Mom is Leaving

 

Dad stormed into the apartment. He looked at me with wild eyes and in a terrified voice shouted,

"Where's Mom? Where is she?" "

She left for the airport 20 minutes ago. In a taxi," I replied, to which Dad grimaced. He groaned and swore viciously. He turned on his heel and ran out of the apartment. His footsteps thudded hollowly on the stairs. I was surprised he realized so quickly that Mom was gone. Dad was a rock musician, and such trivial things as family members rarely caught his attention.

About two hours passed before Dad returned. He entered the apartment, sat down in a chair, and pondered. Then he rubbed his nose, looked at me and Paula sitting motionless on the couch, made a movement as if remembering something, walked over to Paula and hugged her, patted me on the shoulder, muttered something like, "Everything's going to be okay," and sat back down in the chair. He froze. The early dusk cast shadows over everything in the apartment. We were sinking into darkness. There was an eerie silence. Like never before. Our apartment usually resembled a train station, with someone constantly coming and going, someone playing guitar in the corner, and another sitting on the couch aimlessly.

Then Dad perked up. He turned on the lamp and grabbed his notebook. We were still sitting on the couch. Dad called.

"Hi, Fryderyka," he said in a perky and cheerful tone. He called his mother, our grandmother, Fryderyka. "Kasia left for Africa today. I don't know for how long. Well, she left us, girls," he corrected himself. "She left with Mr. Abdullah Tongo del Abdiz Bongo. No, I'm not joking. She called me an hour before the flight to ask me to take care of the children. Fryderyka, Fryderyka!" Dad started shouting. Then he hung up. "Something must have interrupted the connection. The next day, Grandma showed up; she came for a few days when Dad was supposed to go on tour. We ate delicious zpki and missed Dad. We missed Mom too, but we were angry with her. Dad came back, but not alone."

"It's Violka," he said. "She'll be helping us." Viola had red hair, a note earring, a leather jacket, and high-soled boots. Grandma left, slamming the door, and Violka took up cooking. The first day she burned three pots, the second two, and the third she didn't burn anything because we didn't have any more pots. She taught Paula and me how to file our nails. It was her favorite pastime. Viola secretly dreamed of a career as a singer in her father's band. She sang and sang off-key. Dad couldn't stand it and asked Viola if she knew the anecdote about the highlander. "The highlander heard a singing cepr and asked, 'What are you doing, sir, singing like they were pulling a sickle out of a gorge?'" A terrible row broke out, and the failed star left our house with a bang. On Sunday afternoon. In the morning, Mrs. Cleopatra Tongo del Abdiz Bongo appeared. She stood in the doorway and said timidly:

"I'm looking for my husband, Abdulla Tongo del Abdiz Bongo." We all fell silent and opened our mouths. Even Dad. Because it was a sight to behold. Cleopatra was about 185 cm tall and had such a figure that you should kneel down, gentlemen. There was total chaos, and only after a good half hour of questioning her in three languages: Polish, English, and French, did we learn her story. Abdul left her in Africa and disappeared. From his friends, she learned about her mother and his affair. Then she sold the donkey's chickens and the rest of her possessions and set out into the world to look for the infidel. This journey ended at our doorstep. Cleo stayed with us. She couldn't clean at all, but she could cook exotic dishes. And she was nice. Much better than Viola. Cleo started performing with Dad's group, and it turned out she was simply great! When she showed up on She took to the stage with a tambourine and danced, and the audience went wild. Soon, the band's songs reached number one on the charts. Unfortunately, due to reporters' prying, we had to move out of the apartment building and into a villa in Zalesie Dolne, much to Mr. Teoś's dismay. We have a security guard and a cook, and we're all very happy. I wonder if Mom is too