“You never learn, do you?” Upendø queried Milå at the entrance to the lounge. Motherly hands placed on their waist indicated that Milå was about to face her new nightmare. However, Milå remained calm. She had already carefully planned how she would survive her parents that night.
She extended her arm to show her diclofenac. “Mommy, I was in the hospital.”
Upendø snatched the diclofenac and examined it with an evil eye. “From 11 a.m. until now?” she asked like an experienced female police detective.
“Jha, I went to the public hospital,” Milå replied, partially a lie.
Public hospital was a good excuse; service was slow, rooms were crowded with patients, and doctors had to see long lines of patients. It took a whale of time to help a single patient. The lie felt both reasonable and buyable, nonetheless, revealing that Kevîn actually paid his MWK15 000 to a private hospital could only be a disaster for Milå.
Upendø believed the lie and believed that after Milå was severely punished the previous day, she would not have the courage to be with the same boy. “But I would’ve escorted you to a private hospital. Why did you choose to go all alone, my daughter?” Her tone became friendly.
“I was just scared of daddy,” Milå claimed.
Upendø sighed at long last. Somehow she saw honesty in her daughter’s eyes. “Come in.” She pushed the door wide for Milå to pass that parental road block.
Milå came in with her muddy sneakers in hand. She knew her mother had already mopped the house twice at this point. The M-net channel was playing on the TV on the wall, but her father wasn’t on the leather sofa. His silver Jeep was also not in the garage outside, but Milå looked forward to confirm if her father was indeed away. “Mommy…daddy is out, right?” she asked.
“Yes.” Upendø raised her eyebrows as she locked the door. “Do you want to take advantage of his absence to be rude again?”
“No, I just want to tell him I’m really sorry and I’ll never invite a boy here again,” Milå said, “I want to promise him that I’ll never have a boyfriend until I finish school.”
“Oh, I’m impressed.” Upendø turned around in disbelief and looked at her daughter lovingly: “I already prepared your dinner, you’ll find steak in the stove; it might need some heat from the microwave.”
“Thank you, sweet mommy,” Milå said softly as she walked to her bedroom.
Upendø smiled at hearing such pleasant words. She dashed to her matrimonial bedroom and picked up iPhone and laptop and returned them to Milå.
“I don’t know how to thank you, sweet mommy,” Milå muttered, tears of joy filling up all spaces of her eyes.
“You’re welcome.” Upendø held Milå close to her bosom. The bond reminded her of old times when Milå was a baby that did not know its flaws. “I thought you should be studying before your school reopens next week.”
Milå rubbed her tears into her mother’s green knit robe and said: “Perfect timing, mommy. My school notes are indeed inside my laptop and my phone.”
“I’m sorry for your hips, my baby.” Upendø sobbed. “How are your hips now?”
“Fine, I met a good doctor,” Milå answered.
“Good. You should take a hot shower. If you want to use the Jacuzzi in my bedroom, feel free to do so, okay?”
“Okay, mommy.”
“Now, I’ve to go to bed. If you want anything, don’t hesitate to wake me up, okay?” Upendø stood up.
“Okay, mommy. I will.” Milå nodded.
Upendø snorted, dropped the diclofenac on Milå, and kissed her forehead. “Don’t forget to drink your medicine.”
“Jha.” Milå nodded again.
As soon as Upendø left the bedroom, Milå unlocked her iPhone. Wi-Fi was still on, just like when she left it yesterday. Her fingers quickly clicked on the WhatsApp icon and went straight to her inbox with Kevîn. The fact that he was online was the icing on the cake.
@Milå: Hie, hie, hie, hie, Love! I’m back online!
@Kevîn: Fire! Tomorrow I need you here again. I miss you!
@Milå: Me too. My mommy has treated me so cool, what about yours?
@Kevîn: Don’t mind my mom. The good news is; you’ll no longer play hide and seek with her.
@Milå: I love you, Kev.
@Kevîn: I love you without boundaries.