constantly moving #Wattys2015

_chapter 5_

We found our mother crying on her giant white bed. We didn't know if she wanted us there, at that moment. She might needed some time alone, just thinking and deciding  whats going to happen in the future. our future.

"Do you want us to go away?" my brother placed a cup of tea on her brown bedside table and stroked her left arm. "Its camomile, your favourite."

 I smiled. My brother can be very very kind with women.

"Uhm.." mum composed herself trying to stop tears from falling. She just made us a signal to go away.

We closed the door and the minute we turned around, Alex was standing with his big big eyes on us. "Rose went to the toilet so I escaped. Now, what's going on?"

Ralph and I looked at each other. "It's complicated, a thing we have to talk all together" Ralph tried to explain.

"So let's talk."

"Mum has to be here."

"And why isn't she?"

"Uhmm... she is uhm taking a bath."

"And why did you want mum to sleep with me tonight?"

11. The age of questions. How I hated that age.

"Okay that's enough questions! What do you say about going to play football outside?"

He thought for a second and quickly ran to his bedroom "IM GETTING THE BALL!!!" and returned "But first, PANCAKES!" he ran down the stairs and I heard something break from downstairs.

"What was that?" I shouted, walking down the stairs.

"Nothing!"

-2PM-

I prepared omelets for me, Ralph, Alex and Rose. We wanted to prepare something for mum too but she didn't want to eat. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to eat nothing and she would get weaker.

"Mum is not okay." I said turning the TV on.

"She will be. This must be really hard for her. Don't get me wrong, for you too, but she was married for 23 years now.  She will be fine, she has the best kids." Rose said.

"Thanks Rose, for the nice words" mum appeared in the living room, walking towards the white sofa, leaving a kiss on Rose's hair. She sat right next to her.

"Look you don't have to be worried with me, okay? I'm not okay, NOW, but I'll be." She said to all of us.

"Can someone tell me  what happened already?" my little brother asked.

Mum hugged him tight to her body and told him "Alex, mum and dad had some troubles but its all solved now."

What? How solved?

"We are not going to move to New York."

Thank god! I was getting scared.

"But you said you and dad were okay."

"I said me and dad solved our things, not that we are okay. Dad did a pretty bad thing to mum, but im not letting him ruin my life or let myself crying for days. Im not going to be depressed because of him that's for sure." mum said, with confidence in her expression, looking at me and Ralph.

My mum was a strong woman. She always has been. She has been strong for us when my father moved, when my brother got into a car accident, when she had to work night and day.

"So we're staying here, in Palmillage?"

"Yes. And we don't have to hire anyone to manage the store. The struggle will be more when I'm not here because now... now that your father has nothing to do with our lives he won't certainly pay the bills, so I have to work even harder."

Out of nothing, my father appeared by the room's entrance. Oh no, we don't need more tears.

"You're wrong Angela." Mum didn't even turn around, she stayed in her place, frozen, hugging my brother who was trying to understand at least what was happening. "I will pay all the bills. and I will do everything like I've been doing until now." He came closer. "we can solve this. I can fix it."

"Leave." Mum sayed, still not moving. "And never come back."

Dad started to walk away but stopped and turned around.

"I love you. All. And I'm really sorry. Really really sorry."

I felt a tear leaving my left eye. He then grabbed his suitcase and another brown bag and closed the front door. He was gone. Really gone.

Dlim Dlum. The doorbell rang.

"What did he not understand?" mum shouted walking to the front door's direction, in her pajamas.

I heard some feminine voices and I quickly recognized it was Hannah with her high voice. I totally forgot the concert. And I didn't warn them that I'm not even moving to NY anymore so there's no reason for me to go party with them, or to have this party afterwards.

"Alice it's your friends. I'll be upstairs." Mum said, leaving the girls behind.

"Wait mum" I stood up and walked to her "Tonight I'm going to this stupid concert that they got tickets for. One Direction fans ya know? And afterwards they organized me a party in London, but I started to think that with everything going on here I should stay."

"No you don't have to do that! Go! And try to have fun."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll stay perfectly fine. I might invite Christina to come over"

Christina is my mum's bestfriend. They went together to every event, they organized parties, family dinners.. She had two boys twins, Samuel and Toby, who were 7 years old, who she screamed a lot. She was a fashion lover and a very modern and business-related woman. Everything that was on trends, she would probably know it.

"What time does the party end?"

"Don't worry, I'll grab a taxi and come down here when the night is over."

"Okay. Just have fun and be carefull. Always." She finished her advices' list with a kiss on my cheek and walked upstairs.

I had to tell them the news. The instant I turned around Hannah and Carly were prepared to fill my afternoon with questions.