"Sweetie, are you sure?" My mother asks me the same question again. We have been through this numerous times already. "You don't have to move out. We are happy to have you here."
"That's okay," I tell her. "I want to and I'll be fine."
"Well then," She sighs in defeat. Getting up she walks to the door of my bedroom, "Good night." She wishes and closes the door.
I lay back on the bed. She says that but I know she defends me being called crazy behind my back. They all do. They don't like the way I live my life, in my own dreamland. In a land where everything I want comes true.
I had earned numerous amounts of money from my last book. I wrote about a woman who was gang—raped and how she took gruesome revenge from everybody. It was my imagination but a movie was made on it and my book became a bestseller, but that was last year.
Now my two books; a romance and a paranormal were highly sold too. I wanted to live alone because I was always absorbed in my own world or writing my dreams away but by people, it was considered a waste and my books selling was sheer luck. I hated people with passion. I only loved my mother and my father because of which, they were the only ones that knew about my new address.
From Long Island, I was making a long jump to Brooklyn. Close to New York but far enough.
***********
"That's the last of it." The mover clapped his hand and my father went ahead to talk to him. Both of them went out. He was going to pay, I knew he was but I had already paid one—third of it.
"So, decoration, are you up for it?" My mother, Julianna asked me. I didn't want the help but the hopeful expression on her face had me accept it. It was probably her getting in terms with having an empty nest. Especially when my siblings had better and more reliable professions than me.
"Sure. I could use some help." I smiled her way.
She went ahead with her plans for arranging my apartment. I liked her style better. I wore whatever she got me without batting an eye.
We tried to arrange the apartment according to her choices. The beds had been ordered already with given mattresses and we had the pillowcases and sheets. So they could spend the night whenever they wanted.
My father was proud of me but the reasons were unknown. I loved the fact that my first ever apartment was bigger and better than my siblings. It had a spacey kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. I was not going to share mine.
The living room was done and so was mine. The guest room was bare except the bed but my mother made an unnecessary promise about decorating it perfectly. That was a lie. She wanted to come and check up on me. To make sure that I was still alive and kicking.
All of these events had taken up the whole day and it was the evening. I was cooking because I had to make sure that my mother understood the fact that I could take care of myself. Which she clearly didn't because she was standing on my head making sure that I don't burn the beautiful building down.
I made some pasta and ordered a KFC chicken bucket. Both were loved by me and my parents.
"Okay, the pasta is good." My father complimented. "Honey, I'm sure she can cook for herself." He taunted my mother, making her frown.
"What is your problem?" And there we go, the usual bickering.
"You worry too much. Ariana is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."
"I know that. But worrying is a part of parenting and she's away from us."
"You can come here any time, Mom. I am not stopping you but remember I need to be on my own too. You two can finally go on a holiday and sleep the whole day." I tell and then eat the chicken.
"Why the whole day? What do we do at night?" She asks.
"I don't know. Have drinks or have sex. It's your choice." I shrug, biting back a smile.
"Ariana!" She raised her voice whereas my father laughed wholeheartedly. He loved my frank behaviour and whenever I spoke. It was rare for me to talk that much with people but with these two, I was unfiltered.
"God, child, I am mortified." She covered her face. My father was still laughing and his whole face was red.
"I think she knows how she and her siblings came." He snickered.
"Would you stop it!" She hissed, hitting his arm. "Doesn't help when you say that."
"Ah," he smiled and put some food on her plate.
We all ate in silence. The TV was still running and a news channel was on. My father had made a habit to make us all listen to it at least during dinner when we all were together so that we knew what was happening around the world.
I cleaned the plates. I rarely used the dishwasher. My mother was drying them and father placed them in the cabinet. He also checked the mechanisms and if anything could possibly hurt me.
"Well, I am going to retire for the night." Mother said. "Good night, Ari." I wished her back. My father kissed my forehead and went to the bedroom as well.
I got up and went towards the windows. I chose the one with these beautiful french windows. They helped me remain calm and also think.
I made myself some iced tea. It helped me with writing. Placing the glass on the work desk, I opened my laptop and typed away, once again drifting away from the world.
