𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤

𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕪-𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕖

"Now, wanna get back to decorating?" Medda breaks the embrace, putting her hands on my shoulders. I rub my eyes.

"Dizzy..."

"You feel dizzy?" I nod. "Then sit down for a bit. Drink some water. Have you eaten?" I shake my head. "That's probably why you don't feel good. What do you want to eat?" I shrug as I look away. I don't want anything. "Toni..." She starts. "Go sit on the couch, I'll fix you something."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

But she's already in the kitchen. Realizing there's no way I'm getting out of this, I move to the couch, pulling a blanket over me. A few minutes later, Medda comes out with a bowl of pasta in her hands. She knows me so well. I take the bowl from her hands, and she goes back into the kitchen. A moment later, and she brings over a bottle of water. She placed a kiss to my forehead before ruffling my hair and going back to the tree.

I stare down at the pasta. Something about it seems eerily familiar. Then, it hits me. This is the exact same thing my mom used to make. All the time. How did she get the recipe? I was told that it was our family's secret recipe. Maybe I was wrong.

My hand shakes as I bring the fork to my mouth. Memories come flooding back as I take a bite. It makes me want to cry.

I miss her.

I end up finishing the whole bowl before I know it. I know that's what my mom would want. Sometimes I wonder if she's been watching over me ever since she died. She'd be able to see that I'm safe now, and I'm doing a lot better than I was. I press my fingers to my eyes to stop myself from crying.