It was a
strange day, my alarm rang sadly and the sky was cloudy. It was the first
normal day with normal things to do after the accident. The tragic accident in which
my mum died. The collision had happened two weeks before and now my brothers
and I had to go back to class where a million questions were waiting to be
thrown at us.
I woke up
and looked at myself in the mirror, the lack of sleep made me look like a
zombie. I used to have wonderful long wavy chestnut hair, but that day it
looked knotted, also my beautiful almond green eyes were baggy that morning. I
had always been skinny, but now I look like something out of a Wes Craven
horror flick.
I went to the bathroom and had a long shower.
I didn’t want to go back to the routine without my mother. I wanted to cry, I
was on the verge of tears when my little brother Noah knocked on the bathroom
door.
- Lana!
Please, hurry up! I need to pee! – Noah was the reason that day I wouldn’t cry.
At least not openly.
- I’m
almost finished! Wait a minute Noah!
When I was
ready to seem normal I went to the kitchen where my dad was making our
breakfast. He seemed overwhelmed even by this simple task so I helped him to
prepare our four lunch packs which seemed notably less bulgy than usual. When my dad finished and put all dishes on the
table he looked dissatisfied with the results, he sighed and called my
brothers. My dad is a writer but he isn’t famous, he also is baseball coach in
Kyle’s team, he loved to go to the theater with my mom and come back home and play
out the performance for us. He has short and black hair with little dark blue
eyes. He is tall and muscular because he loves sports in general, all kinds,
from table tennis to skydiving and takes every opportunity to practice with us.
I guess I take after him.
- Noah!
Daniel! Kyle! Breakfast is on the table! Hurry up!
My brothers
appeared in the kitchen 2 minutes later and sat down.
- Kids,
I know today will be a very difficult day for you. Please, stay out of trouble
and catch up with schoolwork. – Silence, only the sound of me crunching away
absent-mindedly at my cereals could be heard. – Daniel, you can use my car
today, drive Noah and Kyle to school and you and Lana go to class together, ok?
- Yes,
thanks. – He made an awkward face, I suppose he was trying to put on a smile
but he couldn’t. None of us could.
After
breakfast Daniel took dad’s car, a bottle green 1981 ford f100 custom XLT. It has
a lot of stains which had been done by Daniel and me when we were 3. It was one
day we were travelling to Colorado and we wanted an ice-cream. Dad didn’t
permit us to eat in the car, we stopped in a gas station and we repeated the question
to our dad but nothing. We insisted and mum went into the bar and bought
ice-creams for us. My dad was in the truth two minutes later ours ice-creams
were on the car’s upholstery and nobody could clean it. My dad bought it when my mum got
pregnant and both were in the last year of high school. That’s when my dad
started to work in Tommy Lee’s garage where he still works to this day. Daniel
drove to my little brothers’ and dropped them off school and then he told me:
- Lana,
I won’t go to school.
- Why?
– But I knew the answer, he had a bad press and at that time nobody would
respect him in his vulnerability.
- You
know why, so I’ll park a block before high school and you say I’m sick – I
didn’t want to lie, not today, and I had doubts. – please…
- Alright
but only because you look like an abandoned puppy. – Both of us smiled. It was
the first time after the accident. – Hurry up! Don’t make me late.
- Thanks!
You ate the best sister in the world!
The way to school used to be fantastic; we crossed a corn field with a white house in the middle, when I
was a child I used to dream of life in that house and running through the
field. Also we passed in front of a 7-11 with a lot of bright marquees then
turned left and passed the church, the public library, the social center and Central
Street, fantastic but always the same way. I turned on the radio, it was on a
classic music channel, my mum’s favorite. I was about to change the channel but
my brother took my hand off.
- I
love this piece.
- But…
I can’t Daniel, please – my eyes were already watery – please… it was her
favorite melody – I couldn’t help crying and my brother turned off the radio.
- I’m
sorry – there was a long and uncomfortable pause and my brother parked in front
of a old building with broken windows. – It’s time to go to high school. You’ll
be late.
- That
is the idea… - I said drying my face – I don’t want to be in center of
attention.
- Ok,
you wait five minutes more and then you go to class – he said like he was a man
grown.
- You
look just like dad.
- Do
you think you are funny saying that?
- I
know it! – I said laughing – So, what will you do all day alone?
- Who
said I am going to be alone? – he said impishly – I’m meeting with Sarah. She
has her house all for herself.
- Wonderful!
I will lie for you and you will be fucking with one of your girl friends – I
said a little angry but I knew my brother very well and he needed to use
somebody to feel he was in control.
- Come
on, don’t be like that. At 3 o’clock I will be here to pick you up, alright? –
he smiled at me like baby.
- I
hate it! I don’t want to confront this situation alone.
- Don’t
worry; nobody wants to know the truth. – I opened the door and went out.
- Bye,
see you later!
- Thank
you! – I closed the door shut.
Nobody was
walking around high school, which relived me. I stopped in front of the old
bricks building with white columns; it had a lot of gardens and a football field
and another building where the gym was where basketball and volleyball teams
trained. Windows were big and white and in the centre of the building the flag
of the USA fluttered near to the purple black and white one. The same building
but that day looks different, like a strange, place unknown and hostile. I
breathed deeply; it was the time to go in. I went straight to the principal’s
office to explain myself.
- Good
Morning Miss Ross – said Mrs. Porter the secretary – Can you wait a minute? – I
nodded.
She looked
at me with compassion so I went to sit where she couldn’t see me. I sat next to
an older boy who I had never seen before, which meant he didn’t know me so he
didn’t look at me. He had medium length dark hair and short but not a lot, he
was tanned and wore black trousers, a grey T-shirt and dark sun glasses so I
couldn’t see his eyes. He was really attractive but I couldn’t describe why, he
had full lips, a very muscular body and was broad-shouldered, because of that
he looked like the typical boy who brags about his car, his muscles, how much
money he has and all that stuff.
- Miss
Ross you can come into office. – Mrs. Porter said and looked at me just like
before.
- Thanks,
Mrs. Porter. – I went into the principal’s office and closed the door behind me.
Mrs. Barton was waiting for me sitting on her chair she was a very thin old
woman with grey hair, baggy small gloomy eyes behind half-moon glasses. She
always wore a dark blue jacket suit and kerchief.
- Oh…
Miss Ross, how are you? – She asked me and I understood what my brother wanted
to say when he said that nobody would want to know the truth.
- Fine,
thank you – and I put on my fakest smile.
- And
why do you come to visit me?
- Because,
I’m late.
- And
why are you late? – she asked elongating the first “A”.
- Because
today my home is a very complicated place without my mum. – her face changed
and she looked sad. – Also my brother Daniel is sick and I’ve prepared my
little brothers… - I was used to lying but using my mother’s death was
excessive… and also the perfect excuse. – And my dad forgot to sign my
brother’s absence note.
- Oh…
my little girl, don’t worry you have already problems enough at home to worry
about your brother’s absence note. - Mrs. Barton signed a paper – Lana, take
this paper and give it to your teacher.
- Alright,
thanks Mrs. Barton - I opened the door.
- Lana!
Please, can you tell that boy he can come? – I nodded and closed the door.
I
approached the boy who was in the same position just like before.
- You
can go in – he got up and smiled at me, his smile was engaging, I wanted to
introduce myself but I didn’t know how and he went into the principal’s office
before I could figure it out.
I walked
slowly to waste more time before going to class. It was Monday and I had
English literature with Mr. Johnson, a very fat man with little hair and small
glasses. I was in front of the door when I heard another shut violently, I
turned and I saw the boy walking hastily and the headmaster running behind him.
- Mister
Wolley! Come back, please! Can we negotiate it like adults? – But the boy was
already out of the building.
I knocked at
the class door before Mrs. Barton saw me, I opened the door and everyone looked
at me, gasping.
- May
I come in, please Mr. Johnson? I have this paper for you from Mrs. Barton – I
gave the paper to him, he read it, scanning it with his small, mole-like eyes.
- Yes,
Lana you can sit in your place. We
are talking about “Pride and Prejudice”. Do you have the book? – He seemed
nervous.
- Yes,
sir. I read it; it’s one of my favorite books. – I smiled and sat down in my
place next to the window.
- Well,
um… last week you should have read from the first to the fourth chapter, can somebody
tell me anything about it? – some shy hands were raised – Richard?
- Um…The
residents of Hertfordshire country are excited because a single gentleman named
Mr. Bingley has rented Netherfield Park, a huge house. Mrs. Bennet urges her
husband to go meet Mr. Bingley when he arrives in the neighborhood so that
their five daughters may then have the opportunity to meet the gentleman and
attract his interest…
I was bored
because I knew all things he said so I looked through the window and I saw the
boy who had been at the principal’s office earlier. He was lying under a tree
with his hands behind his head. I don’t know why but I wanted go with him and lie
down next to him, maybe because he seemed like the only person that wasn’t
aware of my mom’s death. But my teacher continued talking about
Elizabeth and Mr. Darsy and I couldn’t do anything about it.
When it was
the time for the next class I went out and threw myself across the gardens and
when I got near to the tree the boy wasn’t there. I sat with my back on the
tree and closed my eyes; I had overcome my first class but English literature
was the only class where my friends weren’t with me so now I had to talk to them.
I breathed deeply. It was a cloudy and windy day but the temperature was warm.
We were in the beginning of spring and some flowers were growing and the air
smelt very fresh and fragrant.
- Hey!
– I opened my eyes, scared. It was the boy – what are you doing? – he had a
very sweet and warm voice.
- Um…
I don’t want go to class.
- I
know this is none of my business, but why? – he sat next to me.
- It’s
ok, I don’t mind, I don’t want to answer the million questions about how I feel
– he didn’t say anything. He was looking at something that seemed really far. –
can I ask you something?
- You
are asking me now – he smiled – you want to know what happened with Mrs. Barton
this morning, don’t you?
- Did
you see me? – he nodded – oh shit! I hope Mrs. Barton didn’t see me.
- I
don’t believe she did, she was very concentrated on chasing me. – I smiled at
him – You will be late.
- Oh
Dammit! It’s true – I got up – But you didn’t answer my question.
- Maybe
tomorrow – I sighed and ran to class, it was clear he didn’t want to answer me.
When I
arrived to class, Mrs. Meszaros was closing the door but waited for me.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at me with a blank stare. I went with my
friend Karina. Karina has long blond hair and blue eyes, she is slim and tall.
She is a cheerleader and always dresses very trendy every day like a celebrity.
We had been friends since we were 5 years old and started the kindergarten
because our mothers were friends and had spent pretty much every day since
together. She
is very conceited, friendly, cheerful, extroverted and self-confident. She
wants to go to the University of California but only because she believes that
if you live in Los Angeles you will meet celebrities every day. Sometimes she
is little annoying when she only wants talk about clothes, bags or shoes but
also she listened to me every time I needed to talk with somebody. She is like a
sister to me.
She hugged me and she didn’t ask me about my feelings, which I
appreciated greatly.
- Why
are you wearing this baggy sweater? – my crazy friend always worried about my
clothes, I used to hate it about her but now I was thankful for it.
- I
like it, it’s comfortable and I didn’t have anything clean – both of us
couldn’t help laughing.
- Ladies!
Silence, please!
The day had
been easier than I had expected; almost like any other day. At 3 o’clock I went
out with my friends Karina, Martha, Justin, Sam and Kate.
- Lana,
we gonna go to the cinema tomorrow. Do you want to come with us? – Justin asked
me.
- Maybe,
I should ask my paren… eh… my dad – they were paralyzed so I smiled at them –
See you tomorrow!
