The Final Sunset

Four

We sort of listed the possible topics she could make her assignment on and what all will be included in each kind of topic. She will think over it for a while she said. So after an hour and a half Eva leaves, finishing her last sip of tea. "Thank you, miss Mariah. And thanks Mia. Shall see you soon." And she goes.

"So what do you want to do now?" I ask my mother. She looks at me as though she has a number of things she'd want to do with me and then mentally picks one. "Let's go to the mall and get you something to wear."
"Wear? What do you mean? Do you need clothes for something?" I don't know what my mother is talking about. Or, I need to remember things properly. Argh.
She smoothly tosses an envelope towards me across the dining table.
'To Mariah and Mia'
Only a few people call me by my given name. I'm just Mia for most others.
It's a wedding invite and it's..
"What?" Not dramatic but slightly flushed. "What?!"
My mother is smiling at me. "Yeah. Don't give me that expression. She is getting married. And you need to look like a dish." Mum says.
I skipped the whole reading part and straight jumped down to read the two names. ' Liah weds Gregory'
"Why do I have to go for it, ma? Can you not go with some one else or not go at all? I don't know. You should go. I haven't like met her in so many years."
Liah and I were close when we were in school. Then after we graduated high school she left off to Australia, where her aunt helped her find a job. She seemed satisfied there, since she hardly came down back home to see her parents. Which then resulted in her parents selling off their house and living in Australia itself.
"Explain why you want me to look like a dish?" I ask while we've somehow dragged my body out of the house, since I was in no mood to shop for myself when I don't even want to go for it. Mum was just so happy and excited. I really don't see her like that much.
"C'mon, you need a little vacation. And I am not going there alone. We never went anywhere after you started working! And since there's a month left for her wedding, I figured there's enough time for you to ask for a leave from work so they can adjust the class schedules. You better get that done tomorrow!"
Mother seems adamant. Moreover she seems excited and I rarely see her that way. I think she wins this time.

~
This is the third store, and I'm super tired, there's nothing I like!  Mother liked most of them. She tried on two of them but she didn't like them on her. We walked around and then I saw a pretty little violet dress. "Maa look! This is lovely! Try it on." Mother looks at it, feels the fabric and makes me touch it and all that inspection. She goes in to try the dress. It fit pretty well. It's beautiful on her. She is beautiful.

I can't find anything interesting to buy so we order some take away dinner and head home.

I'm cold. It's only September, and it's getting cold. I let mother drive us home while I curl my feet up on the seat and lean my head against the car window. Nights like these come back flashing in my head. Memories of me and my few friends, going out at night, running down lonely streets, laughing our heads out at the shore. Campfires, burnt chicken and sodas, taking endless pictures of ourselves. Making memories. The beach was ours. The beach.
"Mia, home." I hear mum say. We're home and I didn't even realise that.
I head straight to the bathroom and then bed. I refused to eat but mum got the food to my bed. I ate a little, she ate with me too. She understands my moods, sometimes I feel like she can see right through me.
Falling asleep is difficult at times like these. I need to move away to move on and Liah's wedding would be great for me.

[Hi y'all!  I'm going slow with the plot. But if you're patient, it will come! Read on! Let me know what you think.]