Another Life, JenniferNewman [short story to read .TXT] 📗

up her fork which made a metallic noise as it hit the plate. As I continued to observe my cake without eating any of it I noticed the noises around the now dusty room. The absence of my mother for one day was enough to make this place rebel with dist and non neatness. The room smelt of decay with smudges all over the windows. Clouds of white were billowing out of the pipes outside. When I had been younger I had imagined in my old house that the clouds were marshmallows with each a different flavour. This is where I believed real happiness would come from. It would come and scoop all your doubts and stress away. Whenever mum was mad and dad went out into the garden to just stare at the sky. I believed he thought the same as me.
Now I found this totally stupid. Life would be too simple if such things were true. Childhood fairy tales coming to life in everyday business.
As the clouds would change colour indicating the start of something new. A new time. A new season or even weather. I even had Sophie noticing all of the shapes when we went to the park playing in that green green grass as the birds and people in those ‘magical boxes’ as I had called them then, fly over head. The faces of class mates, animals and inanimate objects passing us by as we lay on the grass giggling like crazy at all the funny shapes we could see. To be fair we were only six and as innocent and naive as any other six year old. Lucky us.
I was bought back to the present by the sound of metal on china as Sophie put her fork back down on the plate finished with her cake after nervously eating bite after bite of the crummy mess.
“Come on Rose! Don’t tell me you have gone off Chocolate Cake!” the way she said ‘chocolate cake’ could really only be represented in capitals since it was so obvious she was in love. I laughed a hoarse sounding laugh and finally lifted the fork up to my mouth taking the first bite.
The theme tune to the Simpsons suddenly sounded breaking the silence that had started to build up over the short time it had taking Sophie to demolish off her cake and for me to even decide to take a bite. Which you tell you the truth I am very glad I did. God it tasted good!
“Sorry! Ahhhh” Sophie yelped as she reached into her hand bag which was coved in purple flowers entwined at the top and building their way out as they reached closer to the bottom. She pulled out her flip phone giving me her apologetic look before flipping it open and holding it up to her ear saying a quick hello. I tuned out after that and started staring at the tiled ground.
Each tile had its own unique corner. Either with a flower or some kind of pattern you could only make out after concentrating hard on each one in turn as none of them are the same in a single way. This was another big reminder of my mum since she had argued with dad for weeks. Not letting him anywhere near the kitchen since he was not letting her get a painter in to pain the tiles each with its own pattern. I had woken up in the night many times to hear dad heading down the stair to sneak snakes from the kitchen since he was no longer allowed while mum was around. Which annoyingly for him was most of the time. Sometimes he was not so lucky and when emerging from the kitchen with his hands laden with snaky goodness. He had the encounter with mum who even form up stairs in bed I could just tell the expression on her face as she started to yell her head off at dad who retreated slowly back into the kitchen to replace all the food he had somehow managed to pick up. Slowly mum ware him down by what she called a good compromise. Where as everyone else decided to blame it on my dad’s stomached. He gave in seven weeks before his accident. Seven weeks of seeing our family friends hand work every time he walked into the kitchen to finally eat his food in peace. Dad had given in with the painting but not fully as he had insisted instead on only the corners. Each showing different aspects of a scene my parents loved so much. A meadow with flowers growing wildly from the corers and a family sitting peacefully in the middle. Their picnic laid out in front of them as they enjoyed their Sunday lunch. Seemingly unaware that they were in the process of being painted.
Just tis kitchen had so many reminders of the time both my parents had spent here. one room that held so much. One place. One thing holding my mind together at that particular second. soon to be replayed by something else. Something less likely to stay. Less reliable. Well somehow my thoughts always seemed to turn back to Parker even when he was not anywhere in my sight. Thoughts of his comforting arms coming round me as I cringed from the phone call. His lips in my hair as I leaned against his muscled chest trying to find comfort with him stroking my hair. I closed my eyes at the memory trying to bring them back to life as Sophie carried on with her phone call still giving me nervures glances ouch of the corner of her eye as I leaned back against my chair still with my eye closed.
The peaceful silence was interrupted again by Sophie squealing loudly,
“Oh my god! Brendon down even think about it! This is not the time!” she shoot a glance over at me as I realized who she was speaking to making me groan aloud and push my chair away from the table with enough force that it hit the wall behind making it shake as I stood up and walked to wards the dish washer dropping the glass into the bottom if the dish washer and scooping the rest of my cake into a container and pulling the fringe door open to shove it in before I found out what it was that had Sophie yelling at Brendon about a bad idea. If she thought whatever it is a bad idea I am sure I would find it a whole lot worse making me grudgingly curious but at the same time hoping I would not find out what he was planning. Okay maybe let’s just settle with no finding out always safer.
When I turned around I Came face to face with Sophie who had sneaked up behind me and sheepishly held out the phone. Oh god......
After ‘me’ hanging up on him earlier you would have thought he would have got the message that I was not in the mood to speak to him but nooo he rings Sophie guessing that’s she’s with me. Damn you Brendon damn you!
I took the phone from Sophie’s hand and lifted it to my ear grudgingly while rolling my eyes half heartedly at Sophie.
“Hello?” I whispered into the phone hoping that he would just think that one of us had once again hung up and hang up himself giving me a excuse to why I did not want to or plan to talk to the tactful idiot.
“Rose finally what happened before?” well so much for that..... I sighed and started to make up the excuse of having no signal when he said,
“Oh never mind! You know Rose I think Parker’s a really bad influence on you. I mean both your parents are dead for crying out loud! So he leaves you alone. Where’s his mind gone?” Right not going to yell. Not even going to comment.
“Right anyway not seeing how that’s any of your business Brendon so if that’s all you wanted to say....” please tell me that’s all you have to say.... please.....
“Sorry but it’s true. I know you think I'm pocking my head in where it’s not wanted but come on look at it from my point of view okay. We have been friends for ever Rose. I don’t like some guy being a jerk to you.” I stared to calm down seeing that I was being silly with my emotions so high. “I mean I was better for you than that. Right? You don’t need some guy treating you like trash..... Well anyway I just wanted to say I'm here if you need me. Okay?” oh god and there it goes again. That boy could not learn to keep his mouth closed. Could he? I sighed and simple hang up the phone while he was still speaking. Not the time. Not his fault. Had he always been such a freaking ass?
I heard Sophie laugh and looked up to see her leaning against the table amused since I had just asked that out loud. Oops.....
“Yes he has always been a jerk or ass, whatever you were just kind of distracted to notice.....” I laughed now. not a hollow laugh this time but a true one. Well feeling was starting to come back. Just not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Thoughts of Parker somehow managed to return to my mind. Could I ever get him out. The thought made me smile though so not sure a bad thing.
“god your thinking of Parker aren’t you? Can you get him out of your mind? Really really conscious of the fact I'm single over here!” I laughed again feeling a blush creeping its way up my cheeks. I looked down my usually response to embarrassment only to find Parker implanting himself in my thought just that little bit more. Strange fluttering feeling was starting to make its way through my body. I stared even more at the tiled floor picturing his face over and over. The curve of his lips when he looked down at me amused. The way he could raise one eye brow making it obvious I was acting strange but really I would act strange just to see his eye brow. Okay sounding the tiniest bit strange here but hey.
“Oh my god! You have that look!” I looked up from the floor ungrateful from being distracted from Parker’s face.
“What look?” I asked curious of what emotion my face was giving away...
“That look! The one that says you love him! Oh my god you do! That is soooooo sweet! It’s about freaking time as well Rose!” I looked at her at first as if she was mad. Then as my thoughts took over I realized something. She was right. I did love him even if I had known him for such a short period of time. Well there was also that slim chance that he was with me for comfort..... Like I cared my brain had made up its mind unable to change willingly.
I laughed nervously and leaned back against the fridge down without looking at Sophie. I nearly jumped half a foot in the air when the door bell rang making Parker’s arrival well known to the house. I quickly glanced up at Sophie who was fighting hard not to smile and walked out of the kitchen and straight to the door where my mind had already made up its mind. Picturing the person behind it already the silhouette was the only true thing I could make out as I put my hand on the door lock and turned sharply.
“Hey” he said as I pulled the door open.