A party hosted by kids?

Today was an exciting day for Mia. Her class was hosting a parent appreciation party, where all parents would attend. It was hosted by the children with the help of their teacher. It was held every year and was seen as a day for the children to show their parents how much they love them.

"Mia, breakfast is ready!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Ever since Mia got her fever and had to go to the hospital, I have been keeping a close eye on her condition. I looked down at the dinner table. I made so much food that it looked like more than 3 people were going to eat. I have noticed that Mia's weight has reduced, so I realized she was not eating as much as she should, as a result, I went overboard.

A knock was heard from the door, and I went to get it. It was Alex who was joining us for breakfast. I greeted him with a hug and moved for him to enter. Alex smiled at me and searched the room with his eyes.

"Is Mia still sleeping?" he asked.

I shook my head and replied," No. She's just brushing her teeth."

Alex's eyes widened at the amount of food I made. He looked at me. " Are you trying to turn Mia and me fat because let me tell you, I won't look nice with a work belly," Alex joked. I felt my face flushed and lightly punched Alex's arm.

"Ha-ha very funny. Anyway, we all know it would be a shame to all your fangirls if you lose your killer body," I teased.

Alex raised an eyebrow, "Fangirls? From where?" he asked, playing dumb.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I see the way the girls at your workplace drool at you and on the streets too!" I said and pointed at his chest. Alex narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.

"Are you one of them? The fangirls?" he asked. Alex's piercing gaze made me nervous. This escalated fast for some reason. I was confused at where this was going and unexpectedly my heart rate increased.

Before I could say anything, Mia arrived at the exact moment. We immediately moved away from each other as if we were caught doing something bad.

"Is something wrong?" asked Mia.

Simultaneously, we shook our heads, looked at each other, and then averted our eyes. I pushed the awkwardness away and served Mia and Alex breakfast. The dinner table was lively and filled with chatter and laughter. It seems me and Alex pushed that awkward moment behind us. As I ate, I secretly glanced at Alex who was busy talking to Mia. I had a thought in mind if Alex saw me more than a family but quickly pushed it away. He was teasing or maybe flirting back for fun. He only leaned closer, even though there was little to no space between us, it was just teasing. I thought to myself, refusing to believe otherwise.

Once we were done, we got ready to go out. Alex asked suddenly out of the blue if he could join us at the party.

I briefly glanced at him confused and asked, "Can I ask why you would like to go? Don't you have to go to work?" Alex just shrugged in response.

"This parent party is in the afternoon, right? So, I'll be able to attend. I would like to see the environment Mia's spend time in, that's all."

"Okay?" I answered not too convinced. It didn't matter to me anyway since there was no reason for Alex not to go.

***

Alex dropped Mia at school and drove to my work. The car ride was silent and a bit uncomfortable. My mind wandered to the situation we were in. The fact that we quickly backed away from each other made it seem like we were caught doing something wrong. It was simply teasing with a bit of flirting, right?

I glanced at Alex who kept his eyes on the road. It seems I was the only one that was bothered. It made me feel embarrassed. Alex either way, only sees me as his little sister, someone he should help and look after, nothing more.

I waved goodbye to Alex when he dropped me. I can't wait for what Mia and the kids are planning for me and the rest of the parents this afternoon.

***

I looked up at the huge sign of a building that said Rainbow. Alex was beside me and he arrived right on time.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go in," he said and walked forward. I knew he had no idea where to go so I had to lead the way. The parents were all gathered outside of class waiting for the kids to be done preparing.

"Ok, we're done! You may come in," said Mia. She ushered all the parents inside. When we entered the classroom was dark but immediately lit upon our arrival. Confetti rained everywhere and a poster was pinned on the board that said 'Thank you for being our parents and taking care of us. We love you!"

There were tables on the side of the room that had different kinds of food and luxuries. The kids stared at their parents in expectation. Soon the parents including Alex and I applauded.

"Not bad, Mia," said Alex and patted Mia's head. Each child went to their parents and the classroom was filled with chatter and laughter.

"Our teacher also helped us. We couldn't have done it without her," chirped Mia. I smiled at her but then noticed something at the corner of my eye. There was a little boy in the corner talking to a woman who must have been his mom. He had his head bowed and she seemed to have been scolding him. She wore a business suit attire, and her brown hair was in a neat updo. She had clear pale skin and chocolate eyes. The only sentence I heard was, 'you told me to come because it was something important, but it's just this stupid surprise party. I didn't hear the rest, but I noticed how sad the boy looked. That was Mrs. Hendricks, and her son was called Max. Whenever we had fundraising or a party in Rainbow she would never show up. She would only come to the parent's meetings or conferences. It seems Max lied to get his mother to show up, but his mother clearly couldn't care less about this party. Max wanted to show his mom how much he appreciated her because this was why this party was held by the kids in the first place. To show their appreciation and love for their parents. She clearly didn't see that.

After she was done talking, she walked out of the classroom. Before she left, she caught me watching and scoffed at me. The party had just started, and she left. I looked back at Max. I always thought that all parents love their children and make sure are they're their number one priority, but I knew that I was wrong 4 years ago. I watched as Mia invited him to come and join us. My heart strangely ached. She didn't abandon her child but leaving him when she should have stayed reminded me of my past Father. It was a disappointment. Alex smiled and patted me on the back.

He whispered, " Don't act all glum in front of him. You shouldn't think about Mr. Johnson anymore."

I slowly nodded, composed myself, and gave a bright smile to Max. Mia was making sure to engage him in conversation. She was trying to cheer him up. I smiled to myself. I don't have my father in my life anymore, but I have Mia, Alex, Layla, and Chef Ronald who care and love me.

The most important person in my life is Mia. If I would lose my treasure, I wouldn't know what to do...

***

Dear Readers

If you are frustrated with not meeting Miguel. you will see him soon

By the way, I am back to school so I may take 2-5 days to update. It can be either between those numbers