THIRTY ONE

MANNY

The drive back home was silent, tense, and awkward, unspoken words hung in the air.

Manny kept glancing at Andrew’s mother from the corner of her eyes and back at Andrew again. When she saw his mother at the hospital, her heart broke for him, she was frail and pale, and she struggled to wheel herself towards Manny.

You could see she didn't want to give up, she was still holding up because of her son. Her smile brightened her face when she saw Andrew but he looked devastated. Was her illness that bad? She didn't know what it was yet.

“You are staring, it's rude.” Andrews' voice snapped her out of her head. She had been staring at him all this while she was thinking.

“Sorry.” Manny mumbled and turned around, only to find his mum asleep.

As they reached home, Manny breathed heavily and stepped out. The car was suffocating and she couldn't handle the tension that grew as they drove.

When they stepped into the house, boxes were scattered around. It looked like someone was home. Andr