Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Turns out being……acquainted with an officer was a good thing. Timothy Bruke. They had met at a café and talked a little, and till now they were still talking. She didn’t know if they were friends, but yesterday prove that they were friends. That he would be there when she needed him. Like her own hero.

She stopped dipping her teabag. She was too old be delusional. She was too old to be making the same mistakes of her youth. Someone rang the doorbell. She didn’t need to guess who it was. She had called for her.

She opened the door to let Adriana in. The similar looking girl stared at her mother for a while before she stepped aside so she could enter.

“Good morning mum” she said with an unsure smile.

“Adriana” she said with her chin up.

“You can stop acting like you don’t know me” she said dropping her bag. “I’m still your daughter” she looked her mum in her eye. She hadn’t told her to her face that she was no longer her daughter. They all couldn’t ignore the fact that she just got up one day and left. Her mum didn’t call her, so she didn’t really get the reaction that she wanted. She had really felt stupid at that time, but she didn’t regret it.

She learnt from her mistakes and got to know more than the four walls of her mum’s home.

“I am willing to put aside our differences for your sister” she stated. For once she didn’t have that cold look towards her.

She would get back to that. “What happened to her?” she asked apprehensive. “S-she isn’t pregnant right?” she was nervous.

“No. She isn’t” her lips stretched in a grim smile. “She just had a li-big problem. Got all the neighbours involved yesterday. People aren’t going to shut up about it. Now they’re going to be talking about my business, and I don’t like…..”

“……when they talk about my business” Adriana said just like her mum. She was filled with brief nostalgia from when things were still….normal between them. Anastasia was unfazed.

“It involved a boy” she said already moving to the stairs.

“She’s involved with a boy?!” she didn’t know if she should be worried or apprehensive about it. Her mum and her younger sister were twins. Kelly didn’t keep friends, or go out. Heck, she didn’t even have a phone. How did she get involved with a boy in the first place? And was she already….

Before she could complete that thought, her mum spoke up. “He claimed that they were friends. He also said some other things about giving her rides to school and also dropping her off. I really didn’t see any of this” she said thoughtful. “He was so emotional saying something about someone saying something, and he couldn’t leave things the way they were”.

“I was honestly scared he would do something. I called for help”.

“The neighbours?” she questioned quizzically.

“The police” she answered. “Came back inside so he could talk to her, but she locked herself in her room and cried the entire time. And I called you”.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. She was happy that her mum called. She was always the one doing the calling and it was always cold. For her mum to call her she was over the moon. Well the situation wasn’t the one she had hoped for, but it was still something. Kelly was a tough girl every day, but for her to cry it must have to be something serious.

She obviously wasn’t crying about just because what someone said right?

“Follow me” her mum said continuing her march up the stairs.

Kelly followed willingly.

It had been quite the quiet ride home after his parents had picked him up from the station. He had called his mum because she was the parent less likely to kill him in a station, but when she arrived she came along with his dad too. So it seemed like couples couldn’t have secrets. He got that now.

The ride home no one had said anything. He wanted to scream in frustration that someone should say something, but that would have made things worse. And maybe cause an accident. So he stayed put. Immediately they got home, his dad ask-took his keys and left to go pick up his car where he had parked close to Kelly’s house.

The officer had been kind to explain to him that he hadn’t been arrested. He had been quite a spectacle. It was just a public disturbance and had to be taken away so he could cool off. No harm done. His dad didn’t seem to think so. It wasn’t going to put on a record somewhere. But that didn’t want to hear it. Immediately he came home he had been raging like a dragon.

Well he should still count himself as lucky. No one from school stayed close to Kelly, well none that he knew anyway. They were already talking about him that he was used by Kelly. Chad’s story obviously. They figured that he was too old to be grounded, so he had been suspended from the track team. That didn’t hurt much. He could do without it. The less he saw Chad’s face, the less he would be inclined to run into him and hit him.

His games and all his other equipment had been taken away. Luckily he had a phone. Well he was allowed to have his phone because of school and to keep him informed of certain things. Senior year. And now he was in bed just staring at the ceiling.

He wouldn’t admit out loud that what he had done was right. He didn’t know how and why he let go of his cool. He would never do that any day. And he had embarrassed Kelly and must have gotten her in a lot of trouble with her mum. He had made things worse instead of better, and now he knew that she would want nothing more to do with him. He had actually screamed her name as he was taken by the police like some kind of maniac.

He would be scared if he were her.

He couldn’t even call her because he was still blocked. He was even ashamed to call her. How would he act when they saw each other at school? Doing things in the moment was never a good idea. They had consequences but you would only realize them later on. He didn’t want to go to school on Monday. He had never wished to be homeschooled but now he wanted that more than anything.

She was probably the talk of the neighborhood because of him. And must be a reference at the police station right now. He had already been overdramatic before. He could be so again and say that his life was over.

There was a soft knock on the door.

He didn’t answer. Too caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t have the strength. His mum walked in and made a space for herself on his bed. He glanced at her, then his eyes went back to the ceiling.

“Want to talk about it?” she asked.

He would never talk to her about it. He had already seen her disappointed face in mere days than he would like in his whole life. He wouldn’t call himself a mummy’s boy but he could admit that he was closer to his mother. The way a guy related with his parents were different, well he didn’t know about others but he knew himself. He was close to both of them when he was younger. Only child, so there was a lot of love to go around.

As he got older, he and his dad weren’t all chummy. His mum was always his go to parent. For moral support and to talk. He loved his dad, but had become guarded. Had to do well to live up to his expectations. No screw-ups. He only hoped that this little mistake wouldn’t be held against him for a very long time.

“So can you at least tell me what happened? I don’t want someone else to tell me what happened when you were there. So tell me why you got arrested in the first place?”

“I didn’t get arrested. I….Just changed locations. I got overwhelmed and lost my cool. That’s all” that was all he could offer.

She looked at him for a while. He wouldn’t crack under her stare. He had years of practice.

“What did you get overwhelmed about that you had to become a disturbance?”

“Life” he deadpanned.

“Jason!” she snapped. Tired of his riddles. He wouldn’t understand. Because anytime he would make a mistake, all complains wouldn’t fall on his ears but hers. Right now he wasn’t making any sense. Then very soon she’d begin to hear the phrase. ‘He’s your son’.

“It’s not like it’s on my record or anything” that wasn’t what he was meant to say. He was being so nonchalant, so lackadaisical about something of this depth. Nothing irritated his mum more than that.

“Suit yourself” she said standing up defeated. “Maybe your father will get the answers out of you”.

Before he could even think of sitting up and stopping her she was out of his room.

Well he was fucked.

There was still a bright side to all this. Things couldn’t get worse than it already was. He turned on his side, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. His phone was clutched tight in his hand. Not like that would change anything.

There was a knock on her door. She groaned removing her headset. She wanted to be the typical teen. When she was mad or sad, yell at everyone for the need to be alone. Well those movies didn’t have realistic mothers. She sat up, but she didn’t turn to the door. The wall was interesting, and she didn’t have the strength to look her mum in the face and explain yesterday.

What would she say?

“Come in” the wall was so interesting since last night.

“You don’t sound so happy” an odd voice said.

Turning around it was Adriana. She would have jumped up and ran to her sister, but she was in shock? Why was she here? How did she get here just like that? Why wasn’t she informed? Her older sister walked into the room and sat by her side.

“I know. I’m amazing” she said smug.

Kelly got over her shock pretty quick and hugged her. Adriana hugged her back. They stayed joined together for a while before they separated.

“This is too early for family dinner again” she adjusted her glasses. It was weird all over again, so she needed something to do with her hands.

“I know. But mum called me” she said that with a straight face.

“Okay. But why?” not that she wasn’t welcome here or anything like that. She was the one who wanted to leave and she did. She knew that they both weren’t on talking terms.

“I’m her daughter. And also she told me what happened yesterday. She said she heard you crying and she called me”.

It was a sweet gesture, but right now she was finding it hard to believe that her mum had done all that. Like she had actually called Adriana. “Like she actually called you?” she asked just to make sure.

The door wasn’t closed, but Anastasia knew she had to knock. She couldn’t just waltz in just because it was open and she heard them talking about her.

Both blondes turned to her immediately.

“I should be worried that you sound so surprised” she said unaffected. She did walk in though, but she stood where the door would be if it was closed, and she leaned against the doorframe folding her arms.

“I’m….I’m just-uh overwhelmed” she stammered. She was lying. It was clear just like her wet eyelashes and swollen eyes that she had been crying.

“So care to share what happened?” her mum asked.

She looked to Adriana. Now that she had someone close to age beside her, someone that would understand and give her moral support for what she was about to do, she didn’t feel so scared that her mum would kill her. Which she wouldn’t. They were blood. They were mother and daughter. They loved each other.

Adriana squeezed her hand.

Just as she was about to open her mouth the doorbell rang.

Anastasia turned briskly and went to go answer it.

“Is it for you?” Adriana walked to the window and stuck her head out.

“Hopefully I won’t be getting any more visitors for a while” she muttered going to join her sister. She looked out carefully.

It was a man.

An officer from the looks of him. Well she did watch TV and what he had on fit the description. Same jacket and a vintage car, with the unattractive hairstyle. But he made it work for him. He was currently waiting at the foot of the steps, maybe thinking that no one was around. He was running both hands down his neck length, parted, brown hair.

“Is he trying to look good for mum?!” the older whispered excited gripping her sisters shoulder a little bit harsh. That caused her to slap her hand away. “Who is he?” she stuck her head back in. “Have you seen him before?” she looked like she wanted to jump out of her skin.

“I think I saw him yest….”

“Why hasn’t she opened the door yet?” she stuck her head out the window again.

“Stop that!” she yelled alarmed and pulled her back inside.

“Do you think she’s getting ready too?” she grinned mischievously and made her way out of the room. She would have gone back to her music if her mum didn’t call for her at that time.

Getting down, it was to see Adriana smiling weirdly at the guy, her mum as her normal stoic self, and the man with a professional air around him.

“Kelly this is Mr. Bruke” her mum introduced them. “The officer that took that boy away”.

“Good morning” she greeted.

“He’s here to get your side of the story”.

Her side of the story? She wasn’t really liking this. “What about?” she asked.

“Getting a statement” Anastasia supplied. “To see if I’ll need to press any charges”.

“H-he was really arrested yesterday?” she knew she sounded pathetic. She could hear herself.

“Not really” Timothy finally spoke. “He wasn’t really arrested. It won’t be on his record”.

She was thankful for that.

“Well if you have any issues with this boy” Timothy spoke for himself this time. “What he was going on about yesterday? Has he ever harassed you at school? Is he stalking you?”

“He’s not a criminal” she wanted to slap herself at how quick she was to jump to the asshole’s defense.

“So what did happen?” he asked calmly. “Did he follow you home? How did he know where you lived? And why did everything that happened yesterday happened?”

She wanted to sit down. She didn’t have the strength to still be on her feet, but somehow she was still standing. Her mum was looking to her waiting for the answer, so was her sister. She breathed out. Better to say this now that with everyone here, than having to explain it twice.

“Jason and I a-were friends. I just found out about the stupidity of him and his friends and I didn’t want to associate with him anymore” being vague around the police didn’t sound smart. He could tell her to elaborate. She didn’t want everyone to know that she was involved in a bet. But what if he had said something?

“And when you say stupidity what do you really mean?”

Time to prove her mum right and make her angry at the same time.

“He’s promiscuous and I wanted nothing to do with him” she breathed out. She could feel the heat at the side of her face.

“And how did he find out about your house?”

“He used to pick me up and drop me every day for a while” she finished.

Before he could speak up she knew she had to erase doubts about him being a bad person. He was just an asshole. “Jason is a good guy. Yesterday he was just so unlike himself. It was in the moment, emotion were high. I was also screaming back just like he had. The only reason why I wasn’t taken to the station was because I live here. It’s just a misunderstanding honestly”.

Mr. Burke looked from her then to her mum, then back to her.

That had been easier than expected. But she knew they weren’t done. There would be a second round of questioning. One that she wouldn’t be able to keep anything to herself.

The adults left for the outside to talk. Kelly who hadn’t eaten since last night wanted to get started on breakfast. But her sister spying from the window in the living room was distracting. She wanted breakfast it was important. But whatever her sister was seeing outside the window must be important. Pancakes could wait.

She stood by her sister, but she was taking up all the space with her butt. She knelt down and settled in place on her knees. Just her head would do.

Outside their mum stood with the officer. They seemed to be talking, which was pretty obvious. They did stand close, but other than that there was nothing of interest. She looked up to her sister, but she was staring intently. Her entire face so close to the window plane that she was fogging it up.

Then the unexpected happened.

The man moved in for a hug, but at the same time their mum stretched her hand out to shake his. He tried to stretch his hand out since he had made a mistake, then his mum had stretched out both hands for a hug.

The officer didn’t fumble. He took the opportunity. He hugged her and surprisingly their mum hugged back. Both girls had their mouth open. They knew their mum. She wasn’t so nice. They were exceptions but just tiny exceptions. Their mum wasn’t so nice. She was just throwing him a bone then. Why?

Adriana gripped her hair.

“That isn’t a friendly hug”.

Kelly had a scowl on her face. She slapped her hand away and looked at the adults. Their hands weren’t at the top of the back like the way friends hugged. Their hands were located at the middle of the other’s back. When did she get to know this?

And as they separated, their mum’s hands slid down both his arms.

“Those are intentions” Adriana shook her.

She ducked the very second her mum turned. So only Adriana could be seen. Said girl was unaffected and just jerked the curtain shut.

Anastasia turned to Timothy. “So till next time” she said.

“Yes” he nodded. “Next time” she saw the confusion in his entire person.

“The café” she helped.

“Oh! What time?” he just blurted out. That had her eyes going wide.

But before he could change it or apologize, she answered. “Next week sounds okay. I’ll check my schedule”. She had said something about mistakes before. If this was one, at least pregnancy would be the least of her worries.

“That’s great” he looked like he wanted to hug her again, but changed his mind at the last minute. “Bye Anastasia” he said getting into his car. She gave a little wave and walked back into her house. He drove off just after the door was shut.

When she entered both girls were in the kitchen moving about like they hadn’t been spying. But this wasn’t about her. This was about Kelly and the entire debacle of yesterday. She didn’t want a repeat of that ever.

She walked into the kitchen and leaned forward against the kitchen island.

“Ready to talk Kelly?”

Her youngest almost dropped the pancake mix. Adriana took it from her hand and gave her a comforting tap. She would never understand the bond between siblings.

She took a deep breath.

“Yes” she cleared her throat.

“I’m ready to talk”.

“We’re listening” Adriana was the one to reply.

Surprisingly the entire story didn’t take up to ten minutes. She was done with telling the story and now the three of them were at the table ready to eat. But with what she told them, they needed time to process it. Her mum especially.

“You mean to tell me that you have ten thousand on you?!” her sister asked surprised.

“That isn’t of importance right now” Anastasia spoke up. She knew something was going on. The going out, changing of clothes and getting a phone. She thought parties. Trying to fit in. That was what her sister had done. She never knew that was what was happening under her nose the entire time.

But she should be happy. She can forgive the lying. What she did wasn’t as bug as what Adriana had done. Not as big as what she had done.

“Guess you were right” Kelly sighed. “You were right about everything. Something just had to happen before I saw what you were trying to protect me from”.

“But you’re absolutely certain you aren’t pregnant. You can tell us” her sister the overdramatic person she was held her hand.

“I’m not!” she snapped snatching her hand away.

“I wasn’t right” Anastasia said coolly.

Both heads snapped to her. Did the one and only Anastasia Blinch just say she wasn’t right? Growing up it had always been mother’s intuition. Mother knows best. That was how she ruled their lives. Now openly admitting she was wrong. Was her mother that much in love?

Kelly should get in trouble often.

“Did you just say that?” Kelly asked her mum.

“I’m not going to repeat it” she started with her fruit. She couldn’t stomach the pancakes.

“How are you wrong? That boy was just after one thing the entire time. That’s what you’ve been telling me. That’s what you’ve been telling me my entire life. It seems pretty weird that you’re not gloating”.

“I don’t really want to know how two of you really think about me” she sighed.

“Please explain” Kelly was totally confused. This was her mother’s moment. She wanted her to take it, but she wasn’t. What was happening? Was it that guy?

“And there was also truth in what you said that day in your room” her mum gave her a look.

She couldn’t hold the stare. “Oh!” was all she said. She really couldn’t think of another thing to say. Looking back on the conversation she had been really emotional and disrespectful.

“Being a teenager isn’t an excuse for the mistakes one makes. Even adults can be prone to making mistakes, but not that big. You’re both teenagers, this is when both of you would want to do things before life happens. There are certain bumps along the way….” She looked to Adriana. “But you learn from them. You learn them now instead of later in life when it’s too late”.

“I had thought not letting you experience that would mean none of that happening to you. But being human it will somehow find a way to locate you. It’ll be your choice if you fall or not” eyes went back to her oldest daughter.

“And are you speaking from experience?” she asked.

“I am actually” she replied effortlessly.

Kelly proceeded to choke on her pineapple.

Well the anger at Adriana was solved. Was it a cycle or something? Well they had to know. That would be answering a lot of questions. Why there was no father. No other family member. Seriously. Jason actually coming into her life did bring a lot of good things to her life.

“Well what happened?” she could feel her sister’s jumping feet under the table.

“I finished high school at the age of seventeen and also with you Adriana” she was listening attentively. “You can obviously guess that your sire was Latin, so hence your name”.

“What happened to him?” she asked her voice barely above a whisper. When the obvious question was why her mum said your father instead of their father. Turned out that they had different fathers. Wait, she was younger than Adriana when she had the baby.

“Who knows?” her mum was unaffected. Either because she had her whole life to get over it, or she just didn’t like him. “I told him about you. What teenage boy wants to be a father? We went our separate ways. College. My mum found out. You can guess how it went because you don’t see her do you”.

“So was he blonde?” Kelly wanted to throw her apple slices at her.

“Dark blonde. I am also blonde because I’m mixed. So the gene must have been dominant in both of you”.

“We’re both mixed” she stated.

“You went to college” Kelly decided to ask the smart questions. “Pregnant. How did that work out?’ she couldn’t imagine it.

“I had Adriana first, then after three months went back to college. So went to college at the perfect time” she informed.

“And who took care of me the entire time?” Adriana wondered out loud.

“Daycare till you began preschool. And there was a nanny”.

“And you were alone the entire time. What about the expenses for all this?”

“Scholarship to school. Did a lot of work growing up. And my dad left behind a small fortune. Luckily there was will”.

“That explains why I don’t have a lot of memories from when I was young” Adriana nodded.

Their mum’s life wasn’t easy. Going to school with a child on the side. And she knew she couldn’t be comfortable because she had to work more to keep both of them, and also the nanny afloat.

“And what about my dad? Where do I come in?”

She didn’t know how to react to the news that they weren’t full sisters. They were just half-sisters. But that wouldn’t change a thing. She never did know her mum’s story. There was a part telling her that she was better off when she didn’t know, but now that their mum was sharing she would bask in the moment. This would never happen again.

Her whole life was explaining a lot of current conditions. Example the little emotional attachment between all of them.

“After law school, I got a job at a law firm. And I didn’t need to bother about Adriana not going to a good school. I met your dad. Mark. We both had shitty lives. Teenage parent stressed her entire life, orphan that had been moved from one home to another. I guess we truly understood each other” there was no sort of emotion whatsoever.

“We got this house, got married, had you and I thought that all the bad days were behind me. He worked in a pharmaceutical company and I really didn’t ask questions. One day he was here, other days he wasn’t. And then one day he just didn’t come back”.

“Story of my life” she said plainly and went back to her breakfast.

That was something. She didn’t know if Adriana got it because sometimes she was really stupid. For example leaving the house. Anything could have happened. Getting pregnant the first time with someone that didn’t want the baby. The second time getting abandoned just after. Anything could happen. She was the sole provider. And one day, the man could come back and try to take this house from her.

She had to be guarded. She had to work. She was still married to this Mark right?

“I still find it pretty weird that I don’t remember this” she looked to Kelly. Her lips were pursed. She just rolled her eyes fondly. Trying to make light of the situation and ease the atmosphere.

“I’m happy you don’t”.

That ended the conversation. What she wanted them to know was clear as the stress on her that she was showing them. It would be gone soon. Come Monday morning and it would be like none of this even happened. That was their mum for them. She didn’t want them to make the same mistake as she did. She must have been devastated when Adriana did it. Seeing it now she wasn’t all that mad at her sister, but at herself for failing.

She could only imagine what was happening inside her head. What happened behind the door when she was closed off from the rest of them? Lucky for her she hadn’t spent time resenting or blaming her mum. And she shouldn’t blame herself also.

“It was your words that stopped me from making the mistake. But anyhow you want it” she shrugged lighthearted.

“Well you did need an upgrade. I did buy you good clothes, you just never knew how to wear them right”.

“Yes you really didn’t” Adriana agreed with mum.

She laughed. It dawned on her later when they were all cleaning up that this was just like old times. She would get into trouble again if she could have a repeat of this every day.

“Hey mum” Adriana said drying her hands. She turned to her. “Look on the bright side”.

She looked at her questioningly.

“At least with the cop there’s nothing to fear” she supplied.

It wasn’t the beach. It also wasn’t a spa day in the living room, but it was lovely. Three grown women bonding over little things. Their mum sat in the middle. Adriana had her head on her left shoulder, and she was on her right side, her head on her lap. When the movie they were watching was finally done, would everything go back to the way it was? She didn’t want it to.

The movie ended and they were all untangling themselves. It was pretty late. She didn’t know time had gone that far. And she had somewhere to be tomorrow. She needed to get to bed. She looked to her mum who was putting things in place, and Adriana was hanging around awkwardly.