5
My life
at
the Blackwells‘ was no different from my life at the Millers‘.
place to lie down.
was just a p
3
And damn, the sofa in the Blackwells‘ living room was comfortable. For the past few days, aside from going upstairs to sleep, I’d barely left it. I’d considered just sleeping on the sofa, but Ryan, down for a glass of water, caught me in the act and banished me back to my bedroom. He even
escorted me to the door to make sure I didn’t sneak back.
“These years with the Millers…” He looked like he wanted to say something, but ended up just pinching the bridge of his nose. “Never mind. Get
some sleep.”
In these few days, Ryan had gotten a full education on the difference between a human and a human sloth. I could hold the same position for hou-
rs without moving.
The day I arrived, he’d given me a credit card with a $200,000 monthly allowance.
Hilarious.
I hadn’t even set foot outside the front door, let alone spent any money.
It was only because Ryan was home from work today that he realized just how… precariously I was living. The kind of existence where one could
accidentally perish from sheer inertia. He couldn’t stand it anymore and took it upon himself to manually flip me over–no, I mean, to correct my
unhealthy lifestyle. One minute he was pulling me up to stretch my limbs, the next he was telling me to look away from the screen and focus on
something in the distance.
He was driving me nuts. For the first time, I voluntarily asked him why he was home.
Ryan paused, about to answer, when the sound of a
car
pulling up outside made him go silent.
Lily, who had been practicing piano upstairs, came
“Mom! Dad! You’re back! I missed you so, so much!”
bounding down the stairs and threw herself into a woman’s arms like a homing pigeon.
The woman hugged her, cooing “my baby,” while the man beside them joined the embrace. The three of them were a picture of familial bliss, their
conversation a cascade of warm, effusive endearments.
Mrs. Blackwell launched into an excited monologue about their trip, showing off a mountain of gifts, while Lily played her part perfectly, gasping
with a “Wow!” at every item and providing a geyser of enthusiastic reactions.
The chatter continued all through dinner, with Mr. Blackwell smiling indulgently at them.
It was a perfectly harmonious scene.
Which made Ryan and me stick out like sore thumbs.
Ryan was especially quiet today. He glanced at me, a look of what might have been sympathy in his eyes.
Me: “?”
Ryan’s gaze shifted to Lily, who was joyfully displaying her gifts. His voice was firm. “Alright, that’s enough. We’re eating. You can open your prese-
nts in your room later.”
Then he turned to
Mrs. Blackwell let
something to give
Mrs. Blackwell, his tone softening slightly. “Mom, this is your first time meeting Mia. Shouldn’t you have a gift for her, too?”
theatrical “Ohhh” of annoyance, as if she’d just remembered my existence. She slapped her forehead, looking for
gifts she’d brought back had already been claimed and opened by Lily.
Without much thought, she simply snatched a gift from Lily’s hands. “Mia, this is for you. Mommy forgot to buy you something, but I’ll make it up to
you next time.”
Mr. Blackwell added,
”
your
mother is giving you. We didn’t forget you on purpose, you just… slipped our minds.”
If Jessie were here,e’d definitely say Mr.
Blackwell’s grasp of language was also subpar. Or maybe an jest majoratin savings
ly nothing of substance.
I didn’t take it.
“I don’t want
presents
else has already opened.”
My words dropped the temperature at the er
Mrs. Blackwell looked lost and hurt.
“Mia,
are
by twenty degrees.
Mr. Blackwell slammed his chopsticks on thngry with Mommy? I didn’t mean to, I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
table, his face darkening. “Where are your manners? Is that any way to speak to your mother?”
Ryan rubbed his temples, the irritation practically radiating off him.
Into the suffocating silence, Lily spoke up timidly. “I don’t want the gifts anymore. You can give them all to sister.”
This immediately triggered Mrs. Blackwell’s protective instincts. She pulled Lily’s hand into hers. “Oh, my darling, you’re always the thoughtful one.
You just tell Mommy what you like, and Mommy will buy it all for you.”
“Okay, thank you, Mommy.”
The two of them resumed their affectionate chatter, and just like that, the storm seemed to pass.
