The Innocent Lover

Chapter 7

Iris

The gray clouds seemed to hang low in the overcast afternoon sky, but it wasn't dark or cold. Instead, there was a strange sort of stillness in the air, as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

I curled up on the couch with my favorite wattpad novel on the screen and I got myself engrossed in the story, completely ignoring the sense of anticipation creeping from my gut.

Suddenly, the front door opened and I looked up, wondering who graced us with their presence. Since my grandparents were in the library, I only knew of two people who could be bold enough to open the door without knocking namely Mary...or my mom.

I immediately thought of Mary who had pestered me a lot because of hugging Lucas last night, making me regret doing it all together. It was like we had gone back in high school, when every contact I made with any boy back them made her turn it into this gut wrenching fan fiction.

Maybe she has come for a second round of taunts, I thought to myself, shuddering at the prospect of her singing love songs at me, like she had done in the car yesterday.

However, the person I was least expecting popped from the door.

My mother.

She came in and closed the door behind her, all while trying not to make any noise, making my poor heart flutter as I silently clapped gleefully. But I stopped when I saw her side view.

Her afro hair stood aloft on her head, uncombed and disheveled and she looked very dirty, with dark lines under her eye bags. Even the black baggy shirt she was wearing was browning on the edges and showing signs of not being washed.

Mom noticed me and stiffened on the door as if I had just caught her in the middle of a crime before placing a finger on her lips, hinting at me to keep quiet. After making sure I was truly silent, she darted past me without even a slight gesture of greeting me, plunging my happy self into void darkness again.

But even after the bitter and clear rejection, I still wanted to try. I followed her to the kitchen and found her busy opening and closing cabinets as if she were looking for something.

"Mom?" I said cautiously, not wanting to disturb her. "Can I help you?"

She ignored me and opened the fridge, taking the leftovers from last night's dinner and microwaving them all while my gaze was fixed intently on her.

You look nothing like me, her words from the last time we met came rushing into my mind as I took in her features. She was right, we didn't look alike. Except for the plump lips, there was nothing else that proved we were mother and daughter. Nothing.

After taking a large gulp from the milk bottle, mom banged the fridge door so hard, that the egg crates on the fridge top fell, making a mess on the clean tiles. The racket was enough to make my grandparents come out of the library in a hurry, with worry-etched faces.

"Iris, I told you I would cook, why are you making noise?" Grandma cried.

She immediately stopped talking when she saw her daughter sitting on the kitchen counter molesting food. Grandma nudged her husband's elbow, who was standing next to her gapping at the egg disaster that was prominently flowing on the white floor.

"Vanessa!" Grandma shrieked and hurried over to hug her daughter.

A warm feeling cooled over my stiff body when my mother didn't fight back and returned the hug instead, but along with it came the uneasy feeling of envy.

Why was she able to hug everyone else but not me?

Grandpa Christoph was still gaping at the eggs in horror, hurt evident on his face as if he was watching his salary ooze the yellowy liquid on the floor.