Painful Smiles

Michael stood up to help clean the table after breakfast but Mrs. Peniel rushed to take the plates from him.

“Instead of helping me with the tables, go finish that math assignment you were given” she furrowed her eyebrows.

A sigh escaped Michael’s lips as he headed to his room. His phone laid on his bed. He looked up at it for missed calls but there were none.

They were usually none since he came to the US. Tom barely called. His other friends made excuses. He didn’t blame them.

Most of them were still angry he left. For a reason he doesn’t know if he’s achieving or not. Some of them were only his friends because of his money.

It reminded him that Clara had donated blood to him first hand without taking anything. If he had to lose friends who would take something for her who didn’t take anything, then it was fair trade.

“You better be doing your assignment there, young man. No tutor for you here in US to finish your assignments without you looking at them” Mrs. Peniel sang as she took the plates to the kitchen.

“I don’t need tutors” he answered back.

The chemistry wasn’t much of a problem but the math was. How did factorization help him in his every day life?

Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication did but no other subject in math seemed to be helping him on his every day life.

He tossed the textbook to the wall and fell on his bed. Even still, his stay here was boring. Clara wasn’t even having his time much. Basically the only person who bothered him was Claudia.

He immediately sprung up. That little boy Paul had given him a number belonging to a certain Claudia.

He immediately began ransacking for the piece of paper the little boy gave him. If the kid’s Claudia and his own Claudia matched then he just officially helped “Miss dangerous” younger brother.

He smiled as he saw the paper folded in his English notes. He dialed the line and called. A grin appeared on his face when she answered. It was his Claudia.

“Hello? Who is this?” she asked again.

“Oh, hello, its me Michael. I’m surprised to be hearing your voice. Is this Claudia?” he asked. An inaudible groan from the other end replied. “Hey, are you okay?” he added.

“I’m not. My parents still left me for church. My pathetic life” the line was then cut.

Michael looked at his phone. Was she sick? The miss powerful? Having a pathetic life? He remembered once when Wright had said something about her family being sort of crazy.

He dropped his phone at his table and looked at it for a while. If she was home alone and very sick then it was dangerous. Life threatening.

He had endured loneliness but never with a bad health. His father never left such come near him.

He shook his head, why was he worried about her? She is tough and can handle anything, can’t she?

Mrs. Peniel came knocking on his door, “I want to stroll for a while. Need anything?”. A thought ran through Michael’s mind.

“Um, stroll? Well, if you just want to look around, why not join me to visit a classmate of mine who is very ill?” He picked up his phone and ran to his door.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Mrs. Peniel had an unsure look when he opened his door. “Classmate? Well, do they know you are coming? Their parents?”.

“No worries, my friend won’t mind and parents aren’t in. It’s not like I’m going there to steal. You can come along”. He was finally glad when he convinced her.

Somehow he wanted to stop and reason his actions but he didn’t.

“Another episode of me acting without thinking” he muttered to himself.

They arrived at the street where he had dropped the kid. The street was far down. He didn’t know which house would belong to Claudia. His phone rang again. It was Claudia.

“Did Wright give you my phone number?” her voice was very low.

Michael panicked but then answered, “No”. She would have hanged up again but he asked her whereabouts.

She could think it was weird or anything. He was just bored, and concerned, and wanted to help.

“Tsk. Don’t you dare come here. I’ll throw you the chicken soup I’m making” she shouted harshly. Michael frowned. Was she always this ungrateful?

Just making him feel like walking away from everything. Leave her to take care of her own health, after all, if she can make chicken soup then she’s strong.

“Ahh, how can it be so heavy” she screamed from the phone. She had forgotten she didn’t hang up on her call with Michael.

Michael kept on walking down the road. Maybe a scent of chicken soup can lead him to her house.

A small dog ran to him and began wagging its tail excitedly. “Hey, there, do you know a girl named Claudia?” Michael asked the dog, playfully. He hanged up the call.

The dog continued wagging its tail, it stopped abruptly and began leaving, sniffing for something in the air.

“Oh, did you catch the scent of the chicken soup?” he followed the dog. It stopped at an apartment that had windows closed everywhere.

One would doubt a human was inside. But Michael knew one was. He could see a faint light in the house and, of course, the obvious aroma of chicken soup.

“Michael, how could you run off like that?” Mrs. Peniel came closer to him panting. Michael stood transfixed in front of the door. He tossed his hair backwards and adjusted his collar.

Mrs. Peniel eyed him. What was the need to look good?

She banged the door and peeked in to check if someone was coming.

“Don’t be loud. We are not storming the house or anything. Also, she’s sick” Michael said to her.

She eyed him again, “Oh my, it’s a she? The friend you are meeting is a she. Don’t tell me it’s Clara? I thought you said she wouldn’t know who you are?”.

Michael shoved her questions aside. She kept on nudging him and he tiredly said, “No, its not Clara. It is a girl named Claudia, she’s sick”.

Mrs. Peniel nodded but then asked again, “Isn’t Claudia the sister of Clara?”.