1 The Meeting

It was during spring that they moved in. Aunt Melissa and her son, Carlo. They were not actually our relatives in a literal way but Mother and Aunt Melissa were good friends ever since they were just a kid, they just got separated when both of them got married, as what my Mother always say.

They moved in - in our neighborhood four months after Aunt Melissa's husband and Carlo's father died in a cardiac arrest and there's nothing left for them in their old place. Their new house was just right next to us now.

I remember, when I was just a little girl, my Mother would always told me stories about her friend - Aunt Melissa. She told me how different they were from each other, just like earth and sky - water and oil. Even in their clothing, Aunt Melissa liked the simple ones while my mother would always stick to her colorful style of dresses. And they're more different in their manner of talking. My mother was the frank one while Aunt Melissa was the soft-spoken one.

Carlo, however, was, I think, odd. He was very serious but sometimes very out-going and sometimes I just couldn't figure him out. Although, most of the times he was certainly numb! Arrogant! Showed-off! Over confident! And most of all - he's sort of - no! What I mean is - he is actually a "know-it-all kind of creature!" much to my annoyance!!

From the day that they've moved in - before school days, Carlo seems to enjoy denouncing me! Or at least, that's what I've thought I always feel. Whenever I was with my Mother and Aunt Melissa's presence, and he was also there, he would always grin at me like a total idiot! He even had this manner of always winking at me when nobody was looking. He would always criticize my dress - the "old-fashioned-dresses" I always wear - as what he calls it, the "very-big-eyeglasses" that almost covered my whole face, he would say! The food I ate! As in everything!

Of course I have just always ignored him even though I'm always tempted to poke him on his head with my mother's big umbrella.

I thought I could just ignore him for the rest of my life, until he made a statement about my hair! He was very serious then, as if going to announced something very important.

"Emily? Aren't you feeling burdened by your hair?" I looked at him questioningly. "It looks like very heavy you know. It's very kinky, like some kind of wire, you're lucky you're not born with sun-toasted skin or others would think you're an over-baked witch. A bird would even think your hair is a nest and would choose to stay there and lay an egg!" He was grinning like a total idiot that he was!

And that, my friend, did it all! I pushed him in the pool! And I was not just contented with that. I picked up the small plastic chair nearby and dropped it on his head and started walking away from him in anger. I was very infuriated! But then, I heard gasped and splashes. I turned and looked at him. He was drowning!!!

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