Four Days Ago (1)

(Four Days Ago)...

"Xena, did you roll your eyes at Mr. Olaf?" My mom asked me, the house phone pressed between her right ear and her right shoulder. Her voice was stressed like she was tired of explaining something to the person on the other end of the phone.

"Xena, I asked you a question," she said, raising her brows sternly to my blank expression and startling me back to the situation.

What was the question?

Oh- Mr. Olaf!

"No, mom I didn't," I whispered tiredly, a scowl growing on my face.

Mr. Olaf was delusional and paranoid. He thought everyone had a problem with him. He was always grumpy and no one liked him. There was a thousand reason but none of them qualified for him to get an eye roll from me.

"Xena, can you say that a bit louder?" My mom mouths placing her palm on the voice's speaker.

I am sure the old man was just bored and decided to pick on me today!

"I didn't roll my eyes at Mr. Olaf!" I said in a higher tone –that wasn't a shout but louder than normal.

"Did you hear that?" My mom asked him, "she didn't do it."

She slapped her right palm to her face in frustration and I could tell, that Mr. Olaf wasn't relenting from his claims. The man needed to be taken to the hospital where proper care could be given to him. He made everyone's life difficult. Every week he had a new child to pick on!

"What did you just say?" Mom asked suddenly. A sad veil descended on her features and I knew Mr. Olaf must have said something horrible. The man was getting worst by the day!

"Don't you ever say that about my daughter, Olaf!" My mom snapped.

What did Mr. Olaf say about me, mum never snapped at people?

"Mom, what's wrong?" I whispered.

She had never lost her temper on Mr. Olaf, not even when he accused Kelvin of stealing his pink roses. She didn't lose her temper then –no one has –because everyone knew Mr. Olaf wasn't normal. Besides, everyone knew Kelvin hated flowers –especially roses.

"It's nothing," She simply said, dropping the phone on the kitchen counter. She heaved a sigh and moved to pick out the milk pack.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my eyes moving between her fingers and her face –which had gone white, like yesterday. "You are not planning on drinking that, are you?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed. She seemed genuinely surprised herself that her fingers were reaching for the milk pack.

"What is going on, mom? You have been like this since yesterday. You can talk to me mom, I am a grown-up. I am sure I can understand," I said mentally congratulating myself for actually sounding like a grown-up.

She smiled at me. A sort of smile that brought a painful prick in the heart rather than joy or. . . comfort. The sort of smile the hero in movies gave before they died.

Was she dying? Or was I just reading too many movies?

The thought broke the mental smile I had on, increasing the growing pain in my heart.

Sensing my emotional stress, she broke the silence by changing the topic, "Xena, didn't you say you were meeting Rema today?"

I knew she was trying to change the subject by pushing toward the one person that was my main source of distraction.

Rema. My prince charming.

My heart made a little flip over itself in excitement just by the mention of his name. Rema.

"Mom, Rema... Rema can wait. Talk to me," I said, my heart cursing the part of my brain that pushed those words out of my head —You'll be ruining your chances of getting kissed! Stupid girl!

"I think, you'll break his heart if you don't show up.... again," she said, laying large emphasis on the last word.

Well, the last time, we planned to meet. I was so panicky, that I chickened and canceled out.

Now you want to pass it out, AGAIN!

Rema couldn't wait!

My heart screamed at me to take the words back, but the good-child part of my brain couldn't just go for a date and leave my mum in pain, or could I?

"Come on, Xena, I am perfectly fine. You go have fun and we can talk about my issues later."

"Ah! So you do admit something is wrong?" I asked, happy that I was getting somewhere.

"Everyone has issues, but it's nothing I can't handle. Come on, go have fun," she said ushering me out of the kitchen.

Rema, here I come!

"A-are you sure?" I pushed out. My heart was already out of the kitchen door but, I needed to make sure my mum was perfectly fine before leaving.

"Go change, you look like a maid!" She exclaimed with a low laugh, giving me a final shove out of the kitchen. Her laughter wasn't satisfying enough but I took it as genuine.

Rema, here I come!

"Mom, I do not look like a maid!" I retorted. My wet blue jeans and sudsy pink top were just perfect!

"I don't think Rema would want to see you looking like that," she said pointing at my messed-up clothes.

I looked over at myself and I finally saw it too. I was a mess.

I blew my mum a kiss and headed to my room. She could definitely handle Mr. Olaf, I had much better things to handle.

A date with Rema.

Taking my time with the stairs, I got to my room in one piece and alive. I took a quick shower and put on a fresh pair of jeans and a white halter necked top –a dress would have been too girlie– so, this should do.

As I was checking myself in my mirror, my bedroom door flung open. "How is my favorite sibling doing today?" Kelvin's annoying voice filled my room.

"I am your only sibling, fool!" I whispered back, refusing to give him more attention. I needed to keep my mood in check today. Rema was waiting.

"Hey! You are looking more human today. Minus the barbie top of course. . .what's the occasion?" He asked waltzing into my room like it was a shared property.

"None of your business," I said through my teeth.

Why did I get this person as a sibling?