153 153. His Mom
Samuel and Sofia looked to their sides to find their mother in the midst of them, her arms stretched out over her children’s shoulders. She was like a friendly mom. But the expressions of her both kids were strange.
Sweat wet Samuel’s temples. He didn’t know what to say to explain to his mother.
“Can I get acquainted with that lucky young woman?” asked Larissa while narrowing her eyes. While Sofia could only cover her mouth with both hands so as not to scream hysterically.
“Mom, don’t get me wrong, we are nothing. She didn’t do anything that could be said to be a serious relationship,” Samuel said defensively.
“Is that true?” Larissa asked Samuel. She then turned to her daughter. “Is that so, Sofia?”
“R-right, I think, the two of them just had fun last night,” Sofia answered frankly. “They’re just continuing what was postponed—”
Sofia’s screams were heard after. She didn’t continue her report because Samuel’s pinch on the waist caused her pain.
“Oh? Really? What was delayed?” Larissa asked, looking at Samuel with an intimidating look.
“Mom, me and her just—Ouch!”
.....
Samuel couldn’t continue his explanation because he was hit by someone from behind. It was heavy enough to make Samuel bend over.
“I win! I got Samuel first!” Clara yelled, laughing because she managed to prank the small children who surrounded her.
“You cheated! You run so fast. You should give in,” protested Katie, Samuel’s sister who was in 7th grade. She was disappointed because she should have gotten Samuel first if Clara didn’t go first.
“No, Katie!” Clara argued. She still hadn’t let go of Samuel’s back. “I came first. There’s no rule about height, right?”
“You two should have given up on being the winner!” protested Madison, Samuel’s younger sister who was still in fourth grade. “The smaller ones won’t win against you guys with long legs.”
“Come on, you guys are kids and no one has any money. Clara is a grown-up. If she wins, it means she treats all of you to eat ice cream,” said Harry, Samuel’s younger brother who was in grade 9. He was the most serious one and didn’t want to play ‘catch Samuel first’ because he considered it childish.
“Harry’s right, I’ll treat you all,” Clara conceded, still facing the kids who were listing all kinds of demands on her. She was still clinging to Samuel’s back as if she didn’t want his catch to escape.
“Miss Clara. I have a lot of money even though I’m a kid. If you’re struggling financially, just tell me,” Aiden said with concern. The child who was still in the first grade of elementary school was very kind and generous.
“Uhm!” Larissa cleared her throat, making Clara surprised. When she turned her head and met Larissa’s eyes, she immediately got off Samuel’s back and fixed her appearance.
“Ah, sorry! I—I didn’t know you were here,” Clara said nervously and ran her fingers through her hair. Her face blushed, looked at Larissa and looked down again. “I was going to leave this place. But instead, I messed up the room. I will soon—”
“Hi, I’m Larissa, the mother of these children,” said Larissa as she introduced herself while holding out her hand.
“I am ... Clara,” Clara answered awkwardly.
“Samuel’s friend?” asked Larissa with a firm look.
“I—”
Before Clara could finish her words, Leo and Noah screamed. They were both already on Samuel’s unmade bed.
“It’s smelly!” Leo commented when he smelled Samuel’s semen which was still attached to the sheet.
“Sticky!” Noah touched it, trying to analyze it.
“What is that?” asked Aiden curiously.
Instantly Samuel and Clara’s faces flushed red. Crap! Why was the atmosphere so chaotic? The first thing they should do is clean up.
Samuel immediately jumped on the bed and chased his siblings away. He carried Noah to wash his hands and quickly dried them so that Noah would not splash the water around.
“Sofia, take everyone outside,” Larissa ordered firmly. The atmosphere in Samuel’s room was suddenly tense. The usually kind Larissa turned so scary.
Sofia just nodded and immediately led her siblings away. She only glanced at Samuel before leaving her brother’s room and closing the door. Needless to say, Samuel knew that Sofia was saying ‘good luck’ to him with her rolling eyes.
Samuel just hissed, blaming himself for not sending Clara home earlier. Because he was a little late, he was forced to explain to his mother about Clara. It was annoying as hell. He wasn’t ready for this current situation.
Larissa observed the messy atmosphere of Samuel’s room, as well as the unmade bed. She also saw traces of unfinished breakfast.
“I’m going to clean this room right away,” Clara whispered, feeling bad about being so dirty.
“That’s not the problem, dear! The maid will clean up later,” Larissa told her guest. She then turned to her son to demand a brief explanation. “You still remember that you can’t bring a girl home, right?”
“Mom this is—”
“I know you feel free because no one is home. But, you know that Sofia is still too young to witness all of this, right?” Larissa looked at her son with a sharp look.
Samuel looked so awkward. He didn’t know what to explain to his mother. He tried to say something, but everything seemed stupid.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Clara interrupted. “It was I who came here uninvited.”
Hearing Clara’s story, Larissa turned her attention to the young woman who was with her son. “What do you mean? Could you please explain further?”
“This was all unexpected. We didn’t mean to do anything,” Clara explained awry. She combed her hair again with her left fingers.
It was then, Larissa saw something unusual. Something that shouldn’t be on Clara’s ring finger since she spent the night with Samuel. However, it was there: an engagement ring.
Larissa’s eyes were fixed on Clara. She seemed to remember someone who looked a lot like the young woman. Her forehead wrinkled, looking thoughtful.
“Your face is quite familiar,” Larissa muttered with a serious face. Before long, her eyes widened as she managed to recognize the young woman. “Are you Patrick Decker’s daughter?”