As the hour ticks by, I find myself repetitively glancing down the hall in the direction of my mother’s bedroom. So many things surge through my mind, but one reoccurring thought grabs my attention the most.
“She’s hiding something, isn’t she?” I ask stupidly. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but it kind of just slipped out.
“Who?” Payton says, looking up from a fashion magazine.
“Mom,” I say.
“Well, obviously,” says Seth.
“What do you think it is?” I question.
Payton shrugs as if it’s no big deal. Somehow, I don’t find it convincing.
Seth begins to say something, but he stops as we hear a doorknob twisting open.
At first, I think it is the biker guy, making his way into our home. Then, I realize that this wouldn’t be the case, because the front door is downstairs, and the sound is coming from only feet away.
Shock, disbelief, fear even.
That’s the atmosphere in the room when our mother steps out from the hallway into the living room.
“Mom?” Payton of course, is the first one to speak up.
My mother smiles. I must be dreaming, because clearly, Mom smiling on a day like today would never happen in real life. Without warning, she turns and bounds down the stairs, like a child might do on Christmas morning. It’s strange to see her act like this, when she’s always so strict, especially on Dad’s birthday.
Payton, Seth and I all look at each other in astonishment.
“What… just happened?” Seth stammers.
Downstairs, I hear my mother give out a squeal. “He’s here!” she shouts.
Curious, my siblings and I rise up from the couches to find her.
“Mom?” Payton calls.
“In here, darling!” Mom chimes from the kitchen.
We cautiously enter, to find her packing random food into a cooler.
“Why don’t you kids go pack up? We’re leaving for a while. Consider it… a vacation!”
“Where are we going? And why so suddenly?” Seth asks her.
“Just go pack! I’ll explain later.” She flashes another smile at us.
Walking away, I develop a deep concern for my mother’s mental health. Has thirteen years without her husband driven her mad?
Thanks for reading! :) I know this chapter is a bit short, but I hope you enjoyed it. This will be it for a while, unless I can't wait any longer and post Chapter 3. ;) I really want to wait until I get doll versions of at least Paxton & Payton though, so I can post pictures according to what's going on in the chapter!
~Erika
i liked this one to pax ^_^ :)
ReplyDelete