Chapter 88
Lisa
"I came to Aidan's birthday party, what else Bam!" Bambam just whispers like he's tired of putting up with me and just living in general, "You're fucking impossible Lisa."
"I know, right?" Jennie accusingly joins the conversation. I look back at her, like really?, while Bambam can't go over his good nature and first introduces himself, "Hi, I'm Lisa's brother."
"Hi, I'm Jennie." She smiles and fixates Leo in her arms. "It was a great suggestion, Bam. That thing with the babysitter. I should listen to your advice more often." Bambam just plainly stares at me, "Just get in before I regret it." I walk in and it's so trippy to think the last time that I was here, it was nearly half a year ago. In the good old days, I'd be invited over nearly every week. I notice Irene and Bambam changed quite a bit in this house. They put a new still-life in the hallway and the smell of fresh paint reeks from the upper floor so badly it nearly makes me gag. One of the rare things that make my stomach do a backflip. That and Leo's shit. When my apartment was under 'personalisation', I practically slept in the poor excuse of an office I had at the time. As I walk through the house to get to the backdoor I also notice they installed new sliding doors instead of the regular ones they used to have. Through the glass, I see the party unravelling and without a struggle, my eyes find Aidan in the crowd running around in the company of other kids.
He grew. Man, he grew for a few very noticeable inches, and half a year ago he was a mirror image of Bam, but now there's the curl of his smile and the outline of his face that very much resemble Irene's. In a year or two, and at this rate, he'll be a perfect mixture of the two. I spy what my brother and my escort are doing in the back. Jennie is busy checking out the house, how it's decorated, and possibly forming a plan how she could renovate her own place. Bam, on the other hand, he's busy with the newly arrived guests whom I don't recognise. They're probably neighbours or friends from work. Right before I actively join the party, I put the enormous Aidan's gift down in the dining room along with other presents. Heh... mine is the biggest one.
I slide the door to the side, and at first, nobody noticed me, which is fucking ridiculous! But then, my boy Aidan squeals my name loudly and comes rushing from the engulfing crowd of kids, "Lali!" My lips automatically pull into a huge smile and like a martyr, I fall on my knees when I see him running towards me. He lands in my arms, squeezing me tightly and I hold him like I'll never let him go, "Oh, I missed you, buddy!" Aidan tears away from me and peers up with stars in his eyes, "I got all these new toys today, and Mummy's belly has been moving for the whole week!" I smile gently after the news-fill-in. I just feel at peace that he's still the same little joyous kid. "If you come closer, I'll tell you about something only a birthday boy like you can handle! You think you can do it?" Aidan nods enthusiastically, vibrating with excitement and good energy. At the same time Jennie comes out to the porch, desperate to hide behind me, but she doesn't interfere when he leans closer to me, and I hint to him the whereabouts of yet another gift he got, possibly the largest one he's gotten today. I observe his eyes light up and his legs grow restless, then at one point he just explodes, "Can I go look? Can I go look? Can I go look? Can I go look? Lali, can I go look? Can I go look?" I chuckle and ruffle his hair as I've done every time I got to spend some time with him, "Go, go, and don't forget to come back, okay!"
Aidan runs off, jumping the stairs to the porch two at the time, which is too much for him, and he stumbles a couple of times. Without any tears shed, he runs in with his mind still fixated on the gift. I take a quick nonchalant glance over the party and see people smile and aww at my relationship with Aidan. Jennie, probably feeling uncomfortable as hell, stands close by my side with Leo wiggling aggressively in her arms. "That is your nephew, I presume?" She smiles at first and looks towards the house in case she could see Aidan unwrap the gift. "Just seeing how much he loves you is a punch in the guts for your ex, you know that?"
