Encounter

#Aleia(Aged 4)

I was excited to let mommy and daddy see my five stars after reciting in class. I got the highest mark. We were asked to describe our family, and later we were asked what we wanted someday. I told them that I wanted to be someone like my dad, who helped many people.

How can I not get a high mark when I have a perfect family? My mom is one of the best. She used to bake some cookies for dad and me. Dad, on the other hand, is a businessman, and he has a lot of people around him.

According to mom, Dad is their boss, and he gave them jobs. That was why I wanted to be like him. For me, he is a hero without a cape. He can’t fly, but he can still help others in his way.

I was standing near the gate of the school, waiting for mom to fetch me up. She used to fetch me every after class. But it was getting late, and mom was still out of reach. My classmates went home one by one until I was left alone. I felt tired and hungry. I scanned to look for foods in my bag. And I saw a candy. I ate it, and I sat on the bench, still waiting for mom.

“Ale,” my teacher called me. I immediately stood up to pay respect.” aren’t you going home yet?” she asked and sat beside me.

I tried to look elsewhere to see if mom was coming before I answered.” My mom is not here yet, teacher.”

“But it’s getting late, and the weather is not that good,” she said, then looked up the sky covered with dark clouds.” Why don’t you come with me? I’ll drop you off.” I was hesitant to go with her. What if mom comes and looks for me.?  She did not leave me while I was busy thinking if I should go with her or not.

Later on, I saw a familiar car heading to our school. I smiled upon recognizing that it was ours. “Teacher, thanks for being kind, but mommy is here already,” I told her and pointed the car until it parked. But my smile vanished when the door opened, and it was not my mom who stepped out from there. It was Uncle Jonas.

“Lei,” he said, smiling. I waited for Uncle Jonas. He is our family driver. He immediately gets my bag and other things. We bid goodbye to my teacher and thanked her for not leaving me alone. As we walked to the car, the rain started to fall. I hurriedly slipped to the passenger’s seat as Uncle Jonas also jumped to the driver’s seat. He placed my bags beside him and started the engine. It was a total silence at first.

“Uncle,” I said, trying to break the silence. ” where’s mom?” I think this is the first day that she wasn’t the one who fetched me. I tried to lean closer to hear his answer. He smiled. And it was not a happy smile.

“At home, but she has something to do. Don’t worry; she will be waiting for you?”

“Did she bake again?” I asked. I felt so excited. Maybe mom is baking something yummy. But Unce Jonas did not give me an answer. Instead, I heard him clear his throat and looked  at me in the rear mirror.

“Are you hungry? We can stop to buy some food.”

“Hungry? Well, yes. But I want to eat what mommy is cooking, “I said. I leaned to the back seat while looking outside. It was raining already. It will take a few minutes to reach home. I felt sleepy until I dozed off to sleep.

“Lei, we’re here,” Uncle Jonas said. I opened my eyes. Uncle Jonas stepped off from the car and opened the door for me. He then grabbed my bag. I followed him to the house.

I went directly to the kitchen to see mommy and daddy. But the kitchen was empty and well organized. There were no signs of anyone cooking there. I ran to the living room, but still, no one was there.

“Mommy,” I called while searching for her. I climbed upstairs to their room. The door was partly opened. So I peeked to see if what was going on there. I saw daddy first. He was standing near the window and was looking outside. His hands are in his pocket. At the same time, mom was sitting on the edge of the bed, busy packing clothes. Beside her is a : luggage. I saw her put clothes on the bags. They were silent until I pushed the door and entered the room.

“Mom.” She smiled immediately after hearing my voice. When I reached her, I immediately kissed her cheeks and turned to daddy, who was looking at us already. “Daddy!” He crouched and gave me a big hug.

“How’s my princess?” he asked while stroking my hair with his hand.

“I’m okay, dad. Are we leaving?” I asked when I saw mom packed my clothes too. Mom and dad were looking at each other and maybe trying to figure out what to say.

“Baby, come to mommy,” mom said and tapped her lap. I climbed to the bed and sat on mom’s lap. She even smelled my hair. “Only the two of us will leave tomorrow,” she said, with her eyes fixed on dad. Dad pursed his lips and said nothing.

I turned back to mom. “Where are we going, mom? And why dad won’t be coming with us?”

“Do you love the beach, right?” I nodded. “We will go to the beach, to grandma’s house. Your dad can’t come with us because he is busy.”

I looked up to dad, and he also nodded.” Mom, dad also loved the beach. He liked to swim, too.”

He sat on the bed in front of us. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll follow as soon as possible,” he said.

Later that morning, mom and I left. Dad was not in the house. He was off to work early. But I noticed him sneaking to my room, kissing me in the forehead before he left. I was still sleepy at that time that I did not mind. I still have lots of time to be clingy to dad.

We arrived at the island. At first, I was engrossed with its magnificence. I loved how the color of the sky reflected the ocean-the sound of the crashing waves and even the cold breeze. I used to swim every morning and stroll at the bay every night.

I waited for dad to come, but time passed. There were no signs of him. Not even a phone call or anything. We did not talk about it. But I was still waiting for him. I knew he would come to because he promised.

There were nights when I heard mommy cry. I pretended to be asleep beside her. And when she thought I was sleeping, she would cry silently. I listened to her soft sighs.

I have adapted to life in the province. Mom enrolled me to a new school. I made new friends. I tried to entertain myself while waiting for dad, but still, he hadn’t come.

Until one day, I’ve overheard mom and granny. They did not know that I was listening. That day I learned that my parents had a divorce. I could not understand what it meant. But mom made a simpler version. She said that ‘ mom and dad could no longer live in the same house. They will be leaving separately. But dad can still visit me from time to time. I was sad, but I needed to accept it for good.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.