Later That Night Ear to the Door—Mum’s Bedroom
Later That Night: Ear to the Door—Mum’s Bedroom
I tiptoe toward
Mum’s closed bedroom door.
I press my ear to it.
Mum speaks in Greek
but too quiet and quick
for me to catch
most of what she says.
The few words I hear
are swear words.
I hope her swearing
is about Mr. Ndour
and not me.
I knock.
I hear footsteps.
Mum opens the door
with her phone
still at her ear.
“I’ll call you back, Estélla.”
In the doorway,
I explain my lie
and Mum listens,
her face blank,
as if her emotions
are still loading.
“I don’t deserve this,” she says.
Her voice and face break.
Nostrils flare, lips twitch, eyes well up.
“I don’t deserve to be lied to.
Not by you.
I’m on your side, Malachi.
I was ready to go to war for you.”
“I know,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
I wait but Mum doesn’t respond.
“Do you forgive me?” I ask,
fearful and uncertain
of what Mum thinks of me.
She doesn’t answer
with words. She flings
her arms around me.
Squeezes me tight.