CHAPTER SEVEN

I've been home for almost two hours now and thank holy baby Jesus he wasn't home when I came in. 

I can't imagine seeing him again after three long awful years. 

I don't even know what I'd say to him, what I'd do. 

God knows I've missed him every single day since he left. 

I wish I could just walk up to him and lock our lips in the most head spinning kiss either of us have ever had before whispering a welcome home in his ear. 

Well, dreams dreams because I'm still hiding up here in my room alternating between pretending to be asleep, In case anyone checked, and texting and calling Kayla. 

My very own human buffer. 

But she wasn't taking my calls and neither has she replied my texts.

Tired from wondering about how it is going to be facing him again, I somehow slept of.

Just for a couple hours though before my mothers soft but loud voice carried over to my room, asking me to come help her with dinner preparation.

I reluctantly went down the stairs to join her in the kitchen.

Seemed like she already got a head start on the work before inviting me.

I sighed at the amount of work to be done in here.

Cooking for my whole family always proves very wearisome.

I mean, what were my parents thinking having ten kids.

Well technically nine but still, they already had Damien but still went ahead to still pop nine of us.

Some times I wonder if it wouldn't have been wise for the to have stopped at Abby.

Everything littered on the counter top, from the condiments and spices to the veggies and the chicken, didn't point to a particular meal so I had to ask.

“Mom, what are we making?”

She didn't even bother to turn away from whatever she was stirring on the gas stove and take a moment to answer me.

“Since everyone is going to be here, we'd be making a bit of everyone's favourite. So nobody will have to eat what they don't want to in this special night.”

Amen to that.

I groaned, the work load just sky rocketed.

And it's just mama and myself for the job.

Kayla should be here by now if she's taken the time to listen to any of the desperate voice messages I sent her.

Maybe she just read that miserable text I sent asking her to grace us with her presence without mentioning how early the said presence will be needed for assistance.

And I have a feeling that's exactly the one she read.

Nobody else is home yet.

Damien is out with with Abby or so she said in her text .

He went to see her at school and then they decided to get out and have some fun before they come home.

I'm definitely not jealous!

I wonder what he looks like now.

Is he ahead taller? Did he get tanned from going out a lot, is his hair longer now or does he still wear it in his usual conventional cut? Is it a shade lighter or darker now?

His pictures on social media don't give away much and most times they are not even of him.

Yes, even though I didn't call him or take his calls in all these years, I did stalk him on every social media platform possible.

Facebook, Instagram, all of them.

I try to convince myself all the time that I do it to check on my big brother and that's something any caring sister would do, but the truth deep down inside is that I do it because I miss him.

And I want to know how and what he's doing any time I can.

Because try what I may, I don't know how to stop feeling the way I do about him even after three years of not seeing him.

“Don't just stand there and do nothing, get your hands busy on something. Start on the vegetables first, wash them.”

I sighed but still got the water running anyway.

I paced a bit trying to get the left over grogginess out of my system before I started washing up.

Whatever mom was stirring on that stove smelled very nice and delish.

I'm definitely looking forward to wolfing down my share of it.

Mom is a very good cook but she only cooks on rare occasions because she's always busy with work.

So I guess everyone is looking forward to tonights special.

And if you were wondering, I cook the meal around here most of the time and Abby, the few times I can't.

Though I'm not as good a cook as mom, I still make a decent meal unlike Abby whose food barely ever manages to be edible.

I remembered the one time she made us pasta.

The spice she put in almost burned out all our taste buds and her excuse was that she likes it spicy.

She couldn't eat it either and we called her spicy for that week.

Too bad she wouldn't let that “cute” name stick.

I laughed out at that memory and mom, hearing me turned and pinned me with a glare.

“Can't you be any faster with that? That chicken won't spice itself so get on to it.”

Whoa, I'm doing the chicken?

“Okay mom.” I answered sweetly but inside? I'm rolling on the floor and throwing a big tantrum.

I gave it up and got serious and busied my hands, blocking out every distracting thought.

I didn't want to make any mistake and ruin dinner for someone or worse, everyone.

For hours on end I was doing my best to help mama produce a very mouth watering three course meal for twelve people with considerations to their preferences.

And when I thought a helper was finally home to save me, it turns out the person that came in was Drake, all sweaty from his basketball practice and totally unfit to come in here for any reason at all.

“Hi mom, hey Jay jay.”  I don't know why he still calls me that.

Damien had started it that period I was going through my 'I want to be a boy's phase. 

He said if I was bent on turning myself in to a guy then i deserved a suiting name too and so came jay jay.

Jay for short.

It stuck for a long while and even though most of them don't use it often now, they still call me that every once in a while.

Like now.

“Something smells good in here.”

He continued, poking his head in from the door way and making a show of sniffing the air .

I smiled at that and forgot all I was going to say to him about that damn name.

“Well, you have mom and yours truly to thank for that. Now get out of here and go get into the first bathroom you find.”

He laughed it off as he went out and bounded up the stairs.

“Why isn't Jason back home with him.” Mommy asked me over her shoulder.

Drake was just standing by that door seconds ago but she decides to ask me.

Janice the psychic!

“I don't know mom, you should ask him.” 

I pointed in the general direction of where Drake had disappeared.

“When he gets back down here.”

She just looked like she realized I wasn't the right person to answer that and we didn't talk after that.

I got tired running around in here but I didn't dare mouth a complaint else I won't hear the end of it today.

I slumped down on one of the kitchen stools and waited till the timer on the oven went off.

I ran over to the oven while putting my gloves on, getting ready to pull the pan out.

When I did, I was satisfied with my hand work.

“Ahhhha,” I exclaimed, “perfectly brown and I bet, just as tasty.”

"Don't even think of pinching that." Mom warned sternly. 

“No mom, I wouldn't even dream of it.”

But I did dream of it and I was very much tempted to.

“So what's perfectly brown and definitely tasty?” Kayla asked coming into the kitchen and dropping her bag on the counter top and very close to all we've managed to cook.

“Hi Mom.” she greeted.

“Get your bag away from the food young lady. You are welcome too.” Mom called  back.

She drew the bag down and dropped it on the floor before going over to mom and hugging her from behind.

“I missed you, you know that right.”

I couldn't see her face but I could bet mom was smiling.

Kayla, that wench, I'm sure she's trying to weasel out of doing anything.

She was sent off to set the table and I laughed as she groaned, just like I did earlier.

“But mom, I just got here.” She whined

I scoffed at her dramatic self.

I mean it's just the table and that's nothing compared to standing in here all evening and making dinner for everyone.

She didn't go immediately, just took a seat opposite me.

“Where's our runaway brother?” She mouthed to me.

“Dunno, Abby texted me earlier to say that he's with her. Took her out to catch a little fun and maybe give her a heart felt apology for not coming home to see her once in three years  before coming back to old boring us.”

“Only you Jay.” She laughed.

“I bet you that's it. She's always been his favorite anyways.”

“Favorite sister, yeah,” she agreed, “but his f..... forget that, where is everyone else.”

I wondered about that little break and what she'd let slide.

It was like she knew something I didn't but I gave it up and answered her.

“Drake's probably in the shower upstairs now or busy lazing about in his room. Jason is yet to come back, I don't know where May is and today is Friday in case you forgot so, piano lessons for Cade and Kenzie.”  

I drew in a deserved breath.

“And Narla is at Jenny's.” 

“Hmmm, okay.”

She sashayed off to get the dishes and finally set our dinning places.

Mom had the rest under control so it seemed my attention wasn't needed anymore for the moment.

I took that moment to go up to my room and have a long hot bath.

I was sweating from all that cooking so a bath was in order.

I took my time with getting ready, definitely not because I'm trying to impress anyone.

I put on my new, yet to be worn evening gown.

A little bit off the shoulder and a little above me knee.

I liked what I saw in my mirror and I hope he d.....fuck!

'Don't do that', I cautioned myself.

I left my hair flowing down my back.

For no reason at all.

I ran a brush through it one last time before going down again.

Everyone was back already in that short time I took off except Damien and his baby Abs.

Daddy brought Cade and Kenzie and that was no surprise but Jessie, Jenny's elder brother dropping Narla off, now that's what I call interesting.

Wondering again how I knew all this?

Well that's why we have May, she tells you everything.

Said May was in the sitting room interrogating Kayla on all about college life and making me out to be the dumb, boring sister.

I rolled my eyes.

They were the only ones down here with me as I set the variety of food we prepared on the table.

I guess everyone else was getting ready in their rooms with mummy attending to the Kent's youngests.

“Mine truly,” Drake teased coming down the stairs as I was placing the small sized grill on table. 

“Want to sneak your favorite brother a bite of anything?

He flashed me his mega watt smile that may actually work on other girls but I just flipped him off because that doesn't work on me.

Haven't worked ever since he turned five.

“Nothing for you yet so now don't pest around me, okay?”

He pouted, another one of his cute acts, before heading to the kitchen.

“Oh no you don't.” I groaned, going after him.

He laughs at me and go instead to the fridge to get a drink.

I laughed at myself too.

“Mom said no pinching.” I defended myself before strutting back to the dinning room.

I was doing the final dressing when the front door flew open.

Abby came in, her favorite strawberry flavored Popsicle on hand but it was the deep laughter from behind her that caught and held my attention.

He walked in the door and oh my God!

I saw him first but when he looked at me, our eyes locked and three years of nothing fell away and the only thing that mattered was right now.