Chapter 9
I follow Ethan home.
His house is really big, but there’s hardly any furniture in it. It feels super empty.
Everything is basically black and gray colors.
It looks really depressing.
I ask if maybe I can put pink curtains in my room, and Ethan just waves his hand.
He gives me lots of money and tells me to buy whatever I like.
get super excited and work with the housekeeper lady to totally redecorate the whole house.
The housekeeper lady really likes me. She takes me to pick out patterns I like.
We buy pink curtains and wallpaper.
Not only that, but me and the housekeeper lady also buy tons and tons of plants to put on the balcony.
With all the pretty green and colorful living things, Ethan’s house finally doesn’t look so cold and scary anymore.
After we finish fixing everything up, the housekeeper lady stands in the living room and starts crying for no reason.
don’t understand why she’s crying.
he just hugs me and keeps begging me to stay for a long time.,
To stick around for a while.
Don’t leave Ethan all alone anymore.
That’s when I learn that Ethan is really shy and doesn’t have any friends.
And that he works so hard all the time that he’s super stressed out and can’t sleep at night.
When I showed up, this house, this home, finally feels like real people live here.
‘m really happy.
hug the housekeeper lady back and promise her: “Ellie won’t leave. Ethan is Ellie’s new family.”
After the housekeeper lady hears that, she cries even harder.
see a shadow move by the corner of the wall.
smile to myself secretly. Ethan heard that too, didn’t he?
He didn’t argue or anything.
That means he definitely agrees to be my family!
I clap for myself for being so smart.
Days go by and by.
Everything keeps getting better and better. I can read more and more words.
I can write some mathematical formula, even if they’re kinda messy, and Ethan sleeps better and better.
The only thing that bugs me is that Marcus keeps showing up every few days.
I never come out to see him.
On the first really cold day, even Tyler comes over.
The housekeeper lady doesn’t want to be mean to a little kid.
She lets the little guy run up to me, crying so hard he can barely breathe: “Stupid wo-Ellie, please come back! If you don’t come back, Dad’s gonna throw me
away too!”
“Don’t you like your Aunt Molly? Why don’t you go find her?”
I don’t even look up. I’m in the kitchen figuring out what to cook tonight to help Ethan get stronger.
Tyler stands right next to me, sniffling, and tells me that ever since I left the hospital with Ethan, Marcus stopped seeing Molly.
Marcus thinks I’m still mad, so he’s trying to make up for what he did this way.
He completely stopped talking to Molly.
And he hopes I’ll come back.
I let Tyler chatter away while I focus on tasting the chicken soup I just made.
Mmm, it’s really good.
If I add some mushrooms, it’ll be even more delicious.
Ethan will definitely drink two bowls of this.
He loves the soup I make, and then he uses the soup to cook noodles.
Ethan told me I’m not stupid.
Everyone has something they’re good at.
After trying lots and lots of different things, I found what I’m good at too.
love to cook.
And I’m pretty good at it.
When Tyler sees I’m totally ignoring him, his mouth gets all pouty and he pulls out his secret weapon.
He calls me: “Mom.”
My hand shakes and I spill some soup.
remember in that dream, even when me and Marcus were getting along best, Tyler never called me mom.
The little kid always thought I was embarrassing and dumb.
He said if he accepted me, it would make him look bad.
But I’m not totally useless.
can knit sweaters and gloves and all kinds of little things.
Every winter, I knit warm hats and scarves for Marcus and Tyler, except Tyler never wanted to wear them.
This time, before I can say anything, the housekeeper lady gets mad first.
She comes over with an angry face: “How did your parents raise you, teaching you to call random people mom?”
Tyler gets kicked out.
That’s right.
Me and Marcus aren’t meant to be together, and me and the little guy aren’t meant to be mother and son either.
