Chapter Six
Luna went up to her room and tried to avoid her mother who was busy in the kitchen. She immediately removed her jacket then threw herself on her bed. She pulled a pillow towards her and began to cry. She was able to remember the warm calming voice of Grandma Sandy. She was able to hear in her mind the way the old lady used to read to her. It should have been a happy moment for Luna, but she felt empty and cold inside. The intensity of her missing her grandmother had increased. She felt like drowning herself in tears. No wonder my brain blocked her memory, she sobbed as she tried to dry her eyes with her pillowcase.
Before Luna could cry any further, her cold wet feet felt numb over her sheets and she started to sneeze. It was a long summer and she did not want to spend it at home, answering one module after the other as she stayed in her room nursing a fever. So, even if she just wanted to hug herself and cry until she fell asleep, Luna got out of bed and went in her bathroom to run a warm bath.
Luna carefully removed her jeans that stuck to her like glue, and then she rubbed her matted hair to check if there were bits of dirt on it. She removed her clothing and went in the tub of lukewarm water. The heat made her feel indifferent for a few minutes, and then she felt the warmth blanketing her.
Grandma Sandy, Luna thought as she closed her eyes, thinking that the voice might come back in her mind and possibly talk to her. However, there was nothing but the scent of the bath, the faint sound of water on the roof and her slow breathing in the darkness of her closed eyes. Luna bit her lower lip then opened her eyes. Was that even how she talked? she thought as she licked her lips and lifted a hand to allow the warm water trickle down her arm.
Luna stayed in the tub for a few more minutes before she got up and changed. She placed her wet shoes inside the bathroom, sat on her wheeled-chair and switched on her computer. She wanted to share what was happening to her, but she seemed to fear how none of her friends, not even 18phoeb2014, could seem to understand her. She opened an empty MS Word window and started to type.
There are a lot of things I probably love, but it was several years ago that I found true love. Her voice had always been my refuge when-ever thunder scared me. She would read to me, drowning the loud thunder passing by. She was my Grandma Sandy.
Luna stopped, and then she reread her paragraph. Her shoulders shuddered as a lump grew in her throat. She was already feeling the truth behind the words. She gritted her teeth to control herself from crying, and then she smiled. She was about to continue but words seemed to have left her. She had nothing more to say about her grandmother. She needed at least three pages and yet she only had one paragraph.
Luna lifted an eyebrow and carefully licked her lower lip. She closed her eyes then held her breath. I can describe what she looked like, she thought, and then she started to type down adjectives about her grandmother. However, Luna deleted them. The words appeared generic and unreal. She felt like she was not giving justice to her first paragraph or even to the memory, if ever she remembered any, of her late grandmother. Of course Luna knew that the words she used were true. Her grandmother did have graying hair, quite a wide smile and a few wrinkles, but that was how she was in pictures. Luna wanted to show how she was in her eyes. If only I could have those eyes back.
Luna clicked CTRL and then S to save her file. She named it module 3_english and then closed the window. She looked at her empty wallpaper then switched off her computer. She pushed herself from her computer desk and then her wheeled-chair rolled across her room to her bed. She sat on the bed, and as she intended to take a nap, there was a knock on the door.
“Luna, dinner,” boomed a low male voice from behind the door.
It was Mr. Robbins. He rushed down the stairs as Luna got out of bed. Mr. Robbins sounded a little annoyed. Maybe he got fired, Luna thought excitedly as she opened her door and went down to their long round dining table. The table was already set and they were having burgers and fries tonight. Luna's eyes widened and her mouth watered. They have been having too healthful food for a long time that her mother banned burgers and fries at their home even though they were her husband's and daughter's favorites. Mrs. Robbins insisted on a proper, balanced and healthy diet so for a long time since Luna was ten, they only had fish and greens with occasional chicken and mashed potato.
Luna immediately sat on her chair and smiled at the meal before her. Mr. Robbins sat after her as Mrs. Robbins walked behind him, carrying a bowl of green salad. Luna looked away from the bowl of green salad, silently hoping that her mother would not force her to eat them. Apparently she did not hope enough. Mrs. Robbins placed two spoons of green salad on Luna's plate. Luna tried to protest but her mother was too insistent.
“Just eat them. They're good for you,” Mrs. Robbins said as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.
Luna sighed then started to chew on the green salad. She ate them as fast as she could with the help of the orange juice for every swallow. After finishing the green salad, Luna placed a few salt on her fries and started to stuff her mouth with them.
The table was silent as usual except for the occasional clicking on the keyboard, chewing of meat, the gulping of juice, and the clinking of utensils on plate. Luna picked up the burger from her plate with both hands and took a bite. Her mother had not cooked meat in a while but, as usual, it was juicy. The ketchup dripped on one side of Luna's burger to the plate as she took another big bite. Her face almost ballooned from biting too big. Luna really loved her mother's burgers. Just as Luna was about to take another bite, her father cleared his throat.
“So how's your English going, honey?” Mr. Robbins asked, taking a bite from his own meal.
“Hm?” Luna responded, chewing as fast as she could and then swallowing it. “It's okay, dad. I already started this week's task and I think I might be able to finish it as long as I could go—” Luna stopped herself.
Her parents were still not aware that she was going to the library and they have specified that she should not be going there the last time that she mentioned about it. Her father nodded at her response, not noticing that she left him hanging.
“That's good then.”
After dinner, Luna went to her room and laid on her bed, with one hand rubbing her stomach as it was full while the other was stretched widely on her side. She stared at the ceiling blankly then got up and pulled her chair towards her computer. She switched it on and opened her blog window. She thought of her day and began to describe it.
I just ate dinner and we had burgers! Anyway, I wanted to tell Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, aka mom and dad, about the library but I think they won't understand me. I know they won't. I went there to read again today and it rained; there was even thunder and lightning and I was so scared! I was so wet when I went back there this afternoon. But the thing was, Mrs. Chandler, the really scary librarian from next door, gave me a hot tea and lent me a blanket. She even offered to dry my jacket. I never thought of her as a caring person like that. She always had this creepy atmosphere that at any moment she might bite. It's really surprising. But then she still scares me. All the same, she was nice today. There was also something weird today. I mean, there's always something weird, but then today was definitely weird but I think I liked it.
#weirdyetcool Little Luna