Laura

The days rolled by, days turned to weeks, weeks into months yet everything was uneasy in the family. Dad just got deployed and got depressed, clearly I could see the reasons why he should be until he became a chronic drunk; On the other side, I had only mum to take care of me.

I just heard my mum call for me to come have breakfast with her before I leave for school. I was in high school and needed to get to the bus as soon as it was here so I rushed quickly downstairs while my flare skirt moved briskly from side to side, the red hoodie which I wore began to feel heated up a bit till I got down the stairs and had my seat at the dining table quickly.

Okay, I’ll start the introduction. My name is Laura Davis, the only child of my parents - Mandy and Dean Davis. Havin' told you about my parents which I live with on ∆25, Olive street- it wasn’t far from my school “ Building Future”. I love singing, song writing, dancing…. Whatever, I was kind of multi talented hmm. And I loved it….. I had dark hair with curls, same colour goes for my eyes, I had the perfect skin, legs, hips and shape so everyone says. I am left-handed too - my mom doesn't like this trait so rolls her eyes each time she saw me write but unfortunately she was stuck with me.

“ Laura, have breakfast” My mum faked a smile and handed me a plate full of bread and eggs for breakfast then handed me my creamy coffee, pulling me from my thoughts. I disliked tea in the morning and preferred coffee since it went well with my breakfast every morning so what could I do?? I smiled back to Mum.

“Mum… I called her as I saw her attempt to leave me at the dining to her room. “ Have breakfast with me please” I pleaded and held on to her right hand.

She was reluctant at first but I was firm, so she sat down and grabbed bread and eggs and bit into the bread halfway, then started chewing and swallowing, I was glad that I got to see her eat, I saw her emaciating everyday of my life after dad got deployed and I couldn’t help but want to have her around me any I was free.

I stood up after eating bread and drank my coffee quickly, then kissed mum's cheeks after which she became pink and she blushed a bit before I waved her bye and left for school.

I sat down on my seat close to the window when Mrs. Bryan walked in and soon she began teaching Maths. In an hour, she placed her hands on Daniel's table with a smirk on her face. Poor Daniel shoved, She was one of the ruthless teachers, we would want to shove shit into her mouth but poorly we couldn’t. I sincerely regret that….

“ You!!!” She shouted and pointed at me. Oh my, what just happened.

“ Yes, mam. I said and stood up briskly before she walked to my seat.

She relaxed a bit, then asked “ What’s your name?” What the hell!! Was she suffering from brain damage, how could a person ask a particular question for the hundredth time??

“ I’m Laura” I said, I was irked already.

“ Oh Laura, see me in my office during lunch break hmm” She asked me

“Yes me... I will, ” I said and she motioned to sit back on my seat.

After that, she walked out. Then, Prof. Henry came after a short time of thirty minutes and of course began his rambling, sometimes I wondered how the school management employed dumb teachers.. Oops, I am sorry, but that’s how I feel. Later on after another two classes, lunch break began.

I left the classroom by myself, of course. Everyone in my class wanted to be on their own, ‘A thing with stupid persons’ at least that’s what I thought about them. I was fine like that or maybe they didn’t want to be friends with me. I walked down the corridor then out into the open field connecting the Cafeteria and our classes. I ordered a plate of fried rice and chicken with a Coca-Cola bottle and ate as quickly as possible so I could hear that teacher out.

The food was tasty, I must confess. I ate in a space of twenty minutes, such a long time- I was joking. I finally ate the last spoonful of rice, cut the chicken with the knife into three pieces and threw the first piece into my mouth and chewing began then gulped the contents of the Coca-Cola down then soon I was down and paid my food bill and left the Cafeteria. I walked to the staff room and my eyes wondered into the room looking for Mrs. Bryan, I didn’t see her but before I could leave, she screams my name with an excitement that I didn’t understand “ Laura!!! I’m over here, come please”, she says. “ Yes, mam. I said and put on a smile then walked towards her.

“ Sit please” She said as soon as I got in front of her gesturing to the seat placed by her right.

“ Thanks” I said and sat down.

She breathed in with a pause then began” You must be wondering why I called you, she said. That was when I noticed she was actually smiling a lot, that’s unusual hmm. “ I wanted to talk to you about your parents ( I couldn’t believe those…. My high school mates were this disgusting, did they want to humilate me by telling everyone what happened) “ I hope your mum is doing good, because last I heard was your dad was going high on the beer… I am not saying this out of pity or mockery but I really don’t want this to be hard on you.

“ Thanks ma. I didn’t know my school mates would go around telling everyone. I mean no offense but I really hate when I get pity from people who do not care. It’s really good to see you like this mam, I guess we would get more comfortable with your classes if you acted like this sometimes. It’s beautiful seeing you like this” I said and then pushed back the strands of hair covering my face behind my ear, looked down and then looked at her.

“ I guess you are right. But if you feel you need to talk, just remember that I am here. I wasn’t there for anyone, I want to start with you, Lauren…

“Laura mam… I interrupted and giggled with sarcasm.

“ Oh right. Yeah. I would try hard to forget that. Now run along, I guess your classes would begin soon” She joked and beamed at me. I stood up and stared at her, I never saw how pretty she was until now. I turned around and began walking towards the back exit of the room and walked out into the corridor which had a stair downwards leading to the building in which my class was in.

********””. *********””

I packed my books into my bag and checked my locker thoroughly to make sure I didn’t miss anything important since it was closing hours, everyone rushed out of the class, some walked slowly, some stopping to say hi to others. Then I heard a loud bang on my desk, which still reverberated for some seconds before I decided to look up from my locker, deleting the atom of fear in me.

“ Who do we have here?” I said, smiling and looked up to see my best friend who clearly didn’t like me because I was too pathetic of an excuse for her to be friends with. I folded my arms as my back leaned further into the chair, I was looking for something… oh I just saw it… Her lackeys“ Clara and Ruth” who were always behind her. She was their queen not mine. I’m sorry if I said lackeys, but the heck does my darling best friend think about them?. I was lost until my ex best friend, Stephanie snapped her fingers in my face.

“ Lost again in thoughts? How often do you do that, my dear, do you need comfort from me?? I could help you know, come over and talk to me about your damn parents, how high dad is and how mum would soon go crazy. ” She smiled mischievously.

The smile on my face withered “ Ohhh! This is about me coming over? No need to. You’re behind the news going around the school about me huh? ” I asked and unfolded my arms and placed them in my locker.

“ Yeah. You sure are still a nerd. I thought you were now stupid. Clearly not. I never thought Mrs. Cold Bryan could smiled so wonderfully until you”. Tell me how you got her smiling, you know it’s essential to get all the teacher's approval before fully being a queen In the school” She grinned.

I laughed even if it was a minute, then I heard Clara say “ Shall I beat her and ruined her pretty face” She asked smiling to Stephanie.

“Ohhhhh ooo no so frightened” I said first, acting frightened, my face made thick lines across them-wrinkled in fact before I burst into a big laugh. I clenched my chest tightly before doing another quick round of laughter before the excitement disappeared from my face“ Oh puppet, do no such thing if you still want to have that hair else I will cut it so low that you wouldn’t think of growing another” I said finally then her smile left her face. She had the longest, loveliest hair in school, naturally I had no intention to speak to her, but I saw her touching her hair concurrently as she was speaking to Stephanie so I ensured that I spoke to her.

“ And dear bestie, Mrs Bryan would love your company. Ah, I think she’s the last one of the teachers who hasn’t given you her approval, so if you think I am helping you with it, then you just got it all wrong" I said, and got up taking my backpack and walked towards the exit. I heard some whispers from the class, Clara was whispering,“ You shouldn’t have let her go”. “ We should” I heard Stephanie say, but with defeat. I hope I was right about that, but I couldn't be too sure.

*******

“Hey Mom” I called my mum for the sixth time since I got in the house, waiting for a reply. I sat on the couch, ended up hearing a graceful sound from me crashing on it, then switched on the T.V with its remote control. I began watching “The Thundermans” which I heard so much about but considering that I wasn't the TV type- I didn't watch it until this moment , placing my backpack on the couch, my back aching a bit. After some minutes of grinning and giggles from me at watching “The Thundermans”, I realized mom hadn’t come down from wherever she was in the house. I stood up almost reluctantly and raced upstairs to find her.

I got to her and dad’s bedroom and I saw mum sitting on their bed, beside her was an old family album that had so many pictures of us. She was still reminiscing- she always wanted a perfect family, don’t get me wrong; she had that until the family crisis came through. She was holding a picture of the three of us, smiling like we just had a huge luck with the lottery. She was also crying, and I just couldn’t stand by, watching her, I rushed to her and hugged her tightly to myself before releasing her to talk to her still in my arms.

“Mom, I love you. That’s important, dad doesn’t know what he has lost by letting each one of us go. He lost himself to the beer because he got deployed. That ain’t our fault, okay. Don’t ever tear this pretty face, I am here for you and will always be” I convinced her.

Soon she looked at me, and said,“ Darling, I don’t know how I would have got by if I didn’t have you. I have become a big cry baby, haven’t I Laura??” She asked, her eyes fought to make the tears in them stay still and not flow down, but they couldn’t obey. Mom was so helpless, and I could do nothing at all.

“Mom, forget all that. I’m stronger now, let me do the holding at this moment” I said, I guessed I didn’t want to cry else I and mum would begin to mop around.

“ Okay, Laura” She sighed, defeated. The last words that came out of her mouth before she fell asleep in my arms. I just laidher on her back gently on the bed already folded with a pink and white sheet, moving a pillow to place right under her head, she relaxed on it well and soon shifted to face the other side… her tears wet the pillow, still flooding her face as she slept. I let her sleep and walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind and walked quietly along the corridor counting my steps before I reached the end of the corridor which led to the staircase, I then realized that I passed by my room, placing my hand in my hair briskly from its front and pushed them backwards, I moved my hands from my hair on my hips.

That very moment, I felt like letting everything out but I couldn’t do that at the corridor, I rushed towards my room. Havin' gotten in, pulled off my school uniform and got into the bathroom to have a cold shower, I let the water run through my hair-this was one thing I did if I felt awful and almost depressed… I spent two hours under the water, I solely wished I could wash all my stress off, but I couldn’t, so I had better stayed under the water even if it meant me catching cold, after a long two hours which felt like thirty minutes to me, my phone beeped thrice, I had to check what came in, so I just switched off the faucet and came out of the bathroom and wrapped a towel I kept on my head around my body before I had my bath. I was drying my body , rubbed some lotion on my skin and wore my blue and pink Pyjamas. I just laid my head on my pillow to have a proper night sleep, pulling the soft blanket over my body, and slept peacefully.