Insanity Bites |z.m| |h.s|

Chapter 32: Caught In A Lie

For a brief moment I found myself reliving the day I turned sixteen. It wasn't much of a birthday, nothing big and fancy but there was something about it that sat with me. Nothing too memorable, just important enough to latch on to a place in my mind, like a glitch in the system. The thing about these glitches though, is that you never really know where they lurk or why and then boom they pop out of nowhere and suddenly everything makes sense.

I remembered my dad trying to teach me soccer in the garden while my mother busied herself in the kitchen. I didn't even need to guess what cake she was baking. Every year it was the same chocolate cake that I loved and every year it got better.

My dad tossed the ball over to me and asked me to try and score a goal. I remembered focusing so hard, my eyes started to blur and as I took my shot I was pretty darn sure I was going to score in that little net behind him.

However, as luck would have it the ball flew up the air and landed in the neighbors garden. I remembered panicking as I thought about the scary man who lived next door. He was an old cranky retiree who spent most of his wealth on his young wife.

He wasn't the friendliest of neighbors and I'd always wondered how such a sweet and beautiful lady like Marissa could marry such a grumpy old fart.

So when the door opened at the sound of the ball bouncing around I mentally prayed that it wouldn't be him. He was bound to give both my dad and I a lecture and I wasn't in the mood for one.

Thankfully, out came Marissa our beautiful neighbor. She walked out in sky high heels and a skin tight dress that could only be pulled off by someone with her curvy figure.

I remembered smiling to myself thinking that today was my lucky day because I didn't have to see his grumpy face and I had run to the fence to take the ball from her but my father had somehow beat me to it.

It was like I didn't exist as I stood there waiting for him to take the ball from her dainty little fingers. What started off as a greeting turned into a much friendlier conversation and then it became more heated, like they were discussing something of extreme importance.

Sadly in was all in hushed whispers so I couldn't hear anything even though I was dying to and then I saw the weirdest thing. I saw my dad finally take the ball from her and then they shared the most awkward hug I had ever seen.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and I stared in silence as he quickly rubbed off the lipstick stain she had made. As if on cue my mother had walked out of the house and she stood on the walkway looking at us.

It was only then did my father snap back to reality and then he finally glanced my way, looking like he'd just only realized I had been standing there.

My mother was staring at my neighbor inquisitively and then my father quickly explained the whole situation about the ball, blaming me in the process. It's funny how he could so easily use my name when up to a few moments ago he had forgotten my existence.

Marissa had smiled politely and then excused herself while my mother stared at her retreating form. I didn't know why but there was an uneasiness in her expression that I had noticed and my dad had ignored.

He had dragged both my mum and I inside the house saying that he was famished and that he wanted to eat. Later Mel had come over to celebrate and just like that the memory was forgotten or more like suppressed, becoming a glitch like the rest of them.

All the nights my dad worked late, the underwear under his desk, the phone calls, my mother crying, my parents fighting. Everything came flooding back to me like a waterfall and then slowly it all fell into place.