TWENTY

“There was someone in the house recently. On two occasions. The first was about a week ago, but then yesterday again. I’ve been trying to figure out who it co—”

“You’re just imagining things.”

“I’m serious, Jacob.”

“Have you been watching the news a lot lately? No one could possibly want to be in our house. Look around you, there’s nothing to be wanted around here...we’re poor.”

“Then how do you explain the picture frame?”

“I dunno. Perhaps you have broken it to make it seem like someone’s been in the house.”

“What would then be my benefit?”

“Because yo—”

The sounds of argument was drowned out and replaced by Lana Del Rey’s voice soothingly singing as Laura hung her headphone over her head. She sighed and held onto the straps  of her backpack, already prepared and ready for school. The thin walls between the two rooms was definitely not helping, even when they were whispering harshly over one another, she’d pretend she couldn’t hear one word and go about doing her own thing. Her mother sounded a lot worried and Jacob, being the douche bag he was, invalidated her feeling without giving it two thoughts like he always did. 

Laura, standing in the middle of her space, took an appreciative glance around her room. More like scanning through and thoroughly appreciating the new details. Her mother had been doing some slow room renovating, and though she didn’t like the idea of the woman being in her personal space when she wasn’t around, she couldn’t deny she was a lot happy at the new changes. She had been managing to live and breathe in the room for three years without change. 

It wasn’t much of a big deal but it was something. The last time she took the time to rearrange anything was when she was fourteen, afterwards she’d stop giving it thoughts and just lived. There were old posters of her favorite bands and amines. As an AOT fan, she had various posters and picture cut out of Eren Yeager but they were all faded now and begging to be ripped off the wall and replaced, same as the Neigbhorhood, The Weekend, Chase Atlantic and Mother— Lana Del Rey’s posters. She had a small vanity, in the two shelf were some basic things a girl could own. Lip gloss, hair straightener, eyeliner, scrunchies, hair pins, perfume and some sanitary essentials. She wasn’t big on makeup and would rather go out with her face bare rather than caking herself up in sticky products. 

Laura walked towards the window and ran her finger tips down the new drapes. It was chocolate dark, and thick, totally obstructing the days light from perching and leaving her room dark. It had flower imprints like the previous ones had done but this looked more classy, more expensive and not like a table napkin sown into curtains. 

And yes, her door can be locked now. That was a cause of happiness and as Laura was about stepping out her room, she twisted the lock. Once. Twice. Thrice. A cheesy excited smile danced atop her lips as she repeated the process a couple of times before she decided to head out. 

Once she was in the hallway, she was stunned to see Belle standing outside the door. Her smile vanished but not before the older woman had seen it. Laura pulled down her headset on watching her mother’s inaudible lips movement. She hadn’t heard a thing and before Belle could repeat her sentence, Laura walked into her for a hug. Her eyes pressed shut and said nothing, she just let herself engulf the feeling. The hug was warm, and loving, and relaxing. Beneath her lids, her eyes prickled with tears. She was way taller than her mother but in a way she still managed to bury her head in the small woman’s shoulder and inhaled her fresh scent of shampoo and bathing soap. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her mother’s. 

“Good morning.” She said, in a casual tone, a complete contrast to how she felt on the inside. “And thanks a bunch for the new things. They make me happy...” Almost reluctantly, she added: “I love you.”

Belle seemed frozen for a few seconds but had quick regained her composure and hugged her daughter back. “Oh!” She exclaimed and rolled her eyes like it was nothing. “I love you, too!” 

Deep inside, her heart soared and she felt extremely giddy with happiness. Her hands clasped together behind Laura’s back and she cracked her knuckles, not doing so much to hide her excitement. She could cry even. Things had been so off with her daughter ever since she got married to Jacob three years ago. They barely communicated and when they did it was on basic things. She knew nothing about her child and never even tried to figure out anything. She had been too occupied with finding a true love, she had neglected the one true love she had been blessed with. 

When Laura pulled away, the two stood a little awkwardly, watching each other. Belle cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest. She seemed reluctant to speak nor move away in fear of ruining the moment but Laura could tell she wanted to say something. Silence reigned in the hallway safe for the sound of Jacob shuffling about behind the closed door of their room, and Coco in there with him barking and squeezing at her ducky. Just a few days ago, Laura had seen the puppy dragging the rubber to its bowl of food, as if to share with the toy. 

There was a sudden horn outside the house and Laura could tell her ride to school had arrived. She broke through the silence. “I should get going.” 

“Sure.”