My Dad Fed His Mistress Sweet Cake While Mom and I Drank Toilet Water第2話

Mom is hurting all afternoon.

She sits on the couch with both hands on her belly. Her eyes stay on the front door, which has been locked from outside.

Every little while, she asks me, "Is Dad back?"

I run to the door and look.

Then I run back to the window.

Dad's car is not downstairs.

Mom says Dad promised he would bring strawberry ice cream home tonight.

I do not have the heart to tell her Dad will not even answer the phone.

A little after six, it gets dark.

The lights are still on, but the kitchen feels emptier and emptier.

Mom tries to get me some water.

She takes two steps, then grabs the wall.

"Mom, sit down."

"I'm okay."

The words are barely out before her legs give out.

She falls hard onto the floor.

I start crying.

She pushes herself up and wipes my tears with her cold hand.

"Don't cry. Mommy just fell."

But her hand is so cold it scares me.

I run to the kitchen and turn on the faucet.

Not a single drop comes out.

"Mom, no water is coming out."

Mom leans on the wall and comes over. She stares at the faucet.

"Dad shut it off."

"Why did Dad turn off the water?"

"He said he was checking for a leak. He said he'd remember to turn it back on."

I call Dad again.

No answer.

Then I call Aunt Claire.

It takes a long time before she picks up.

"What now?"

"There's no water at home. Mom's stomach hurts."

"Can you two stop driving Ethan insane?"

"Mom really hurts."

I hear a man's voice on her end.

It sounds like Dad.

I shout right away, "Dad, can you hear me?"

Claire moves the phone away.

A moment later, she comes back.

"Ethan says you're just trying to make him come home."

"I'm not."

"Then why have you called so many times today?"

"Because Mom hurts."

Claire sounds annoyed.

"Isn't she always like this? The second she feels bad, she plays helpless. Then Ethan drops everything for her."

Mom reaches for the phone.

"Give it to me."

I put it in her hand.

She presses it to her ear. Her voice is very soft.

"Dad, I really don't feel good."

No one answers her.

Claire sighs.

"Lily, stop it. Ethan finally got out of that house for once, and now you're trying to drag him back."

Mom goes still.

"Who are you?"

The other end of the line goes quiet.

"Lily, you don't even know who I am?"

Mom looks terrified.

She throws the phone onto the floor.

A crack splits across the screen.

The call ends.

Mom curls into the corner with her arms around her belly.

"Ava," she whispers, "does Dad not want us anymore?"

I shake my head fast.

"Dad said he'll come back."

"He said that."

"Yeah. He said that."

That night, Dad does not come home.

There is no food and no water.

I search the whole kitchen.

In the trash, I find half a hard roll and a chicken drumstick with old sauce stuck to it.

Mom shakes her head.

"We can't eat dirty things."

"But I'm hungry."

She is quiet for a while.

I hold out the chicken.

"Mom can eat this."

Mom looks down.

"Mommy isn't hungry. Ava eats first."

"You have my baby sister in your belly. She's hungry too."

Mom pauses.

Then she says in a tiny voice, "Mommy is hungry too."

We sit on the cold kitchen floor and swallow the food little by little.

At night, I am so thirsty I cannot stand it.

Mom takes me to the bathroom.

She scoops a cup of cloudy water from the toilet and gives it to me.

"There's water here," she says. "It never runs out."

I close my eyes and drink it one mouthful at a time.

In that moment, I miss Dad so much.

I want to ask him why there was no cake.

I want to ask him why Mom is hurting and he still will not come home.

But when I call him again, it just rings and rings, and no one picks up.