𝔽𝕀𝕃𝕆𝔽𝕆𝔹𝕀𝕊𝕂

ℝ𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖

I reached home. My home. But that word sounded so foreign to me. 

I was tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the automatic gate to open enough for my car to enter. They painted the house white again, something my dad did yearly to maintain his mansion as an exemplar of his extravagance.

After parking my car in the huge spacious garage, I took my bag from the backseat and walked towards the entrance. Standing in front of the large wooden doors, I rang the bell. 

"Coming..." I heard my mom saying from inside, her footsteps getting louder. 

She opened the door and her face beamed with happiness and excitement while my face was expressionless. 

"Elka, my sweetheart," she said and hugged me tightly for a few seconds. 

The lavender scent that she carried from the day I remember hit my nostrils, the satisfying yet powerful fragrance stifling my lungs sparingly.

I hugged her timidly and let go but she was still hugging, hindering my breath. 

"I missed you so much."

"If you keep on hugging me like this, you're gonna miss me forever," I managed to say.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she pulled back, apologizing. "I got carried away with happiness. You look great dear!"

Really? 

"Thanks. Can I?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Come in," she moved aside and paved the way for me to enter.

I entered my house and walked towards the living room. It had been eight months since I left this place and I didn't even miss it a bit. My home was where they were. My home was where Lily and Zinnia were.

"A new one?" I asked my mom, pointing to the large, stupendous chandelier that hung from the eggshell white ceiling, sparkling due to the sunlight radiating through the opposite glass windows. 

My mom nodded before saying, "Yeah, your father fancies it."

"Not something new. Where's Pappy and Dad?" I asked, turning towards her. 

"Pappy is in the tree house and your dad, maybe in the backyard or in his office," she answered. 

"Maybe? You don't know where dad is?" I asked with squinted eyes. 

"I-I was busy in the kitchen. I don't know, Elka. Why don't you go to your room and freshen up?" she said, diverting the talk. 

"Yeah, sure," I said, nodding my head and climbing stairs to my room. 

I opened the door of my room and entered. Everything looked the same, untouched. It was clean, not having the tiniest mote of dust.

I sighed and plopped down on my bed and stretched, making my muscles loose. Even if I didn't miss this house, I surely did miss my bed. It felt like floating on clouds when lying on this queen size mattress. I laid for sometime and got up to freshen up. I washed my face and put on some comfy clothes before climbing down the stairs and walking towards the kitchen. 

As soon as I entered the kitchen, someone shoved a bowl of whipped cream right on my face, making my body freeze at that spot. 

The bowl was off my face as I heard someone say, "This is for not contacting me all this time." 

Then a jar of juice was poured over my head before the same voice saying, "This is for not coming to visit me all this time."

A bag of flour over my head and shoulders made it even more wow. Just like a cherry on top.