CHAPTER 19

My jeans did not fit me anymore - couldn't say I was surprised.

I had bought it after seeing it on the "70% off" rack a month back, knowing that if I left it to my indecisiveness on whether I should take it or not it would be gone by the time I went back for it.

Growling in frustration that the jeans could not even provide the illusion of toned, slender legs instead of tree-trunk thighs, I pulled it off of me and threw it across my room not caring where it landed. Skinny jeans, my foot. I guess trying clothes during or after the Christmas holidays was not the brightest of ideas.

Sighing, I looked around my room to see the mess that I had made in the hour that I'd returned back from the rock climbing place. My carpeted floor was littered with clothes that I had angrily disposed of after realising I was too big for them.

Wearing only unmatched briefs, I turned to look at myself in the full length mirror. My belly was its usual flabby self, hey-ho, no surprise there. It appeared to me like there were fresh prints of stretch marks on the side of my hips - no amount of cocoa butter could erase those ugly squiggles away. And oh gosh, my thighs were rubbing on each other. I really wished I could dismember my body and start all over again like a puzzle piece.

I rotated slightly so I could take a view of my butt, which in theory I believe was at least a third of my body mass. My lips curved into a stupid grin when I stared a little longer at them whilst thinking of the Buttbag singing that ridiculous song- he was so damned silly.

Onto not so brighter notes, the part where I accidentally detached myself from the rock walls dangling back and forth - honest to God, I saw my life flash before my eyes - well that was until the butt of a bag that was Angelo, decided to play hero despite him being the reason I was dangling for life.

I could not understand why he put up that jealous act in front of our instructor, especially since Mark was ever the polite gentleman. I bet the reason he was acting so anal towards Mark was because no one was paying him as much attention as usual. Boy, needed to realise the Earth didn't orbit around him like he was the damn Sun.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me giddy inside seeing Angelo get all possessive on me. Nevertheless, I still wasn't in the happiest of moods with him so after he had dropped Bobby and I off, I thought it best to distract myself by sorting out clothes I'd be giving to charity. Yet there I was groping my butt with a smile lit on my face because of him.

I couldn't understand myself anymore - how could he control my mood so effortlessly?

The sound of my bedroom door being swung open made me release the hold I had on my buttocks to quickly grasp for a nearby top to cover my half-naked self. Knocking on the door meant shit-all to my mum.

"Luciana you would not-" having taken notice of the state of my room she stopped her sentence and the excitement on her face turned into a frown.

"Luciana clean up your room. You're a lady not a tramp. I raised a human not an animal. Your fairy Godmother isn't just going to magically appear with a wand and clean up after your butt. "

Struggling not to roll my eyes at her dramatics, I answered, "Okay, ma."

"Good. Now when you finish come down stairs and I'll show you the things I bought when I went shopping with Sara today."

"Sara?"

I was confused on how the two seemed to have formed a friendship so quickly - a brief meet at the hospital and they were already becoming shopping buddies. It was so unlike my mother.

"Yes Sara. What other Sara do I know? You kids went out and Sara wanted to get stuff for her relatives back in Spain and asked me if I could help show her round. Now stop with the questioning, clean up your room and come down," she instructed before closing the door to my room.

Thirty minutes later I was done clearing up my room to an acceptable standard (acceptable in my eyes anyway) and I headed down the stairs to meet my mother, wait for it....in the kitchen. It was the second time that day, and to my surprise she was happily humming and cooking something like the perfect housewife. I guess my mother really was making a change.

My mother had said money was tight for us, so I was indeed baffled when I spotted numerous shopping bags lying around on the floor.

"That room better be spotless when I go check it, girl," she said whilst wiping her hand on the dry cloth before coming forward to pick up the shopping bags and placing them on the counter.

"Mum I thought you said that we didn't have enough money so why all the shopping?" I asked needing to divert the conversation.

Busy ruffling through the bags like she was in search of something specific, she didn't bother to answer my question. Instead she handed me three carrier bags and I gingerly took it wondering what was inside.

"I got you those. I just thought you may need some new clothes for school. If you don't like 'em, I still got the receipt for you to take back and choose something else you want."

Not going to lie, my heart warmed at the thought of my mum going out of her way to buy me something even though I was sure there were some overdue bills which she hadn't yet paid off.

"Thank you mum, but you shouldn't have especially with the bi-"

"Look, I work hard and I deserve to treat myself and my family. I'm not going to use all my wages to pay the bills, girl. The bills will sort themselves at a later date," she said as she brought out a pair of low-heeled gold, sparkly ribbon pumps from its box. "The Boxing Day sale is mad out there, guess how much I bought these babies for?"

Briefly taking a glance at the shimmering shoes held up gloriously in my mum's hand, I gave my estimate, "A hundred?"

"Nope. Thirty-five."

"Seriously?"

"Serious."

"Never would've thought."

"I know right," answered my mum momentarily admiring the pumps before placing them back in the rightful box and sifting through other items she had purchased.

"When your brother wakes up I want him to try on these converses, they only had it in a size four and a half and he's a size four, so I hope it still fits him."

I'm sure my brother would be ecstatic to see that he finally owned a pair of the converses that he'd had his eye on for ages, which my mum had promised him countless times she was going to get him.

"Bobby would definitely grow into these," I said in favour of my brother who was still in his room no doubt deep in his sleep after the 'adventurous' day he had with his dear friend Robinho.

"I know, my baby's growing so fast," sighed my mum holding up a short sleeved top fit for Bobby.

Suddenly remembering something, my mum lowered the shirt with a knowing look on her face. "Speaking of growing fast, word is that you and that boy Angelo were caught doing grown-up things over at his uncle's house yesterday."

My heart dropped for in that moment I thought she was going to exterminate me. Off the top of my mind I couldn't even come up with a cover up.

Sighing, she abandoned the shopping bags and took a seat on the stool whilst I stood in front of her like a scared little kid anxious to know the oncoming punishment.

My mum had never really discussed with me when I could date or anything like that - not that she needed to because obviously there was no reason to. But at least if she did start on me, I had some ground to stand, a shaky ground, but still a ground.

"You're eighteen -- officially an adult by law but as long as you live under my roof you still a child, my child who I still have certain authority over. I once was your age so don't think because I'm your mother that I don't know all about the feelings and overflow of hormones you teenagers get."

I earnestly prayed that, after being five years late, she was not going to give me the birds and the bees talk. On the other hand I was more than surprised that she hadn't sought out a frying pan to hit me on the head with, she was rather calm.

"You told me the young boy employed you as his 'housemaid' for a period of time in compensation for you damaging his car, right?"

"That's right mum."

"And somewhere along the line you two seemed to have developed into something more, right?"

I nodded my head profusely, ignoring the silly thrums of my heart at my mum's question, at the possibility of me and Angelo being 'something more'. "That's not right mum."

"So what is it that Sara tells me about finding you two pressed together on the wall?"

When she said it like that, it sounded so wrong.

I lowered my head as my face became flush with embarrassment. "It was just a kiss."

"And 'just a kiss' can lead to STD's or me being a grandma -- I'm too young to have a grandchild."

Resisting rolling my eye at my mum's dramatics, I watched as she grabbed her bag digging her hands inside before she pulled out what seemed like a prescription packet and tossed it over to me.

My eyes widened in shock, when I realised exactly the prescription she had given me.

"Don't look at me like that girl. I'm your momma and my job is to keep you safe. I know that Sara's boy is in college and with those looks he's definitely not innocent and you definitely aint't getting any innocent the more time you spend with him. As your mum you know I would love for you to wait until you're married but obviously I can't make you do that. There should be mutual love and respect with the man you share yourself with. I also bought you some cond-"

"Maya!"

Heart pounding, I tossed the packet of the contraceptive pills into a random shopping bag that was nearby and my mum chucked the handful of condoms that she was getting out back into her bag.

Just as I placed my pointer finger to my lips begging my mum not to say shizzle to my dad, he walked into the kitchen with a curious look on his face.

Not wanting him to get into interrogative mode I quickly raced over the short distance, arresting him into a hug.

"Hey daddy, how was your day?"

"Hey baby girl, my day was good," he answered returning my hug.

Noticing the bags lying on the floor, he asked, "What's all this?"

My mum who had gotten up to check what was she had placed on the fire answered with her back turned. "Oh, it's just a few things I bought today when I went out with Sara."

"Few?"

My dad clearly did not agree with my mum's choice of adjective to describe the amount of shopping she'd done.

"Yeah few. Don't start troubling my ass now, Jay."

"Whatever. I got something I want to say. Where's Bobby?"

"He's still asleep, we went rock climbing today with Mrs. Henriquez's sons and I guess he lost all his energy."

"You mean with the one you're on a first name basis with?"

Feeling uncomfortable with the way the conversation was turning, I softly replied, "That's right."

"Baby, why don't you tell us what you have to say?"

I could have hugged my mum so tight for saving me from my dad's impending interrogation.

"Guess who's officially employed?"

The bright smile gracing my dad's face quickly fell at my mother's response. "Jay you been out for less than a week and you say you got a job? If this is another illegal shit, I sw-"

"Maya calm down. I'm on probation and regardless of that you really think I'd do some stupid shit like that again?"

After a short, silent glaring match which my dad won, he continued, "Eduardo Henriquez heads a major cargo shipping business and he thinks I may be good to work for him. I told him about my past and he was fine with it. I'll be working in one of his warehouses sorting packages. A job's a job and that man's paying good."

"Oh okay baby well I'm happy for you," said my mum walking over to my dad planting a kiss on his lips.

Sometimes it was just funny when I saw my parents back and forth attitude with each other, one minute their arguing and the next their loving each other up.

Of course as his daughter I was happy that he'd finally gotten a job and in a short space of time too (it just showed the importance of networking) but I just wished his employer wasn't the uncle of the guy I sort of had feelings for.

Leaving the couples to themselves because what they were doing was borderline improper for me to see, I grabbed the stuff that my mum bought for me and scurried off to my room.

I lied down on my bed, ready to take a quick nap exhausted from the day's events when a terrifying thought shocked my body to get up again.

The bag I'd thrown the contraceptive pills in was next to my dad.