The rain eventually stopped. We finished our coffee, and James accompanied me home. We stopped in front of the house and looked into each other's eyes. James' hands made their way to my face, and he kissed me.
"I think this is goodbye. See you tomorrow, Abby," James said.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, James," I replied.
I went inside the house. I saw my parents peeping through the window. They acted like they hadn't seen anything, though I'm sure they did. My face turned red in embarrassment as I climbed the stairs to my room.
I entered my room, put down my backpack on my bed, and slammed my back on it. A smile crept on my face as I pictured in my mind how James kissed my lips—that's so endearing. It was the first time he kissed me as who I am.
"Abby, are you there?" Mom asked from the door of my room. "We're done eating our dinner already. You're the only one who hasn't."
"I'm not hungry, Mom. I had coffee and bread with James a while ago," I replied.
"Okay then. Good night," Mom said.
"Good night, Mom," I replied. I heard Mom's footsteps going down the stairs. I looked outside the window. The pale moon is so beautiful. There are so many stars in the sky. I yawned. I closed the window and went to bed without changing my clothes.
The ringing of the alarm clock woke me up the next day. I left my bed, did some stretches, and opened the window to let some fresh air in. Thank God, James didn't show up at my door early in the morning, or I'm going to lose my mind. Love is wonderful, but not obsession. I want a love that frees, not one that manipulates and controls my actions like a bird in a cage.
"Morning, George," I greeted my brother, who still looks tired. "You look like a zombie. You were glued to your phone all night, weren't you?"
"Not really. It's probably from the coffee I drank last night. I stayed awake until midnight. How I wish I didn't have to go to school today," he said, almost sighing.
"Why can't you sleep when I also drank coffee yesterday, but I quickly fell asleep?" I said.
"We're not the same, Abby. You're a coffee addict. A cup won't make you stay awake all night unlike me," he reasoned.
"That doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, you have to go to school no matter how you feel. You have a game, right?" I asked.
"I hope not," he replied. "Or I'll make my team lose the game." He groaned as he stepped into the bathroom.
"Just bear with it!" I half-shouted. I continued to the kitchen. I don't know where Mom and Dad are. I haven't seen them around today. Did they go somewhere? I checked the cauldron to see if there's food and found that there isn't. I'm confused about what happened and why Mom didn't cook, so I went to their bedroom.
"Mom?" I called while knocking on the door.
"Yes, dear?" She asked in a sick voice.
"Mom, are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just having a little fever. It'll be gone, but can you help yourself and your brother for today? I'll just give you money so that you can buy food for yourselves," she replied.
I opened the door and saw my mother lying on the bed. She looks so pale. "Mom! Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, rushing towards her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've already drunk my medicine. I'll just get some rest, and I'll be fine. You should prepare for school, or you'll be late," she said.
"I can stay here with you if you're not feeling well. I'll just send an excuse letter—"
"No, you don't have to do that, dear. I can handle this. Your dad's already at work. He can't take you and George to school, so you have to hurry up," she said.
"Oh, come on, Mom, please don't worry about us. George and I aren't toddlers anymore. You should worry about yourself instead," I replied.
"But you have class—"
"I'll stay. I'll make you a soup. I can't leave you like this by yourself," I insisted.
"Alright then. Thank you, Abby. I'm glad you're my daughter." She's about to hug me, but she stops as she doesn't want to pass her fever to me.
"Wait here. I'll make you a soup." I went back to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and saw some vegetables, which I can use to make a soup. There's also chicken meat. Mom probably bought them yesterday.
Mom is such a hardworking woman. She's my motivation to study hard and become successful so that I can give her a life she wants and she won't have to wake up too early in the morning and do household chores. I'll hire a lot of maids to make her life easier.
"Abby, you're cooking; where's Mom?" George asked. He has just gotten out of the bathroom. He's half-naked with a white towel hanging from his waist. He has big muscles on his arms and abdomen.
"She's sick. She can't get out ofbed," I replied. "I'm making soup for her."
"Is she alright?" George asked. His brow furrowed, showing his worries.
"Don't worry, brother. Mom will be fine, but you have to buy your own food today. You're getting late already." I picked up my wallet from the table and took some money. I handed them to George. "Here, I think this is enough for two meals."
"Thanks, sister." George accepted the money and went inside his room.
I continued chopping the vegetables and the chicken meat into tiny pieces. I washed them and lit up the stove. I cleaned the pot and boiled some water. Then I poured in the chopped chicken meat and vegetables. After that, I added some seasonings and tasted the soup.
"I'm leaving, sister," George said from the door of the kitchen. He's already wearing his uniform and carrying his backpack.
"Wait, don't you want to taste this soup?" I asked.
"I don't have time for that. I'll be late. Can you just set it aside for me?" he replied.
"Yeah, but it'll be cold by then. But don't worry, you can heat it up again," I said.
"Alright then. Goodbye, sister."
"Goodbye, George." I took a bowl and filled it with chicken and vegetable soup. It's hot, so I put it on a salver and brought it to Mom's room. "Soup's ready, Mom," I said.
Mom opened her eyes. "Thank you, dear." She slowly sat down on her bed.
"Careful, it's hot." I handed her the spoon.
Mom stirred the soup, took a spoonful, and tasted it. "Delicious. I didn't know you were a very good chef," she said.
"Thanks for the compliment, Mom. Now finish it. I'll just clean the kitchen," I replied.
I left Mom in her room and went back to the kitchen. I washed the dishes and equipment I used for cooking. After that, I went to the living room and watched some movies while having breakfast.