Chapter 4 Weekend with the family

It was the weekend and I was already at my mum's place. I was making breakfast before everyone woke up... by everyone, I mean my mum and my little sister. I wasn't such a great cook but I could put things together for breakfast... it's not that hard.

"Hmm, these pancakes smell so good." My mum complimented me as she walked into the kitchen and went straight to the coffee maker. "Hey, mum." I smiled at her. "When did you get in? I must have been fast asleep by then."

You mean you passed out drunk as usual I thought to myself. My mum had a drinking problem and it all started when my dad passed away. What began as a casual evening drink to unwind quickly morphed into a nightly routine of heavy drinking, numbing the grief but heightening her inner turmoil.

We started noticing her slurred speech and erratic behavior, and her performance at work began to suffer. My mum's denial of her escalating drinking problem kept her locked in a self-destructive cycle, gradually distancing her from the world.

She lost her job as a marketing executive for a good company in our city. Each time she tried to pick herself up and become sober, she relapsed. Her reliance on alcohol deepened. Despite her indisputable talent and creativity, her consistent belatedness, frequent absences, and decreased work performance eventually led to her dismissal from multiple jobs.

Her once flawless reputation was tarnished, leaving potential employers wary of her unreliable track record. The pattern continued, causing a downward spiral in her career prospects, and crashing her into a profound sense of hopelessness and despair.

Now she sits around, doing God knows what. I got tired of asking. "Yeah, it's fine. I let myself in, I still have my keys." I dismissed the previous thoughts I had, I didn't want to upset her this morning. It wouldn't change a thing, rather it would make her drink more for the day.

"How is school and work?" She slurped her coffee. "Well... I'm managing. I jog both well, it can be really stressful most times but I'm used to it now." I explained to her. She cleared her throat.

The topic always made her feel uncomfortable and guilty yet she brought it up every time. "I'm sorry baby. You know I - ". I didn't even let her finish. "No Mum please it's too early let's just have a normal day."

I wasn't interested in anything she had to say, I love my mum but she can't change. She always repeated the same sentence about how she wished she could give me and my sister a better life but she did nothing but make it worse for me.

She kept mute and drank her coffee while I focused on the breakfast I was making. "Hey, Gabby!" My little sister Joyce said cheeringly and hugged me from the back. I turned around and hugged her back.

"You've grown so big." I lied. In reality, she had actually lost weight and it was clear she wasn't being fed well. I couldn't wait to be done with school and take her to stay with me. She smiled, "You didn't tell me you were coming." "I wanted to surprise you and guess what I got something for you," I said softly.

"What's that?" She was so curious to know. "Okay, go to my bag and take it." She happily ran to the room and I continued with the breakfast. After breakfast, I freshened up and took my sister to the supermarket to buy groceries and stock up the house. The house was empty, I used my savings from my job to purchase them.

I didn't want to give my mum any more money to do so because it was obvious she wasn't using the money for the right things. Then, we dropped by to get some pizza, at the pizza shop I spotted my ex, Daniel.

A surge of conflicting sentiments washed over me. Memories of their laughter and shared moments pulled at my heart, mingling with a subtle sting of hurt and rejection because of my job. But at least, I was glad he didn't tell anyone about it, especially my mum.

"Hey, Gab. How have you been?" He asked with a smile on his face. I smiled back. "I'm good and you?" "Fine. Fine. I see you came back for a while." He stated the obvious. "Yeah. Just the weekend." "Alright. Take care." He touched Joyce on her head and we turned around and left.

Despite the passage of time, the brief encounter left me grappling with a swirl of emotions, prompting a contemplative journey through the fragments of our past. It was so hard for me to move on, he was my first love and I thought he understood me better than anyone else.

We got home and my mum wasn't around, Joyce helped me unpack and arrange all that we got. Then we settled down to see a movie and eat the pizza we got. I decided to dedicate my whole day to her because she seemed lonely and I don't think she had friends. "Joyce, don't you have friends?" I decided to ask her and engage in a conversation with her. She shook her head.

"Why?" Now, I was so concerned. "They said I'm weird and they make fun of me that my mum is a drunk." She said softly. I held her hands and looked into her eyes. "You know you're more than that.

They are only jealous because you're so brilliant and the kids at high school are so mean so don't let them get to you. Okay?" "Sure. It doesn't get to me just that you asked." She seemed sincere. "Plus, there is a boy who likes me in my class and I've always had a crush on him since 4th grade."

She blushed as she narrated. "What's his name?" "Ethan." She smiled again. "I'm so happy for you. I'd like to meet Ethan someday." "Sure you will." I was happy to see how strong she was and how happy she was too. It made me happier. ***********************************************

It was Monday morning already, I despised Mondays but I had to get up. I left my house the previous day in the evening, I didn't want to leave especially because of Joyce but I had to since I wanted to take care of her. I met with Cassie in the class, this time around we paid attention and watched Vito teach.

I must admit he was a very good teacher which made him hotter. Though, throughout the class, my mind wasn't present, I kept thinking of my mum and her condition. After school, I was about to leave and Vito asked that I follow him to his office.

I did as he instructed because I didn't have time to waste I had a shift to get to. Immediately we got in, he closed the door pushed me against the wall, leaned closer to me, and cupped my face in his palm then I closed my eyes.