Willow Creeps

Chapter 2

"You're wearing a scarf, why?" Mum asked as I entered the kitchen. "The weather isn't cold." I'm not good at lying but I have to say something before I get more questions to answer. "I feel a little bit cold, so I decided to put it on so as to help." I answered after few seconds of quick thinking. I was surprised when she didn't ask any more questions but I was partially relieved. There is still this turmoil in me due to the strange stuffs happening to me lately.

My mum is a kind who likes to have a genuine answer for every question which makes her a very inquisitive person. Having living with her my whole life, lying is a very hard thing for me to do. For every answer, I get more questions. She's a very busy person which makes us spend little time together but she does her best to make me as happy as I can be. Although, we spend little time together, it's always nice to be with her. I always love every moment around her.

Losing my father at a very young age, she has been the only family for me. I don't have any idea of having any other relatives which makes me feel lonely whenever I think about it. But life is too short, you don't have to keep worrying about history because it is gone. All you have to do is focus on the present. Also, once Mum's around, loneliness is lost.

"Okay, no qualms. Just make sure you have your breakfast and you aren't late for school." She said as she placed a plate of waffles in front of me. I haven't noticed the aroma of bacon waffles since I have entered the kitchen until now. The tantalizing aroma of the combination of bacon and waffles seems to melt the anxiety in me. I stuffed the tasty sausage in my mouth which settles the turmoil in me. Mum took the seat next to me and we ate in silence for a few moments. Then she starts to tell me her plans for the day. She isn't gonna be around for the rest of the day until the next evening. Mum's a nurse and that means she's having a shift from this afternoon till the next evening.

That would have been nice to hear if not for the fear of being alone. Naturally, I love being alone just as much as I love being with Mum but I guess this time, it will be different. "Are you okay?" Her soft voice brought me back to reality. I wasn't aware I had paused eating until I heard her voice. I murmured a 'Yes' with a smile that I tried to let reach my eyes. "Are you sure?", She probed. That smile mightn't have worked because she stood up and bent to wrap me in a tight hug which lasted a few minutes. She gives me that type of hug when she knows that I'm sad about her leaving again. Somehow, that made me feel better. While sitting back, she eyed my scarf like as if that would take it off my neck but she didn't say anything and simply smiled at me. "Be quick with the rest of your food, you have twenty minutes to make it to school." That's something about her, she's always time conscious.

I gobbled down the rest of the waffles, took a bottle of water, gulped it down to half and kept the the half filled bottle in my backpack. I kissed Mum goodbye,"I'll leave some money enough for you to buy something good for yourself", she said. We both know what 'something good' means and we also know that I can't buy those 'something good'. She flashed me that familiar hopeful smiled and I returned my usual dry one. I can't believe she still hopes that I'll be like other normal teenage girls. I am also normal but teenagers have categories. I belong to that dull category of teenagers. Though, Mum doesn't compare me with others but I know that she wishes that I belong to that flashy category of teenagers. However, I don't wanna be like them flashy type. I love me for me.

I stepped out of the kitchen waiting for the anxiety to return........