorry."
"It's all good," Jake said lightly, "Listen up, I called to check up on you. We have a quiz today, I hope you didn't forget."
"Oh no!" I screamed. I looked at the time on my phone and it was already 7: 40 AM and the quiz was for 9 AM.
Who sets a quiz early in the morning? Doesn't he have a bed to sleep on?
I panicked because I wasn't sure if I should take my bath or simply rush off to class. This was my final year in college and every quiz counts.
"Hello?" the voice said over the phone. I became conscious of my environment again. Jake was still on the line.
"I'm with you," I grunted as I grabbed a pair of jeans from the wardrobe while scanning the room for my school backpack.
"Hope you're okay," he enquired, and before I could answer he asked, "You didn't forget to do my assignment, did you?"
I stood straight and looked at my phone. Now I knew I didn't want trouble.
"I didn't," I replied as I picked up the books on the table and snuffed them into my backpack, "I have to go. See you at school."
And with that, I dropped the call.
Soon I was dressed and dashed out of my room as if the devil was after me. As I made my way to the living room downstairs, all I could feel was that I was stuck in an endless nightmare.
And today, I have to go play the happy girlfriend; a charade I now play effortlessly.
****
Walking into the living room, I saw my father sitting in his favorite chair, armed with the morning newspaper and a cup of coffee beside him. When he saw me, he looked up with a warm smile.
"Hey, Ella," Dad said as she glanced from the top of the papers, "I hope you woke up from the right side of the bed today."
"Sure Dad," I said with a little enthusiasm as I smiled back at him. A feeling of comfort washed over me. I just wanted to tell him how I felt but this was not the time.
The aroma of the food from the kitchen drifted into the living room as I got close to give my dad a peck on the cheek.
"Mum is doing the Lord's work, huh?!" I exclaimed so she could hear me.
"You could say that again," my dad said with a chuckle.
As I passed the living room and headed into the kitchen I could see my mother leaning over the cooker with a ladle in her hand. When she sighted me, she beckoned me to come closer.
"Hey Ella, try out some of these pancakes," my mother said almost in a whisper, "It's from a special crêpe recipe from France."
I went to the counter and took a piece of the pancake. It was so delicious I wanted more. My mother grabbed my backpack and set it on the counter.
"It tastes so nice," I said in between mouthfuls.
"Bad table manners, Ella," my mother flushed as she poured me a glass of warm milk. She always did that when someone complimented her cooking, "Have some breakfast before you go to school."
"I'm good, Mum," I protested as I snatched my bag from the table, "I'd be late for my quiz today if I don't focus."
"You'd lose more focus if you don't feed fine," my mother said with hands akimbo, "I can't remember the last time you had a good meal at home like the rest of us."
"I know I need to do better, but schoolwork calls," I said, "make sure you keep some for me," I said pointing to the pancakes.
"Let her be, Beth," Dad called from the living room, "or she'd be late for school."
I muttered a 'thank you' to my dad as I stepped into the living room. He nodded back.
"You need all the strength you can for the quiz too," my mother screamed from the kitchen. She never gives up.
"Let me give you a ride so you won't be late for school," Dad said.
Just then, the twins, Mary and Martha, burst into the living room holding one end of a headband and arguing in gibberish.
"What's going on you too?" I said as I faced them.
"It was my turn to wear this headband before it went missing two days ago," Mary said, "all of a sudden, it appeared from nowhere this morning and Mart says it's her turn."
"That's a lie," Martha yelled and they started to stretch the headband again.
I knew the back and forth wouldn't get me anywhere as I was late for school and Dad wasn't even looking in my direction.
"Hey, you both stop it!" Mother yelled from the kitchen door, "You stop the fuss or I will ground you both from using whatever you're dragging."
It was time to step in and be the good sister, I told myself as I bent over to their height. "Why don't we get a new headband and then you both can have one apiece?" They both agreed with that line of thought. "So who would have this?"
Immediately, Martha left her end of the hairband.
"Very well then. Mary, you get to use it today and we will get Martha another one, alright?"
They both nodded and I stood up to look at my watch. It was already way past 8 AM and jumping a public ride wasn't ideal for a 9 AM quiz.
"Dad, can I take you up on your offer?" I said as I pleaded with my eyes, "but I'd drive myself."
He chuckled and stepped out with me to the garage. He had to manually fix his car battery before it could start.
"You have no intention of buying a new headband, huh?" Dad said as he signaled for me to start the car.
"Nope," I said as I turned on the ignition. For the first time, it started on the first try, "I sought to know the truth." And we both laughed out loud
As I drove out of the garage, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief thinking about my family and what just happened. These moments are what make a family unique.