Page 87 of Malliko
On the weekend after our night at the club, I had arranged to see my boys. Knowing that they didn’t want to stay at my apartment, I had invited them to a water park to spend the day. Standing in the kitchen, I whistled as I packed lunch. It reminded me of the time the boys were young, and I would put great care into making them snacks and lunches that I knew they liked. Maybe they would have preferred a burger at the park, butthe admission was expensive and bringing lunch was a way for me to save a little money.
I had just finished wrapping the last club sandwich when I sent a text on the group chat that I had with my boys.
Clara:Can’t wait to see you. Get ready, I’m picking you up in an hour.
I added smileys and hearts and put the phone on the counter.
“Almost ready,” I said and smiled at Malliko, who was sitting against the wall researching for his project. It was strange how so much of his research happened in his mind by accessing alien archives that contained information on humans. It was too abstract for me to understand.
Opening his eyes, he smiled back. “I love the way you glow with excitement.”
My smile widened. “I’m seeing Keith and Jamison today. Of course, I’m excited.”
Just then a ping sounded from my phone and before I even picked up the phone, I had a bad feeling.
Keith:Sorry, Mom, today isn’t going to work. Let’s find another day, soon.
“What happened?” Malliko said and got up from the floor. “Your whole face dropped.”
“They canceled. Again.” I could hear my voice crack. This had happened many times and at that moment I felt worse than ever. We had limited time before they were moving out of the country. On top of that I felt humiliated that Malliko saw me rejected by my own children like this.
A knock on the door was followed by Tania popping her head in. It didn’t take her long to see that something was wrong. Malliko came to put his arms around me, and I couldn’t hide my sadness and disappointment.
“What’s going on?” Tania asked.
“Clara was going to a water park with her sons today and now they canceled on her.”
Soon Tania had a hand on my shoulder and offered comforting words. “Teenagers don’t think very far. They don’t consider how this might hurt you. Everyone knows that teenagers are selfish. This isn’t because they don’t love you.”
Leaning my head against Malliko’s strong chest I felt grateful for my two new friends and their compassionate way of embracing my sadness.
“You know what?” Tania said and propped her hands on her hips. “I see you made the picnic ready so why don’t we three go instead? I haven’t been to a water park in years and Malliko probably never saw anything like it in his life.”
“Do you want to?” I asked.
Tania spun on her heals. “Let me just get my bikini and then we’ll go have the best day and send your boys pictures of what they missed out on.”
Looking up at Malliko, I asked, “Would that be okay?”
He kissed me and smiled. “I’m always up for an adventure.”
Ten minutes later, the three of us got into Tania’s car and took off. Once we got to the water park, Tania insisted that we call my boys. “Clara, make it a video call. Malliko and I want to thank them for giving their tickets to us.”
I agreed and luckily Keith picked up this time.
Tania gave him her brightest smile and held her arm around me as if we were best friends. A mother can tell when her teenage son gets affected and from the instant color in Keith’s cheeks, I knew he was unsure about what to say to the stunning woman in a bikini top who’d popped up on his screen.
“Hey, sweetie, I wanted to talk to you and your brother. Is he around?”
“Yes. He’s here.”
Jamison’s face popped into the picture as well.
“Hey, mom,” he said before his eyes went big at seeing Tania.
“Hey, boys. I’m your mom’s friend Tania and I just wanted to thank you for giving up your tickets. I haven’t been to a water park since I was your age and we’re having the best time.” Sending them an air-kiss, she laughed in a flirtatious way. “Malliko says thank you as well.”
Tania turned the camera to Malliko, who looked like a Roman god in his shorts. Standing with a big grin on his face and glee in his eyes, Malliko was too occupied by taking in all the water slides around him to notice what was going on with the video call.
