by AmberNila
Whenever I got the chance, I went to visit great-grandma Wendy. It was a numb atmosphere around there. The walls and furniture were all flashing white with the sterile scent everywhere I went. In Wendy’s mind, it was certainly way more colorful and fun. At the same time, that was the very reason that made her end up here. Doctors declared her insane. I always thought that was too rough. She was a harmless, innocent old lady after all. Didn’t she deserve better? Living by herself would be tricky, as she would just walk across the streets without paying attention to the traffic. While cooking, she would probably set the house on fire and this list would go on and on. Maybe her living with us would have been a respectful solution. I pitched this idea every now and then to mother. Of course, that wasn’t an option, since she had no time to handle a grown-up toddler. (Again, not my words.)
Our house was definitely grand enough to host another person. Mother made sure to marry rich and got divorced quickly for several reasons. The sponsor of her fabulous life paid her off generously just to get rid of her. Can’t blame him. The only fabulous spark I got was when Wendy took me into her fairytale world. I started to picture the scenery in cotton candy colors and felt that magical breeze. Back home, the only breeze I could feel was from that air conditioner in my room, since there was no window. Hard to understand, but I had to live in one of the few rooms in that mansion that had no window! I can’t point that out enough. We had many discussions about it. I even moved secretly to other rooms, but that didn’t go well. “That’s not your room.” Mother declared. In the end, mother always won. She always escorted me back to my room, which I could already hear in the distance, because of that loud noise coming from the air conditioner. I threw myself into bed and started complaining immediately. “What is it, Sweetie? I can’t understand you if you are mumbling into your pillow.” She said in such a calming way that teased me even more. With wide eyes I roared at her: “That air conditioner is making me sick! Do you hear my voice? Cracking?” “No, no, Sweetie. See, the air coming out of that air conditioner is actually healthier for you, since it’s filtered.” She said totally convinced. Did she really believe that? “Anywho, the air conditioner is really loud. I can hardly sleep with that much noise.” She lightened up and pulled a tiny box out of her pocket. “That’s what earplugs are for.” She handed them over to me as if they were some Christmas gift. “You are welcome, Sweetie.” She said while kissing me on the cheek. She was shading her cruelty with over-the-top fake friendliness. That new strategy creeped me out even more. She headed towards the door and gave me one sharp look: “Also, this room is perfect, it’s right next to mine. That way, I can always protect you.” Alright, she must have meant: control me. “And,” she added. “you even have your own bathroom.” She pointed out, trying to make it tempting for me. “The only downside, still no window there either.” She gave up, as she probably ran out of kindness for the day and then closed the door – and locked it from the outside.
© AmberNila 2024-06-14