Midnight

Midnight. It was all a blur. I remembered climbing the stairs rather swifly and slamming the door behind me. I remembered anticipating her to chase after me. I remembered how she yelled at me, the veins at her neck bulging when she asked me to punch her in the face. I did no such thing. She wants to resolve this conflict her way, in the express lane where she is the cashier and I'm the customer at fault. She wants me to break down, get on my knees and apologise. I did no such thing.

I'm already a pro at this.

Midnight. My pillow was stained with saliva from all the yelling. The bulky Sony radio I got as a present was booming Enigma's Flower. My little brothers were sound asleep. She was downstairs watching random movies while sorting out her worksheet. I know everyone in the house so well it terrifies me. They know what I let them know about me.

Midnight. I opened the window and waited for Leela. I was already in my birthday suit. Behind closed doors, I made full use of the dumbells I secretly bought. I assumed middle-aged women like their man to be edaquately muscled. I knew weightlifting could potentially stunt my growth at 15 so I only worked on my chest, arms and abs. I pretended to fix the window frame to show my bulging biceps, hoping that she is peeping from her shut windows, admiring my progress. Nothing was wrong with the upper window fixture but I fixed it anyway. I climbed on a stool, exposing a trail to remind Leela that I'm already a full grown man.

Leela opened her window. I saw her smiling from her dark room.

Midnight.