NIGHT came and in the end, Aeschylus and Enza didn’t make up.
Aeschylus slept without being on good terms with Hussey nor his mother.
His girlfriend and his mother cried in their sleep.
Hussey’s eyes were wide open as she stared through the darkness of the dawn, Hussey often clench her chest whenever pain consumed her.
The problem most definitely can be solved by time but she just can’t believe that she’ll ever face things that can lead them to defy each other.
Never once in her mind that she ever pictured this day will come that they’ll be like this.
It’s normal for couples, yes, but the thought of having different reasoning made her stomach ache, as if there’s also hands choking her that she was unable to breath and there’s pang underlying in her core.
Unwanted thoughts popped into her head through the break of day without any warning, preventing her for closing her eyes.
They’re often repetitive, with same kind of thoughts cropping up again and again. They can be disturbing and even distressing.
Hussey placed her face on her knees, tears bluring her view.
She hated this feeling.
It’s her first time feeling this way, hoping she would never receive one again in the future.
Whether it’s a small or a big argument, it’s not something to keep her calm and peace, if it was simple then why was she hurting this bad?
Hussey sniffled, couldn’t remember what time her eyes close until dreamland greeted her.
She wanted to talk it out again with her boyfriend, first thing in the morning, she’ll visit him.
Hussey doesn’t want to keep this misunderstanding for long between them that’s why when sunrise became visible, she was quick to get ready and went downstairs.
There’s burden lying on her shoulders, it didn’t leave unnoticed to Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle handed her daughter a coffee mug.
“Is there a problem? You look like you didn’t get enough sleep last night.” Emmanuelle tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear as she scrutinized her puffy eyes. “Have you been crying?”
Out of nowhere, Astennu came in the scene. “You crying?!”
Hussey looked down when Astennu rubbed her unusually swollen eyes while Emmanuelle squeezed her hands.
“Uhh . . .” she bit her lip, not trusting her voice so she kept her mouth shut.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” her father asked.
Emmanuelle dragged her towards the living room so she can tell them about it after she agreed sharing it to them.
In the long run, she found herself crack-up. Hussey was on the verge of breaking down again.
People may call her pathetic for making it a big deal, how can they blame her?
She hadn’t experience something like this and she couldn’t contain it.
No matter how tough she was, there’s still days that she’ll feel discourage especially when her emotions were getting ahead of her.
That was one of the reason why she doesn’t want to feel any negative energy, she’ll only be in the state of dejection.
After mewling about Aeschylus, she told her parents that she’ll go to Aeschylus to reconcile and get it over.
“Are you seriously going to see him? Why don’t you let him go talk to you instead of the other way around?”
Hussey thanked her mother after she handed her a plate of pancakes and bacons, she wouldn’t let her go without eating anything. “That doesn’t apply to me, Nue,” it almost came out like a whisper.
Astennu’s jaw slacked off, then leaned closer to Emmanuelle. “Wow, look at her, acting like you. You see, you always do the first move—ow!” he whined when Emmanuelle elbowed his guts. “Anyway, do you want me to drop you there?”
“Nah.” She shook her head without looking at her father. “I can manage on my own.”
Her parents gave each other a glance, then her mother spoke, “You’re not going to school today? How about your remaining requirements?”
“I still have a lot of time to settle them before graduation.”
Under the scorching sun, she came in front of the house of her boyfriend at exactly eight o’clock, knocking not heavily but not wispily either.
Enza witnessed her swollen face first, Hussey was welcomed with a stony demeanor which quickly changed with a perturbing expression upon recognizing the reddish hue invaded her features.
“What happened, Hussey?” Aeschylus’ mother found herself holding Hussey’s hand to let her in, she had forgotten that she was somehow dismayed to her.
“I’m so sorry for abruptly coming here without notice, auntie. Can I know if Sky went to school?”
Hussey sat down when Enza gestured the seat. “About, Aeskie . . . can we talk about why he wanted to join?”
She can tell by her tone and expression that Enza was producing wasn’t very good, but she doesn’t have an idea where it was coming from.
Hussey did leave bad impression to her since she was the reason she brought up the organization to her son.
While Hussey was scanning her face, she began, “You didn’t let him, right?”
Enza’s eyes expanded after hearing her almost pleading question. So it’s really my son’s choice?
Enza cleared her throat first before answering, “No. . . .”
Enza cupped Hussey’s hands and when Hussey gazed up, Enza’s eyes was pleading.
Her orbs glistened with tears. “Please, Hussey. Make him stop from joining, if he wanted to join training then, okay, I’ll let him. Just don’t let him work for—” Enza halted when she sobbed.
There’s no way she’ll approve this for Aeschylus, if he only wanted to learn and be with Hussey—then yes, she’ll give a thought about it.
If he won’t respect that, she doesn’t know anymore, she doesn’t want him to give his life for this, this wasn’t the life that she yearned for Aeschylus.
In Hussey’s place, she understood what her boyfriend’s mother wanted.
Because she doesn’t want Aeschylus to risk it too.
Hussey drew in a long breath. “Auntie, I already tried talking to him. I couldn’t convince him; did he listen to you?
When the mother shook her head, she talked again, “I thought he’ll listen to you . . . he didn’t even budge when I talked to him. . . .”
Her eyes dropped on her lap. “If you couldn’t persuade him . . . then how can I do it?” When here I thought, the most special person in his life didn’t make him change his mind.
“How did this happen? He won’t be able to be affiliated with SJ that easily, right?
She bit her lower lip. “You signed it, auntie, you agreed letting him join the training. He’s already in the system. If he’s stubborn enough, he can still talk to the managers or the directors if he wish to work for them. . . .”
“W-What?”
Hussey brought her orbs back to Enza. “Since you have permission to let him, he can still be part of us. . . .”
Hussey continued when she didn’t comment anything, “I’m deeply sorry, auntie.” She bowed her head as a sign of apology while Enza’s grip on her tightened.
“I’m the one who wanted him to know how to at least fight, the work is not for him and all I planned was to have him learn how he’ll support himself if ever he faces unfortunate events.”
That’s when Enza let Hussey go, Hussey couldn’t blame the anger bubbling inside her.
She’s a mother and a mother would never want her child to be in the downward spiral.
“Why do you want this for my son? He’s well, he’s doing fine . . .” she trailed off when Hussey shook her head at her. “What do you mean ‘no’?!”
“He doesn’t need to know self-defense, you’re Astennu’s child! I know your parents wouldn’t want you to be in danger,”
“Even if your life is different from ours, the thought of being worried about any possible threat lurking around their daughter won’t change!”
It felt like daggers struck her chest when Enza began to whimper, Hussey moved closer to embrace her.
Hussey rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, auntie, I’m sorry for making you upset . . . I can’t tell you why I wanted this for Sky. I want you to know the truth from Aeschylus himself.”
She doesn’t want to be the one to voice out Aeschylus’ case, Hussey told his mother that she should ask her son herself but she was persistent.
“Please, Hussey. . . .”
Even though Hussey doesn’t to tell her, Enza’s emotions won her over in the end. “He’s often t-targeted by the delinquents at s-school . . . that’s how I met him, also the reason why I wanted him to train with us because he couldn’t put up a fight. I’m worried for his sake because there will be days that I won’t be there for him. . . .”
All could Enza do was to cover her mouth due to the stuff she heard from Hussey.
Since the start of not attending his classes, the reason why he stopped attending school before, when there’s days that she caught the bruises on his body—Enza couldn’t believe that her son kept these things from her.
A screeching pain eating her up, asking herself why she didn’t do better for her son.
Meanwhile Hussey couldn’t do anything but to console her. It doesn’t have to be words, Enza appreciated her for just being next to her.
“H-Have I been a good m-mother to my son?” Why didn’t I notice?
Silence soon overpowered for some time.
Only the sobs that the two shared can be heard in the living room, until a set of arms joined them.
“M-Mom . . .” It was Aeschylus who also overheard everything. “I’m sorry for not acknowledging your feelings, if me—not joining the combatants will ease your worriedness then . . . okay, I won’t join.”
Without causing any sound, Hussey gave the two their moment to talk about their personal issues.
After expressing reconciliation, regrets, guilt, and weeps, they all asked for forgiveness.
The moment Aeschylus and Hussey’s eyes found each other, he gave her leisure blinks for numerous times which she could only answer with a languid three blinks.
Both were communicating affection.