Caught in a Fishbowl

Sitting in the passenger side of the car, I already wished this day could be over. My mother was sitting beside me, an upbeat Spanish song blasting on the stereo. All the words sounded the same and everything blurred in my memory. Looking over, I noticed her smiling and seeming cheerful. For me though, cheerful was around seventeen miles away. Being in the car for around 6 hours with an overly excited mother was enough to put anyone over the edge and then some.
Looking out the window, I saw something that made me somewhat smile. Rain. Under the cover of mist, there was that new home she’d always refer to now. New home on a random island. One where I wouldn’t possibly run away. Not like I could at the moment. I brought my grey sweater closer to my face and covered my hands with its baggy sleeves.
There wasn’t anything in Nanaimo for us, I already knew that. There wasn’t anything left in Calgary for me either, I knew that too. Both my brothers had gone away to college and one was apparently going to get married soon. Though, he did tell us that a year ago. See? Both my brothers were smart and abandoned the nest as soon as possible. As for my father, I was flying back as soon as possible to visit him and hopefully live there. Not that he’d notice me there or anything.
“Noemi, look! Look at the ocean” My mother gasped, not needing the little extra bit of excitement that was in her tone. I turned towards the window, looked down at the water and my stomach flipped. The rippling effect on the waves and rocks didn’t help much either.
“I see, I see” I said back as I switched songs on my Iphone. Nanaimo already seemed boring to me.
The waves crashed along the dewy rocks and lay by them, and as we drove by on the cliff above, I wondered what it would be like to just, sit there and forget everything.
“Good, and I know you are going to love the house. Dear it is fantastic. Right on the top of some hill that looks over the ocean” mom smiled, steering the car up the hill. Or what seemed like a mountain. I coughed, noticing how hard she was trying. I mean, its not every day she went through a.. dad and me called it a ‘psycho moment’. Where she makes some crazy way out there decision and sticks with it even though it could be, well, very bad. It was one of the many reasons dad decided to walk out, taking me and the boys with him.
I looked out the windows, trying to get some sort of a glimpse of anything other then dirt, rocks, ocean and grass, which is practically all I have been seeing the past few hours. The car came to a stop. Mom took out the keys, smiled and grabbed her oversized purse. The door slammed as I tried to look out the front window. All I saw was a white door, and peeling blue paint. I really hated this. I really truly did. Taking a breath, I shoved my phone in my pocket and opened the door.
The house seemed to loom over me, like it was a general consciences that neither one of us liked each other. The garden was soggy, full of dead plants and dirt. One upstairs window was smashed and the door looked like it could break down at any moment. All in all, it sucked.
“Oh darling, its amazing! Even better then the pictures. Though I’ll have to call some people and get it fixed up.” Mom laughed as she stood on the front step and dug around.
“Yeah, it needs some handy work” I mumbled as I shut the car door and followed her up the stairs. Mom had a habit of fixing everything she thought was “broken”, even if it really wasn’t. She pulled out some keys and shoved them in the lock. The door creaked open and a mouldy smell wafted up to me. I gagged. It was worse then when dad drinks too much and lays on the couch for a week.
We both walked inside, not really knowing what to expect. I wouldn’t be surprised if a skunk ran across the floor though. The walls were painted white, and it seemed like who ever left here left in a hurry.
The movers had already brought in our stuff; it was sitting in the corner of every room. According to the boxes it was the living room currently. The rest of the house was the same. It was empty.
Mom pulled out her blackberry and dialled in some numbers as i went to check out the upstairs. Each and every stair squeaked and the railing looked like it might fall down.
“Oh, this house has such character” Mom said into the phone as I kept walking. The first door seemed to be my room. My boxes were piled high in one corner and it seemed like the movers had taken it upon themselves to set up my desk in the corner and my bed across from it. I noticed the window seat right away. It seemed old, the navy cushions faded into a grey blue, and the wood underneath seemed to moan as I sat down. The next thing I noticed was the fact my window looked straight to the ocean. The greeny-blue ocean that caught all the raindrops as they splashed downwards. I swallowed, looking down at how far it was to the water.
“Yes, I will have them come first thing tomorrow morning.” Mom said as I turned my head. She was standing in the hallway, rubbing her finger on the banister and her blackberry glued to her ear. It was a habit, that blackberry of hers. Seems like she couldn’t, or just wouldn’t, go anywhere without it.
“Please, you know that’s easier said then done” She laughed as she walked towards the room across the hall. Moms stuff had already been set up too, apparently. I turned my attention back on the beach. There wasn’t anyone down there. Well, not really anyone. I squinted and looked harder. Sitting on a pile of rocks was around five people, seeming to have a party on the rocks. A party in the rain.
“Hun, people will be here tomorrow, like early. Please, actually get dressed tomorrow” Mom said as I saw her walk down the hall with her purse. Ugh. Fixing anything that seemed broken. That seemed to be my mother’s motto. I continued to look out at the rain.