ONE

I open the bedroom door to find Leo still sleeping. His legs and arms are spread apart, and his snores are soft but not loud.

I chuckle and close the door behind me. I went onto the bed and kissed his forehead. He moves and groans in his sleep.

My chuckles turn into giggles. "Come on, darling. It's time to wake up."

He groans again and shakes his head on the pillow. "Five more minutes, Mum."

"Darling, you need to get up, sweetie. I made your favorite."

He popped his head and could see the sparkle in his eyes vision in a dark room. "Chocolate chip waffles."

"Shaped like Mickey Mouse, drizzle with strawberry jam, whip cream, sprinkle with more chocolate chips along the side a glass of chocolate milk."

It is unhealthy for any kid to eat sweets in the morning, but Leo loves his pancakes, which is my source of leverage to wake him up.

"Yay!" Leo jumped off our bed and went straight to the bathroom.

I shake my head giggling.

It's been two months and two weeks since I arrived at my cousins' house. I open the curtains as the sky is dark, but the sun is about to set. I walk over to the mirror on the dresser and stop. I'm wearing a turtle neck sweater and pull it down to reveal my neck. I see the bruises fading away.

Since I ran away from Eddie with my five-year-old son Leo, we flew straight from London to Long Beach and surprised my cousins by crashing a party. I haven't told them what happened as to why I ran away from home before my wedding.

My cousin Athena wanted to discuss letting me and Leo stay with her for the time being before I find a place to stay. But they are anxious to know from seeing bruises all over my body.

The one most interested in the topic is Don. He kept asking questions like he was a fucking cop and scared the Jesus out of me. He apologized afterward and then went away to think of his actions. Then, my cousin, Athena, told me he hates men who battered women. It explains his behavior.

I have never met a man to act that way, especially to a stranger like me.

His older brother, Rex, told me he knew a woman who would get beaten daily by her husband. After a misunderstanding, she died in a car accident while riding with her husband. But the woman still killed both of them.

I had something similar to that event. I was lucky to survive. Wearing a neck brace and walking on crutches wasn't so bad.

While Leo was washing up, I went back downstairs to finish breakfast. I had leftover pancake batter, homemade orange juice, and muffins in the oven. Then I hear steps from the stairs. "Morning, Claire."

I looked over my shoulder to see Effie, the first person to wake up.

"Good morning, Effie. How are you feeling today?" I flipped the egg as it sizzled on the hot frying pan.

"I threw up," I chuckled as she took a table chair. "Pregnancy is exhausting."

I spot her baby bump.

"Here, I made something for your queasiness," I hand her a cup.

Effie took it and drank it, then made a sour face. I laugh. "What is this?"

"Lemon juice."

"So sour."

"My mom says it is good for nausea. When I was pregnant with Leo, I had to buy lemon drops everywhere." I say.

Multiple steps were heard as Athena, her fiancé Rex and Effie's boyfriend Logan came downstairs.

"Morning, dearies," I smile.

"I will never get tired of hearing that," says Logan, kissing Effie's head and her belly where their child is growing.

"I'm with you, bro," Rex agreed. "It's like I'm living in England."

"I think we could be in a Harry Potter movie."

"Weirdos," Athena scoffed. Rex kissed her cheek, and they sat next to each other. Logan grabs his seat next to Effie and mimics his older brother planting a kiss on her. "Where's my nephew?"

"Leo is washing up and will be down in a minute. How about my nephew?"

"Jacob is sleeping like a log after keeping us up all night. Rex and I took turns putting him to sleep. Effie, what is that your drinking?"

Effie looked at her cup and smiled at her older sister. "It's good. Try it."

Athena reached for the cup, took a sip, and made the same face Effie had.

Effie and I laugh.

"Oh my god! That is hella sour. Who made this?"

"Guilty," I raised my hand as Athena resent what she said. "Only because Effie is sometimes nauseous in the morning, and lemon juice is good for you."

Athena handed the cup to Rex, who put it far away. "I never heard of that remedy. Your creation?"

"No," I pour coffee and hand it to her. "The internet is always full of surprises."

"I know you love to cook, especially baking. When we were kids, you had the Easy-Bake Oven you had for Christmas, and you loved it so much you wouldn't stop playing with it."

I chuckle.

My Easy-Bake Oven. I've always wanted one, but my parents wouldn't get me one. We are not poor or rich; we are in the middle class. But because my mom would ask why I wanted something like that. I love to bake, especially when Nay Nay and I spent hours in the kitchen whipping whatever delight we made. I also learn about other delectable sweets worldwide, from American to Filipino desserts.

Oh, how I miss my grandmother. Nay Nay is what I call her because she's the only person who understands me. She's different than my mum's mother, constantly nagging and bragging. What's worst is comparing her grandchildren with others.

Although I was born in London, I understand the Filipino language entirely and have never spoken the tongue. I wish I hadn't learned to understand my native language because Lola Vicky mentioned Tita Diana about her life and family. She would bad-mouth her in front of her friends for marrying a man who doesn't have a job, the wrong man who is in trouble from the start, and wishes her youngest daughter would marry a man who has money.

That is all I hear from Lola Vicky and my mother. Money. Money. And what do you know - money.

Just because my mum married a banker doesn't mean my aunt should too.

I envy Athena and my cousins for having parents who are not as concerned as mine. They strive to raise a family and look how happy they are even those their parents are gone. They went from five to three, then three to seven, including baby Jacob and Effie's unborn child.

"The only thing I hate about it is the cookie and cake batters," I blink back from memory lane and see Athena making a face. "Taste like plastic. No taste at all."

Knowing what topic we were discussing, I nodded and drank my cup of American delight when footsteps, big and small, added to laughter from the stairs when Ares was playing with Leo, holding him upside down.