Mesmerized

tres.

Sunday was the most dreaded day of the week for me because it was family day. Most of the time I avoided it by working, I couldn't help but resent the coworker whose shift I took; I would've been able to convince Nurse Tyler to let me work if I hadn't gone in on Friday. It was only ten in the morning and there were several missed calls from my mother logged in my phone, I ignored them; there was no need for me to call her if I was on my way to her house. My mother liked to hover, she was the complete opposite of my father's laid back personality but that was what made them work well together; I tried my best to indulge her every once in a while, however it almost always ended with me on a date with someone.

I got ready then went to the kitchen to grab a snack, "Bye Lani!" I shouted as I left our apartment without waiting for a response; over time Lani had expressed to me that it was polite for me to tell her when I wasn't at home, I didn't necessarily understand why but I did it for her.

My family's home was relatively close to mine; it made my constant absence seem unnecessary but I didn't care. My brothers were seated outside, all four of them. The five of us had a running joke that I was the mistake; Rai, the youngest of my brothers was four years older than I was, the rest of them were born fourteen months apart at most and the two youngest were only a year apart. Having brothers was amazing for me, however it most likely contributed to some of the ways that I acted and carried myself.

"Aye Renny." Caiga (Ky-guh), my oldest brother walked towards me and gave me a quick hug accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. "Mama and the kids will be happy to see you."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "I know. I miss the babies." Which was true, playing with my nieces and nephews were my favourite thing to do; unfortunately I didn't get around to doing it too often because of work. Fiyero (Fee-yae-roh) did what he always did when we were in the same place; he tousled my hair and pushed me before hugging me. "Hey Fiyero." I slapped him on the arm as hard as I could.

"Anaís keeps asking about her tia." He was my first brother to have a child, Caiga followed soon after and their children got a chance to grow up together like siblings. NaNa, as I called her, reminded me a lot of myself; she was the most stubborn little toddler that I'd ever met. "Puta." Fiyero rubbed the arm that I had slapped and was immediately hit on the head by another brother.

"Watch your mouth, hey Ari!" Izan (E-san) picked me up and spun me around; he understood me the most and we were as close as I would let us be. Izan had it all; he was a detective on the police force, was married with twins and still found a way to be at our parents' house every Sunday for family meals.

I smiled, genuinely happy to be around my brothers, "Hey ugly!" I wasn't one to volunteer to be around my family but I always enjoyed myself when I was there. My brother Rai (Ry), the youngest of my brothers was a man of few words who simply nodded and waved at me before going back to minding his business. I respected Rai and appreciated the moments when we would both be in a room with nothing but comfortable silence around us.

I made my way through the house, following the sounds of the television and found my two sisters-in-law chatting with each other while the kids played. NaNa and Lucío, Caiga's son were babbling to each other in their own little toddler language while Izan's one-year-old twins waddled around. I waved the the girls and then got down onto the carpet with the kids. NaNa and Lu quickly grabbed on to me and successfully tackled me to the floor. The twins were in their own world as usual and I had to crawl over to them to shower them in kisses. I felt the tension melt away from my body while I played with the kids, but before I got too comfortable, I felt myself pulling away. 

I left the living room, figuring that it was about time that I said hello to my parents. My mother was standing in the kitchen while my father sat at the kitchen table with a newspaper in hand. She heard me first and looked at me, visibly restraining herself from smiling.