OLIVIA20 years ago“When your parents tell you to back off, you back off Olivia!” mom scolded me with one hand on her waist and the other holding her phone.“But--““I don’t want to hear any ifs and buts, young lady. What if someday your dad has to bear the consequences of your actions like this? Huh?” she interrupted.Alyssa gazed at us. I shot a glance at her. She was petrified. “I’m sorry.”The hand on her waist went down with a sigh. She dialed a number on the phone and walked into another room. Guilt engulfed me as mom’s words sauntered into my mind. I just wanted to be a good daughter. I wanted to protect him like he provided a shield for us. I knew my father was innocent. ****Mom had been strolling around the house, with the phone in one hand tapping her nails on it. Alyssa perched on the couch, peeling the skin on her lips, staring at mom. My stomach grumbled. But I was too stressed to eat something. “It’s okay girls. Don’t worry your dad will be alright.”Mom sat beside
Olivia Then Two Months Later I stood before the stove, the sole of my foot resting on the side of my knee. As the bubbles started appearing over the pancake, I stuck the spatula beneath it and flipped it over. The pancake liberated a sweet and buttery aroma, only because I added butter essence. But, it would taste like crap. I could only make scrumptious pancakes using the mix. But they were way too expensive. We were running out of money. Dad’s bank accounts had been emptied. And after mom’s medicine, we only had a couple of hundred dollars left at home. She wasn’t in a condition to work. She could barely get out of bed lately. The future appeared dark to me. We hadn’t heard about dad since the cops took him. Mom could barely take care of herself, and Alyssa and I were left on our own. The stress, of how everything will end up, was catching up to me. The ringing of the house phone tore through my eardrums, making the sizzling noises unnoticeable. I set my foot on the ground, flip
OliviaThen“Then his toes were minced. It was so--““Wait, hold on. Why are you watching those movies, Alyssa?”She gazed at my hands over which smeared the foam from the dish soap. I stopped scrubbing the plate for a moment and looked her in the eye. That was so messed up. We were barely able to keep an eye on her. “It was on the TV,” her volume dropped.“Not everything that they show on the TV is for you to watch.”I sat the plate in the basin after sponging, then reached the foamy sponge to the bottom of the blender jug.“But I didn’t have anything to do. You’re always busy doing something. We don't even go out anymore.” Her tone was getting whiny. Like it always does when she sees me serving dinner. Abruptly, a river of things that enrage me seeped into my brain. Yes, my brain was striving to make itself understand that she was a little child. A little child who was boiling my blood at the moment. Who was setting me on fire. I didn’t want this either. I wasn’t fond of washing d
OliviaEzra, Alyssa, and I perched in the waiting area. I wondered if this was the hospital she worked at. But if she worked here, then why was she sitting with us and not on her duty? She probably was employed in some other hospital or a nursing agency. My heart was throbbing. Any of the veins attached to it could explode any moment sending me up there to God. Every time a nurse passed by, my body was ready to jump up to listen to what they had to say. Hopefully, they’d tell us that she’s alright now. And we can go meet her. And probably take her home with us a few hours later. My sight fell over Ezra’s fidgeting fingers. She appeared as anxious as I was. A faint smell of medicine which was continuously lingering around my nose grew stronger. I lay another glance at Ezra. She looked like her name. A nice middle-aged lady with short hair and a fair complexion. Which made me think if she looked like her name in her teens. I don’t know about other people but that is what an Ezra would
NOAHI was only 3 years old when my dad killed my mom. It was more of an accident; he unintentionally left the stove open. The LPG particles kept dashing out through the holes of the stovetop; the moment mom lit up her scented candle, tiny flares transformed into a blaze that grasped the appearance of a galactic fire roaring at the lake before it. Jenny and I were squabbling about who would get the chance to throw the ball for Coco first, as she stood beside me wagging her tail avidly, expecting any one of us to pitch the ball in the air at any moment for her to tail. Dad perceived fumes rushing out of the window of our lake house from hundred yards. He hurriedly sprinted towards the house and unbolted the door, only to discover an inferno that had engulfed the entire residence from inside and was dashing towards the rooftop. Mom was scarcely visible to dad’s sight. He was continuously crying her name at the top of his lungs and strived to breach the barrier of flames a couple of time
NOAH The meal I rustled up was narrowly edible. I placed the melamine plate, holding a gloomy bland fish, on the table before her. “I know it’s barely edible, but this is all that was present; no one lived here for over a long time, so we don’t have any groceries stocked.” “Oh, it’s more than enough. Thank you.” The girl sited on the couch wordlessly, consuming the fish flake by flake, unveiling no expressions. She was stern. Seeing her limp out of the house, I said, “It’s totally okay if you want to stay here until you can walk properly.” “Nah, I’m fine.” “You sure? The weather doesn’t look so appealing.” “I’ll be fine.” A dense layer of dark clouds concealed the sky; as the howling of gales worsened, she gradually diminished into the dark forest. I admired the hefty picture frame right before my eyes. It covered almost entire wall. I skimmed off the accumulated dust particles over dad’s nose. Life is a harsh truth; it abandons you with the last thing you ever
NOAH I took my shoes off and kept them on the porch. Mom's room door was wide open. The bed was empty. She wasn't there. Must've been to the bathroom. I took everything out of the bags and began preparing for breakfast. All of the crockeries were kept just as mom used to set them. But with a thick layer of dust. I spent more than half an hour washing a few dishes. That girl still hadn't come out. As time passed, my suspicion grew stronger that something was wrong. I hit an egg against the edge of the bowl. It was a mess. Reminded me of the time when dad smacked me in the face with an egg. I was eight. Jenny and I were playing Tag. Right when dad threw an egg at a cockroach on the kitchen wall, I ran in. No sane man would do that. Dad was sane. But he was paranoid about insects that could fly. I washed my hands and went to check on that girl. The bathroom door wasn't locked. There was no one inside. "Hey?" She was probably gone. I could see that she was reluctant to stay
NOAH 3 days later Glitter particles glistened on the dark fabric; the pattern was interrupted by a white glimmering sphere; its beams kissed the lake's water into the deepest grey. The scent from Wisterias, running my fingers through the velvety green hair of the land, and Ella’s giggles soothed my soul. Since we got married, Ella and I haven’t left the lake house. We don’t meet people. We only go to the grocery store and nearby places to get the stuff we need. That too together. She doesn’t let me slip out of her sight. “You never tell me about your family,” I said to her. “You are my family.” “Not me. Your parents. And sister,” I insisted. The more she refused to talk about them, the more curious I get. All I know is that she had a sister, who doesn’t talk to her anymore. Doesn’t even live in the same city. And her parents died when she was young. She doesn’t talk about the great times she had with them. Everybody has a good time with their parents. “There’s nothin