Sid
swam happily in the aquarium while Nancy was stuck between the mini coconut
tree figuring. She’s too small, as if she never grows. She is exactly the size
of fifty cents and her shell is still so green. To compare to Sid who grew
bigger than a palm with a brown-ish shell, Laila always thought there is
something wrong with her. She stirred the water using a knife that was smeared
with blood. The water in the aquarium turns red. She took the turtle pallets and
chopped it, like a professional chef. She thought it will be easier for Nancy
to chew, since she has a tiny mouth.
God,
she missed her mom. Now why would God have anything to do with this?
“Ha
ha ha,” Laila laughed with tears streaming down her cheek. She finds it funny
to miss her mom, her nag, her mumbles, her sigh, her voice, her laugh, her
smile; just after six minutes of killing her. She turned around to check if
Anna is still there behind the door, sitting with her eyes wide open and a
bleeding hole in her stomach. Laila waved at her mother and smiled. Her mom
didn’t wave back, of course.
She put the chopped pallets in the aquarium
and walked to the bed. She checked her phone and threw it away when there’s no
reply from him. She started to make negative assumptions, a lot of questions
spinning in her head. She dropped her body on the bed, lying down still. As
still as her mother. She was so stressed out when her mother came to her room
to give her the pills she need to take after couple of hours. She was waiting
intensely for the reply. When Anna comes in, she keep asking her again and
again, “Where’s is he? Where is he? Where is Ahmad mom?” Her voice is so high
that her blood rushed to her face.
“Calm
down Laila. There is no Ahmad. We’ve talked about this. Ahmad is not real, he
is not real, Laila,” she repeated herself. When she saw her daughter looking
down at the floor, she held her shoulder and wiped her tears. “There’s only you
and me, puppet. I’m here, I’m always here am I?”
“He
came in last night, you know. When you are asleep. He walked pass your room and
came to mine. Look here,” she showed her the bruises, “he did this to me. So
much for surreal ha?” She smirks. She pushed Anna’s hand off her shoulder.
“Oh
my God, where do you get this?” Anna panicked. The blue-greenish bruise is
worse than the last time. “Why Laila? Why do you keep doing this? Enough
already! I don’t even know my daughter anymore,” she cried.
“I
didn’t do it! Can’t you listen to me, I didn’t do it! He did! Why can’t you trust
me for a second mom? Why do you hate me so much?” Laila yelled at her mother,
defending herself.
“Stop
it!” Anna slapped her.
Laila
backed off and she took the knife that she kept under her pillow and stabbed her mother before she could scream. Anna held her injury,
pressing it hard to give her a little more time while she looked at Laila. She
brushed her daughter’s hair and cheek, she smiled. She knew the time will come
eventually. She couldn’t help it, she loves her too much. She is the only best thing
that ever happens to her.
“I’ll
always love you, puppet.” Anna said under her breath before fell down to the
floor.
Laila
didn’t cry at all. She put the knife on the aquarium and dragged her behind the
door. She didn’t want Ahmad to see her.
*
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