Moonlight's Dark Secret

Ow, ow, ow! I whined as I run across the coffee shop to place the fresh scones in the display case. I'm too impatient to wait for them to cool a bit more, so I end up with pink irritated fingers. "You should have waited, Tammie" Samira scolds me. She's been working at at Ken's coffee for about as long as I have, which is about two years. She's becoming a good friend, so I love it when we have shifts together. "I'm not the most patient person" I grumble under my breath as I run the cold water under my fingers. They already feel completely normal. Another reason for my need for speed this morning is because it's almost time to get off of my shift and head home I'll only have a few hours to get ready for my first day at Westwood Community College. I'm nervous, but I'm more excited than anything else. I have this passion for learning and basically absorbing any information placed in front of me. The front door chimes, alerting me to a new customer. I quickly dry my hands off and walk over to the register to take their order. I take their order and go ahead to work on it. After another thirty minutes, I say goodbye to Samira and Theo, the owner of the shop. He's always around, usually in his tiny office in the back of the store doing paperwork. I grab a sugar cup and pour a good amount of coffee into it, then add some cream and sugar. I’ll admit, I’m a caffeine addict. I cannot go a day without coffee or else I get these awful headaches. And it just tastes so good, so why should I stop drinking it? The warm coffee does wonders as it counteracts the slight chill in the autumn air. Connecticut is cold in August, something I’m still not used to. I moved to Westwood, Connecticut with my mom almost six years ago from Florida, and I still find the cold weather strange. Who knows if I’ll ever get used to it at this point. I sometimes miss Florida. I left behind a few friends when we moved. We tried staying in contact, but when you move hundreds of miles away, you almost have to remain close friends, and I eventually lost contact with them all. However, the move was necessary, so I’ll just suck it up and walk faster. When I walk inside the heated house, I sigh in relief and immediately take off my knock-off uggs boots and jacket. “Mom, Cindy, I’m home!” I scream out. The sound of light footsteps and a high-pitched squeal tells me my sister is about to bowl me over in three, two, one… “Tammie!” Cindy excitedly says as she rams into my thighs. Cindy is my little sister and I love her to bit. She's a subtle reminder of our father. She has his eyes and his auburn hair. In summary, she's got me wrapped around her pinky. “Hey, Cindy, how was your day so far?” I question her as I pick her up and place her on my right hip. She begins blabbering about her day while playing with the buttons of my blouse. I continue walking through the house until I reach the kitchen, where I find my mom. “Hey, Mom,” I smile at her and give her a hug with my left hand. “Cindy. Do you want to tell Tammie what we did this morning?” “Oh! Tammie, we made dinner!” Cindy giggles at me while playing with my blonde hair that’s still in a messy ponytail from work. I c**k my eyebrow at her response. “Do you mean you made breakfast with Mom?” I ask. She shakes her head very fast, back and forth. “Nope. Me and Mom made dinner in the c**k pot,” she clarifies. Her response sends me and my mom into a fit of laughter. I’m laughing so hard I have to put Cindy down so I don’t drop her. A full minute passes and me and my mom still can’t catch our breath. Every time I think I’m done laughing, one look at my mom and I burst into laughter again. After another minute, I finally stop to direct my attention back to Cindy, who’s very confused as to why we’re laughing. “See, I think you mean you made breakfast in the crock pot,” I correct, letting out a small laugh as I share a side glance at my mom, who’s watching us in amusement. “Yeah, that’s what I said,” Cindy adds. I smile at her. She’s so cute and sassy. I can’t wait to see what she’s like in ten years. Definitely a future heartbreaker. “What did you two make?” My mom answers this time. “We made pot roast with potatoes and carrots. I also have some garlic bread that you just have to throw in the oven. I have to leave for work at 4:30. I won’t be back until late, but you won’t have to cook at all. It should be ready by six.” “Thanks, Mom. Where are you going today?” “I’m going to Mexico and making a stop in Texas on the way back. Want any souvenirs?” My mom is a flight attendant, so she travels all around the world. She only works three to four days a week, so she’s around for Cindy a lot of the time. I help take care of Cindy when I can, but it’s going to be hard now that I’m starting school and working part-time at King’s. Mom doesn’t even want me working at all, but she won’t admit she needs my help with the bills. Ever since Dad left and we’ve only had one income, things have been tight. My asshole of a father left us high and dry when Mom was eight months pregnant with Cindy, and he never looked back. He owned his own business—I’m not sure what—and his leaving made an impact on our family financially and emotionally. Well, we don’t need him. “I’ll take a snow globe from Texas. I think I already have one from Mexico,” I smile. It’s tradition for my mom to bring back things from her trips. I have countless snow globes of different states and countries she’s flown to. I’ve never been to any of them, but maybe one day. For now, I have little pieces of the world all around my bedroom, my desk, my bookshelf, my dresser. Some have even overflowed onto my closet shelves. “I have to start getting ready for class, it's my first day!” I jump up and down excitedly, and my mom only laughs at my eagerness. “I’m so happy for you, honey,” she says with a proud grin. I smile back, then turn my attention to Cindy. When I helped her pick out my outfit for the first day, all I got was screaming in response. But based on the way she grabs my hand and leads me to my bedroom, I’d say it was a happy scream. An hour later, I’m wearing a new outfit and I have fixed my hair and makeup for the day. My hair falls down in its natural waves, while my makeup is light yet still noticeable. If it were up to Cindy, I’d be wearing a red polka-dot skirt with a purple tank top. So we compromised—I wear the purple tank top with a black skirt that flares out, and a black converse leaving me modest yet cute. I walk down the hall, hand in hand with Cindy, and return to the living room where my mom is curled in the corner of the couch with a new book. “Which book is that, mom?” I ask her. I must have startled her, because she jumps slightly as her reading glasses fall off her face onto her lap. After huffing about me always frightening and spooking her, she tells me she’s reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. “Finally! I’ve been telling you to read that book for months,” I say. As I sit down with Cindy between me and my mom, we talk about her book theories and entertain Cindy until it’s time for me to leave for my first class. “Bye, sweetie, have a great first day. Go learn some stuff, and don't forget to have lunch!” my mom says as she hands me my backpack. “Bye, sweetie, learn some stuffs so you teach me when you come back!” Cindy mimics my mom, causing me to chuckle at her ability to always say the most adorable things. After hugging them both, I step out towards Westwood Community College, excited and nervous for what’s to come.