Tina’s P.O.V

Of course, Mean’s arrival makes the whole family keeps smiling with nonstop and so do I. Basically, I don’t smile like an idiot like my sister, well, at least I could stay happy because Mean’s changed a lot, by her way of expressing by speaking, but there’s 2 things she hasn’t changed so far such as: speaking in a low voice and being clumsy with my sister and I. She still likes to play with us like the old time, though it wasn’t a long time, but we had a lot of fun. Mean likes to tease me in front of my parents and this makes them laugh a lot. Her arrival really makes the whole have some noise and I appreciate that. At the dinner at home, we talk about a lot of things but dad also mentions about Aom when we get to the topic of studying and that gets my attention quickly.

“How’s your school with Aom?” Dad asks me while he’s cutting his steak.

I take a laugh first then answer to him.

“Fine.”

“I think it’s more than just fine.” Dad also laughs with me.

“Well, being with Aom is good, that’s all I can say. And you didn’t tell me about her appearance, she’s gorgeous.” Then I smile.

"I hope you didn't make her get into trouble for this very first day" then we all laugh. Dad, I almost got her into trouble but I was the one who sacrificed my fams and stuff because of her!

"Uhh, no! of course not" I smile.

“Who’s Aom?” Mean seems to be interested in Aom that’s why she breaks into the conversation.

“She’s my friend’s daughter, Mean. I arrange her to study in a university with Tina, isn’t that cool?” dad smirks to Mean.

“Aom? I’ve never heard this kind of name before, is she unique, Tina?” Mean laughs.

“Well, everyone is unique, Mean, unless you have a twin.” Everyone laughs at my sudden joke then I continue. "Seriously, she's quite unique"

“She sounds interesting, can I meet her too?” she’s requesting this to my dad or me?

“Ask Tina, don’t ask me” Dad shrugs.

“Well, Tina?” she stares at me in the eyes of begging.

“Fine, I’m going to meet her by tomorrow too because she left some stuffs with me. I’ll take you with me tomorrow.” I sigh.

“Yay! Anyway, P’Air, you’re so silent, have you changed your habit to be a silent girl now?” (P is a prefix, which is used when you wanna call someone your older sister or brother)

Air laughs then turns to Mean.

“How can I talk much when you take all my job?” then everyone laughs again. This time my mom laughs louder than everyone.

“Mean, before you arrive, everyday, it’s all up to Air to make the whole family livable. With you here, she’s in a condition of losing to you.” She chuckles.

“Well, let’s just finish our dinner. We can talk about your life later, right Mean?” Air speaks.

“Sure! I’d love to talk.” Mean grins.

After dinner and the talks

Okay, dinner done, talking done, I should get back to the room now because I have nothing else to do.

I try to clear out myself from the talk then walk to the stairs but mom calls me again. Ugh. I hate that.

“Tina?” I turn my face back to my mom with a crooked smile then stand there.

“Stay here for a little while longer, okay? Mean told me that she had a lot of things to talk to you.” Ugh. Doesn’t mean have to live with us all? Why so sudden for all the talks today? It’s not as if she has to move out tomorrow.

“Uhh, sure.” Then I look at Mean’s reaction and she seems to be happy about it.

“Maybe we should go to relax at the pool because it’s also quiet.” Mean grins again. Mean really likes to grin a lot because her beauty is the best whenever she grins.

“Why not?” then I walk myself out of the door and out of the house to the pool with the pool lights on. I almost forgot something. Will it be better if we have some drinks along?

I pause at the front door of the house then Mean was a bit shock at my sudden pause.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Umm, would you like to drink anything? Like wine or…?” I asked her back.

“That’s so thoughtful. Just a glass of wine.” Mean gets influenced from American people because whenever they eat steak or something, they usually have a glass of wine to cut back down the calories and stuff, but most of all it’s for their relaxations. I let her go the pool first and I get into the house and get her something to drink. Basically, I don’t really like something alcoholic but I do like simple drinks like water, milk, juice and so on. But milk is an exception. I only drink milk whenever I’m unhappy because after I have drunk the milk, I will feel better. Nobody knows about this even my parents because that’s my way of curing myself, and even Mean.

So actually I just take a glass of wine and a juice along with me to the pool with Mean waiting for me at the table where my family usually sit.

“Here you go.” I said as I put a glass of wine in front of her.

She looks at me and sees me that I don’t hold a glass of wine but juice for myself.

“You don’t drink this thing?” she asks me while I’m trying to get myself sit.

“No… I don’t… I don’t drink that kind.” I smile.

“Why not?”

“Alcohol is something I don’t really like at all.” I told her all my truth.

She stares at her glass of wine then put it back to the table.

“You’re not gonna drink it?” I got confused.

“Not now.” She smiles.

I nod then stare at the pool and Mean seems to follow my eyes direction and stares to the pool as well.

“How’s Aom like, Tina?” she asks me while I’m trying to drink my juice but then I spit it all out.

Mean laughs at me and hand me a tissue.

“Thanks” then I clean my mouth with the tissue I got.

“Really, how’s she like?” she’s really curious.

“Why are you so into her?” I chuckle but she seems to take it not a joke but a serious one.

“Well, I just wanna know because Dad has never asked you about girls before, hasn’t he?’ her sound is as if she whispers now.

I exhale then answer.

“How do you know if dad really asks me about girls or not?”

She stays silent for a while the back again.

“Well, you know, dad’s personalities are not like that. He doesn’t talk much so how come he asks you about other things?” then she drinks a little amount of the wine in her glass.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Then I stare back to the pool.

“Can I know about her?”

Speaking about Aom is not difficult but I have to find the right words to express my own feelings for her as well.

“Hmm… I just got to know her this morning, so can’t say I know her a lot. Aom is kind of cute when she gets mad, seeing her mad really makes me wanna more. Her mind is full of questions, she asks me nonstop!” then I laugh while I’m thinking about her and turn my eyes to stare to the beautiful moon.

Mean is quiet for a while then she asks again.

“Does she like you?” okay, so Mean’s voice is really curious about it.

“What? Mean! There’s no such thing of liking a person by the first time they meet!” I complain.

“Uh no, Tina, don’t get it wrong. Not that at all! I mean you know, you speak as if you like her and I just wanna know if she likes you or not.” I meet her gaze as I get back to look at her and that makes me a bit shy.

“I don’t know, Mean. She doesn’t seem to like my looks at all.” Then I shrug.

“So she feels uncomfortable about that?” she smiles then turns to grin. It’s like she’s happy to hear that.

“Sort of. But I don’t care. Dad asked me to take care of her so I can’t deny that.” I rest my face.

Then Mean turns her grin down, as I see that, I can’t hold my laugh so I just laugh as loud as I can.

“Why are you so curious about that?” the sound of the voice of myself with the laugh only makes me laugh louder then Mean just stares back at me as if she will eat me now so I have to stop.

“Because you have never ever given a compliment to any girl that she’s cute or unique. You remember it that you said those words on your own?” Mean’s face is getting serious.

I finally realize myself about what I have spoken. So, what’s wrong with me? Why did I say all those words? Unique? Cute? Mean is right! I have never said that to any girls or guys, you can say, but to get to the main point, I just don’t know.

“Well, you weren’t with me for these 10 years, how are you supposed to know if I have said those or not.” I complain and try to make the sound serious.

Mean shakes her head then tell me slowly what she has to speak.

“Tina, mom and dad might not report about me to you but they did report to me what you and P’Air did in these 10 years. Mom and dad are just like me, when they spot something different, they will notice it!” she points to my chest to my heart.

“Ow!” then I take her hands away and replace it with mine to make it feel better.

She laughs “I’m going to my room now. See you in the morning” then she stands up and walks away from me.

Then I stare back to the moon with a smiling on my face. Mean’s words keep repeating themselves in my head. Because you have never ever given a compliment to any girl that she’s cute or unique. I suppose she’s right. Why did I make such a compliment to a girl today? What does Aom have to make me speak out all those words? I think of all these sentences and send them all to the moon, perhaps, one day I might find right answers for all those questions.

“Young master?” a voice from my back breaks off my thoughts.

I am too curious to know who it is so I turn to look.

“Uncle John” I smile as I meet his eyes.

“It’s getting late, the wind is getting cold and it effects your health badly. Please get inside, young master.” He is always like that. Considering about my health is his priority because I always am easy to catch a cold or flu or even worse if I stay out late with the wind of the night. Dad makes him do that to me, so anytime that I decide to sit at the pool or the garden late at night, he always comes to check on me if I get back into the house before I can get an ill.

I chuckle then answer “Can you just treat me a grown-up? I’m not a kid anymore.” Then turns to a laugh.

“I’ve served you since you didn’t know how to count from 1 to 10, so pardon me, but in my eyes, you’re always a kid.” He chuckles.

Uncle John is our house manager now. But before, he wasn’t. Actually, he was a normal servant in the house before I was born. He took a very good care of the house so my dad promoted him to be a house manager after I was born a few months. Dad promoted him so he would have lesser jobs to do besides controlling other servants, but his main job was to take care of me when I was a baby. Since then, he’s taken care of me all along, he loves me and my sister as if we’re his nieces or even her daughters but he has to show his respects to us because my sister and I are our dad’s daughters.

“Fine! I’ll get inside then. But wait, uncle, can you let our maid take care of these 2 glasses?”

“Sure. But please get inside the house.” He still smiles.

Then I walk out of the table then get inside the house to my room peacefully.