Everyone in My Family Had AC Except Me-So I Walked Away Chapter 03

Everyone in My Family Had AC Except Me-So I Walked Away Chapter 03

That evening, Mom, Dad, Jordan, and Lily returned home. Jordan collapsed onto the couch and let out a long, exhausted breath.

“Where did you disappear to today? Lily got into an argument with our relatives, and Mom, Dad, and I spent three hours defending her. We nearly lost our voices.”

I asked calmly, “What were they arguing about?”

“They said the mole on Lily’s face was ugly and told her to get it removed. We couldn’t stand listening to them, so we started arguing.”

I gave a small, bitter laugh. The double standard was almost absurd.

“Jordan, do you remember when I spent the weekend at Grandma’s house in third grade and one of our older male cousins pinned me to the floor and forced me to eat dog food that had spilled across the ground?”

Jordan froze for a moment.

“That really happened?”

“I came to you afterward, crying, but you said there was no point starting a fight over something between relatives and told me to let it go.”

Jordan frowned, his impatience obvious. “How many years ago was that? Why are you bringing it up now?”

With that, he returned to his bedroom. Mom, Dad, and Lily were about to head to their rooms as well, but Mom still remembered to give me an order before leaving.

“Lily is upset today. Get up an hour early tomorrow and make her favorite breakfast wraps to cheer her up.”

“I have something to do tomorrow, and I still need to finish packing…”

I had barely begun to refuse when Mom’s expression hardened.

“Erin, you’re her older sister. Can’t you show her a little more concern? How much time could a plate of breakfast wraps possibly take? Make them first. Whatever else you have to do can wait.”

She slammed the bedroom door behind her. A thin stream of cool air slipped through the gap beneath the door, and when it touched my sweat-dampened skin, I shivered involuntarily. I slowly returned to my bedroom and zipped up the backpack containing everything I planned to take with me.

The next morning, I still made breakfast and knocked on everyone’s doors one by one to wake them. Lily remained curled up in bed and refused to come out. Jordan complained that the living room was too hot, so he carried his plate back to his bedroom and ate with the AC running. Mom and Dad sat at the dining table, scrolling through their phones as they chose the new AC unit they planned to install in the living room. Mom suddenly seemed to remember I existed.

She smiled and said, “Once the living room has air conditioning, I can put a folding bed beside the couch. Then you can sleep out here at night and stay cool too.”

I looked at her. “Why can’t you just install one in my bedroom?”

“Have you forgotten? The wiring in this house is too old. It can’t handle any more appliances.”

I said nothing else and only nodded. After breakfast, I shouldered my packed backpack and prepared to leave. As I passed through the living room, Mom and Dad were still leisurely drinking their coffee.

When Mom noticed my backpack, she finally asked, “Where are you going?”

“I have something to take care of near the airport.”

I paused, then asked, “Do either of you have time to give me a ride?”

Dad refused without even thinking about it.

“I have to be at work by eight. There’s no time.”

Mom shook her head as well.

“Don’t look at me. I promised Lily I’d take her to the mall when she wakes up. If she gets up and I’m not here, she’ll be upset again.”

I nodded calmly.

“Okay. I’ll go by myself.”

I changed into my shoes by the front door and walked down the porch steps with my backpack on my shoulders. As I passed the neighboring yard, Mrs. Dawson was sitting in a rocking chair on her porch, drinking iced tea while running a small handheld fan.

When she saw me, she called out with a smile. “Erin, where are you going so early?”

“To work.”

Her smile widened.

“Time really flies. You used to be such a tiny thing, always tagging along behind Jordan and Lily, and now you’re old enough to start working.”

“Does it?” I smiled faintly. “I always thought every day passed very slowly.”

Between the sweltering summers, the cramped bedroom, and a house where I never felt cared for, every minute had dragged unbearably slowly. Mrs. Dawson did not notice anything unusual in my expression.

She simply smiled and waved a hand. “You’re still young. Of course time feels slow to you. When you reach my age, every year will seem to pass faster than the last.”

Then she appeared to remember something.

“Oh, by the way, how was your family’s trip last month? I didn’t see you in any of the pictures your mother posted.”

I froze.

“What trip?”

Mrs. Dawson took out her phone and opened Mom’s social media profile. The first pinned post showed photos from a family vacation up north a month earlier. The caption contained only one sentence.

“As long as the whole family is together, we’ll be happy wherever we go.”

Mom, Dad, Jordan, and Lily stood beside a lake in the pictures, all four of them smiling brightly. I struggled to remember the date. At the time, I had been busy preparing the final presentation for my graduation project. Before the trip, Mom and Dad had even made a point of asking when I would be coming home, saying they were planning a family trip. I had always assumed they were waiting until I was free so we could leave together.

It turned out they had deliberately chosen a time when they knew I would be unavailable. I took out my own phone and opened Mom’s profile, only to find it completely blank. She had already hidden all the vacation photos from me.

My fingers trembled slightly, but I still raised my head and smiled at Mrs. Dawson. “I don’t really like having my picture taken. I need to get going, or I’ll be late. We can talk another time.”

With that, I turned away and left the neighborhood where I had lived for twenty-two years, my backpack on my shoulders. I called a rideshare to the airport, passed through security, and boarded the plane. The aircraft slowly lifted from the ground and rose through the clouds. I leaned back in my seat and calmly closed my eyes. That home had never had a place for me. Now, I no longer needed it.