14. The Touch Of Warmth

Laney.....

I and Alissa, we were both waiting quietly for Mrs. Stone as she kept stirring the pot and clanging things around furiously. Mrs. Stone's furiosity made Alissa fidget with her fingers and bounce up and down nervously. And I was, well, calm but my insides were bustling with fear and anxiety. I would have given anything and everything if only I could get away from this.

But my luck was cruelly far away.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Stone kept giving murderous looks in between her stirring and clanging. And by the looks of it, she was deciding whether to punish us to death or enough tobe regrettable.

Was drinking that bad of a thing for Mrs. Stone to be this rigid about it? I wondered....................

Having no family to reprimand me, makes me inexperienced about such situations.

But looking at Alissa's shaky state, it doesn't seem tobe that amazing. But still having a mother who would reprimand me for my mistakes feels so amazing even if it's just a thought. My thoughts vanished away as immediately as it had come as Mrs. Stone huffed loudly and cleaned the kitchen counter spotlessly.

I don't know how long we stood there waiting without a word of complain but it seemed that our wait was over as Mrs. Stone threw the cleaning rag aside which fell with a thud in the basket on the floor. And finally, she looked at us, specifically at me. Her beautiful eyes pierced through mine detecting and verifying me inside and out.

And her scanner like eyes wondered towards Alissa who looked a lot like a person about to die.

Mrs. Stone sighed loudly and stepped out from behind the kitchen counter and took a seat at the round dinning table. And with a loud and irritated voice she said us to sit down as well.

The angry lines on her face made her look much older than she had looked when I saw her up in Alissa's room. But nonetheless she was beautiful.

Without wasting a minute she said in a loud and clear voice "EXPLAIN"

"What?" Alissa was dumbfounded at her one word request which sounded more like an order.

"I said, explain me about last night. Tell me what you did." Mrs. Stone was looking at Alissa intently, waiting for her to start explaining and narrating each and every event that went down last night.

"What is there to explain, mom? We just went for a drink to have fun and let go." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"Oh ya. I'm sure, you had all the fun you can. Drinking gallons doesn't mean having fun to me. And what about that Roger guy you were seeing, why wasn't he with you?" She pretended tobe stern but was actually concerned about Alissa, any fool could see it.

"Spain Roger, we broke up. And why do we need a guy with us when we wanted it to be a girls night?" She said frustratingly.

"You are asking me? You should ask that to yourself. Drunk like a fish, ready tobe taken advantage of." She paused for a breath and continued "I have told you to drink in limit. Do you think every guy is as sincere as they look?"

"What's all this about, mum? What are you talking about?" Frustration and irritation was eating up at Alissa as her mom continued with meaningless lectures.

But her frustration and irritation was nothing infront of her mother's anger. She thunderingly repeated "WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT, HUH?" and continued ahead thunderously "WHY? DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT. YOU GO AND GET DRUNK LIKE AN ADDICT ALCOHOLIC AND LET THE GUYS AROUND YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU BOTH AFTER YOU HAVE PASSED OUT."

I could feel my eyes growing huge and my mouth opening in a shock. My mouth had gone dry and was out of words. I wanted to ask something-anything but the words got stuck somewhere down my throat and never made it to my mouth. Until Mrs. Stone's piercing eyes landed on me and she said with much effort to keep her anger at bay "And Laney, I thought, you were wise by whatever I heard about you, wise enough to stop her from getting drunk. But you got dragged there by her and were drunk like a fish as well."

No words would make this situation right, I knew it in my heart. But I still apologized in the best way I can.

"It wasn't her fault, Mum. I dragged her there, got her drunk, see, it's my fault. So, keep her out of this." Alissa spoke in anguish trying to save me. But there was no saving, it's all my fault and I knew it bloody well. I was engrossed in feeling sorry that I didn't see or feel Mrs. Stone come up and sit beside me.

I saw her when she took hold of my hands and said in much polite voice with concern lacing it "I'm sorry, Laney. I don't wanna be rude to you on the very first day we met but you see, reprimanding was must in a situation like this. And me reprimanding you means I'm worried about you as much as I'm worried about my own daughter. I don't want any of you tobe hurt. So, you both, promise me, you'll be wise with alcohol in future."

Her words spread warmth through out my heart which was frozen a long time ago. It cracked a bit in the pressure of her warmth. No one has ever treated me polite enough to make me feel less inferior about my identity.

But Mrs. Stone ............

Being from family where kids like me are never entertained, like me, who are from an unknown family. She let her heart out to me. I could see that in her eyes.

Her eyes which were as bright as the stars Twinkling brightly in the dark, like those stars which are pure and innocent. And I knew, she was not faking it as her smile grew big. Her being genuinely concerned about me, made me happy, a lot happier than I have been in my whole life.

My voice had got constricted by the emotions which were swirling around inside me.

"You don't need tobe sorry Mrs. Stone, it's my fault and I need tobe sorry for it." I apologized with all I had but Mrs. Stone shook her head and said "I don't want you tobe sorry, Laney."

She paused a bit and said too polite "I'm sorry if I made you feel that. I just want you to know that you are Alissa's friend and a good one on that. All that, I have heard about you from her all this time had made you a very special person to me and someone whom I would never love to see in pain or sufferings."

Her words warmed my heart and filled it with so much affection that it got filled to the brim but I couldn't shake the guilt and fear of what could have happened if we weren't saved.

Wait! Saved? Who saved us? How did we get to Alissa's house at first place? I thought to myself and asked out loud without hesitation "How did we get here? Who saved us and brought us in?"

Mrs. Stone's mouth was open as if she was about to say something else when I cut her off but she adjusted her expression and said "Adan did!" with a warm smile.

"Adan?"

"Um? Ya, you don't know him." She said more to herself rather than me.

"Alissa's older brother. He got a call from Alissa last night which led him to you both." She looked at Alissa with a relieved expression and said "Thankfully, you called him."

I was thankful as well. If not for him what would have happened to us only god knows . A shiver ran through my body which made me shudder. If she hadn't called her brother............... even imagining about it creeps me out.

I was brought back from all my thoughts and imagination of what would have went down if not for her brother by a loud and cheerful voice "Are you done, honey?" which I guess would be her father's

A small smile crept on Mrs. Stone's lips as she looked at us intimidatingly and asked in a wispher -

"Am I?" to which Alissa nodded her head up and down vigorously, I was confused but followed her nonetheless which brought a huge smile on Mrs. Stone's face. But later, I realized, it could be about us understanding her point.

"I am!" As soon as the words were out, I saw a man who looked in his late forties enter the kitchen with a genuine smile plastered on his wrinkled but handsome face. And on other hand, Alissa was out of her chair and into his embrace in a second.

I was busy looking at their father-daughter moment when Mrs. Stone said in a hushed voice "She's daddy's girl." which I absolutely agree to.

Is, this is what a family's like?

Is, this is what a family feels like?

I thought to myself as I saw all these affectionate moments play out infront of my eyes.

I envy her for having a family, envy her for having people who she can call family and come back to.

My eyes glistened with tears, unshed tears, as my emotions took over but the moment was interrupted by another loud "Good morning!" which came from the back of the kitchen.

And that's when I knew it's him.

Our saviour!

What his mother called him?

Ya, Adam.............

No, wait! Adan maybe..........

I thought to myself and turned to have a closer look at the source of the voice.

A yelp screeched out of my mouth as my eyes landed on him, on the man who was standing at the back door of the kitchen. His hair was tousled in a funny way and had mud and leaves all over him as if I was looking at some homeless person.

Not only me but anyone could have got startled by his strange apperance. But his family looked okay and used to it as if it was as normal as today's weather but there expression changed as they saw him fall down with a loud thud by my unexpectedly loud yelp

Nothing could be as bad as this.

Startling someone and making them fall down on the very first day we met by my yelp............

A really bad start.........

Bad one indeed!