She Is Beautiful

Seven

Seven
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Alona was lost on the screen of her laptop when she heard her brother's voice. On a normal day, she would pretend that she was sleeping because even if she would not go out, Lawrence had a duplicate of her room key. He would drag her if she was awake and force her to comment with good adjectives and interjections on his "souvenirs."

But on this normal day, she did not want to pause the film. Although she thought of why Lawrence would be home earlier than planned, the entirety of her attention was in the sweat and suspense of the film.

"Dummy! You awake?"

Alona groaned. She pushed her earphones into her ears and pumped up the volume till she could no longer hear her brother's call.

She was at the scene where the young woman vomited a carcass when the screen went black.

Alona did not realize Lawrence had entered her room, his fingers playing on the power button before finally pressing it.

Alona squealed in ire and annoyance. But Lawrence only laughed.

Lawrence stopped laughing, stared at her as if he was seeing something amazing. Then he gasped. "What has become of you?"

"Shut up." Alona scowled. She pushed the power button but just as the screen lit up, Lawrence lugged her like a super heavy suitcase, out of her room, down the stairs to the living room where his opened baggage was waiting to be emptied.

"Now praise my collection, fatso."

"Lawrence!" Mrs. Ryans yelled. "Don't you call your sister that!"

"What that?" Lawrence raised a fist to Alona. "It's a fact, okay? And Mom, you can't lie to her."

"What have you been learning?" Mrs. Ryans stomped out of the kitchen, yanked Lawrence on his ear and pulled him back to where she came out from. "You prepare dinner. I'm tired."

"Mom!" Lawrence whined and Alona could only shake her head. Sometimes, she felt like her brother was too young for his age. He was eighteen, as old as Sander, but he was not even at the same level as Sander. Mentally and emotionally. He was way behind. "Mom! Alona can do it! I'm no girl!" Lawrence went on with his complaining even when their Mom had already disappeared upstairs.

"I like this. It's exquisite," Alona remarked without actually even looking at any of Lawrence's "souvenirs." She just wanted to make Lawrence feel better. He was a good son. He grouses and complains, but he was a good son.

"What?"

Alona quickly grabbed the nearest object she could grab and raised it for Lawrence to see. It was a snow globe. Inside was a figure of a little green man with a hat and a red scarf. Not a lie, it was really exquisite.

"Can I have this?" Alona gulped, hoping Lawrence would say yes. She found it not only exquisite but beautiful. "I like this little green man. It resembles the green pedestrian symbol."

"Yeah? It's called ampelmannchen, dummy," Lawrence croaked. He placed the plate of pancetta in the sink under the cool running water, then moved on to chopping some parsley. "Have it."

Lawrence bought it for Alona. He remembered when he was eight and she was six. Alona would gape in amazement at the green traffic light man every time they crossed streets or passed by them. She really adored them then.

"Pancetta risotto?" Alona opened the fridge, took the box of chocolate Torrone she bought earlier today from the Ruby Amore Cafe and ran back upstairs. She still heard Lawrence croak though.

"That's why you're becoming more and more of a fatso, dummy!"

Alona did not mind. Lawrence started calling her porker ever since she turned twelve and started gaining weight so rapidly. Now, he changed it to fatso. Probably because her fatness went beyond what is normally fat, if there even was a normally fat.

Alona continued watching Full Moon while stuffing herself with the chocolates. Just as she finished, Lawrence called that dinner was ready. Alona took another CD scattered among her books. Lawrence' pancetta risotto doesn't taste that good, and her wardrobe was still jam-packed with crisps. So she did not go down and instead, started to play another movie.

Only when her phone rang did Alona got out of the moving pictures. Staring at the unregistered caller, she started missing Mrs. Neil. It had only been two days, but her heart was already longing for her.

The number was Scarlet's neighbourhood code so Alona was sure it wasn't Mrs. Neil although she did tell her that she would call in two days' time. Tomorrow will be the third day.

She tuned out the ringing, went back to her laptop and clicked play. But with that not-so-low-not-so-high voice she was so familiar with now, Alona quickly craned her head. Behind the tall wardrobe, Charles was at the doorway. HER DOORWAY. He was holding his phone to his ear. Then he shook it, looking at Alona, not surprised at the way she looked. Orange footed pajama. Uncombed hair. Face swollen with what she perhaps was eating.

Alona gaped. She was bewildered and angry. For this punk to show up in HER ROOM. For whoever opened the door for him. Her room was only for her. Her private space.

"Please! Does no one here know what privacy is!" she screamed.

"I-I knocked," Charles uttered. "I apologize."

"Have fun, dummy!" Alona heard Lawrence scream back from downstairs.

Alona forced herself not to cry. If Charles was not present, she would have cried already. It was only a room, yes, but she felt violated. And no one in the house understood that.

"Gonna get you to watch me play but your brother just dragged me up here and opened your door and. . . I have no excuse." Charles lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I'm wrong to be here. I'm sorry."

"I'm not going." Alona looked away. But she noticed how Charles was using the standard you again.

"Thought you would want to. You went with me last time."

"I only went because Mrs. Neil. . ." Alona halted. "Mrs. Neil, how is she?"

"She's writing a book."

It was not the answer Alona wanted, but it was all good. She offered Charles her crisps, and instead of going out, she suggested that they just watch something on her laptop, although not in her room, but downstairs.