Silhouette

Maria was happy, as she went down the road. Hopping and skipping, she went over all the new words she had learnt in school that day. Premonition. Rendezvous. And, her personal favorite. Silhouette.

The word had a dreamy feel to it, like a poem for the eyes. Maria was anxious to catch a glimpse of a silhouette in real life, but it’s not easy to catch one in broad daylight, during her school hours. She had raised her hand up to the sun, and although her hand made something of a silhouette, Maria hadn’t been quite satisfied with the effect.

Iqbal’s pastry shop, on the way back home, was open at the time. The tiny shop looked like a birthday cake with lots of candles on it, the lights enhanced greatly by the setting sun. Somehow, she felt the urge for a sweet. Going to the counter, she was greeted by the tempting smell of baking cakes, and the wonderful colors of toffees. She chose an orange toffee, and was soon sucking on it happily as she went back home.

The front door was open, like it always had been. Her mother had been quite careless, right around the time that her father died. Lately, however, she’d become even more careless. Ever since she got a new boyfriend, the guy who would come in a black fast car and whisk her mother away every night.

“Maria, honey, is that you? Gosh, darling, you’re late today,” a voice called from the bedroom as Maria entered. The house seemed to be in disarray, and Maria knew the moment she entered that the cleaning lady hadn’t come. Her mother hadn’t bothered to clean up either, and Maria knew she had to do it.

“Yes, Ma. It’s me. I’m sorry it took me long to reach, I stopped at Iqbal’s for a sweet. I got you one too, do you want it?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I don’t have sweets anymore. Too many carbs, it can’t be too good for me, can it?” called back her mother’s voice, moving from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Maria walked slowly to her little brother’s room. She could hear her mother taking a shower, and somehow knew that she would be going out tonight. It would be Maria and her little brother all alone; but the little tiddler didn’t seem to mind all that much. He gave a big grin and a bigger “agoogoo” on seeing Maria, and she smiled back.

“Maria, I’m ready. Steve’s here, I’m leaving now. I’ll be back late, so don’t stay up for me honey. Take care of Junior for me. Dinner’s ready, you just need to warm it up. Goodnight, honey.”

Maria rushed to the door of Junior’s room, and could see the main door open. Steve’s car was standing right outside, and the lights were shining inside the house. She caught a glimpse of her mother as she left – a silhouette, against the car lights.

“Goodnight, Ma,” said Maria in a tiny voice. The car lights moved away, and she slowly closed the door for the night.