Max’s POV:

I could not believe my ears! The woman whom I hated to call mom dropped a nuke on me. She claimed that the woman at the door was my grandmother. That was way too much information to process and my brain is about to go haywire. Any moment now.

I agreed to leave our car and get inside the house. My steps were calculated as if I was ready to sprint back into the car and demand to be taken back to Manhattan as soon as possible. The house was pretty inside. It's cozy and bright and smells nice. The feature of the living area had me, she had pictures of my mom and of course, of me. A lot of them actually. It was all over the walls and the consoles.

“Teresa, I have a lot of questions on my mind right now.” I mumbled.

“I know, but let's get settled first and then I will answer all of those questions, okay?”

I sat on the couch in the living room. Still amused by the fact that apparently, I had a grandmother but she was never a part of my life, and why Teresa would never be caught dead mentioning her ever in my presence. The pictures on the walls tell me that my mother and grandmother kept in touch and she was constantly sending her photos of me.

Yeah, that was cute, but still...

My mother went to what I assumed was the kitchen, judging by where the smell of meatloaf was coming from. I then dropped my bag on the floor to ask if I could have a glass of water, I was extremely parched. I stopped before I could even reach the door to the kitchen when I heard my mother and grandmother in an argument. I was never a fan of eavesdropping, anyway, I can go back later after they are done. Wow, these two have a nice way to welcome house guests. I was about to leave when I heard my name being mentioned.

“When are you telling Max?” The older woman said.

“I do not know!”

“Max needs to know!”

“I know that, that is why I brought her here. She will be in danger if they find her and she does not even know yet.”

“You have all the time in the world to tell her!”

“Sssh, keep your voice down. She might hear us!”

“This may be the last time you are going to keep your voice, she will have a good hearing soon and you know what I mean...”

“What, Teresa?” I couldn't help it.

The two women were surprised when I entered the kitchen. The truth was, I wanted to know. I was about to leave them to settle their business. But they gave me enough reason to join in this little secret conversation in the kitchen.

“Hi, honey.” The old lady said to me.

“Uh, hi, too?”

The woman who was the replica of Teresa approached me and held my hand. She was very warm and I sort of liked it. But that warmth is not enough to make me forget that they were keeping things from me.

“How rude of me. I am Betty. Your mom’s mother.” She nervously laughed. "That makes me your grandmother."

I can tell that she wanted to hug me but chose not to because I am not a kid anymore and I just overheard them. They were caught in the act. “And I am parched.”

“Oh. Let me get you some water.”

Betty went to the double-door fridge. Too big for an old lady who stays alone, huh? Her kitchen had a window by the sink which gives a good view of the woods. Teresa just stood there frozen. For the first time in my life. I saw my mother sad and almost desperate.

“Teresa, are you alright?” Betty asked her daughter.

“Huh? Yes. Yes.”

She was very distracted. Very unusual for a woman like Teresa. I grew up seeing a strong woman. Teresa was very brave smart and beautiful. A lot of men from her work and even single men from our neighborhood tried to court her and land on her good graces but Teresa did not just give a f*ck about them.

She single-handedly raised me, managed to juggle two jobs, and did not even look tired. My mother was in her late thirties but did not look like her age at all. I noticed that after their disagreement a while ago, it was as if she had aged a lot. Damn it, I know it was impossible but that's what I see. Whatever their issue was, it was enough to put stress on her.

“Here, have some water.” Betty shoved a glass of cold water on my hand.” Teresa, show Max her room. I will just give snacks to the men outside.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“Are you fine?” I asked her, hoping that she'd suggest we go back to where we came from. Fingers crossed.
“I am.” Teresa led me to a stairway to the second floor.

There are three rooms there and a lot more pictures of me at various periods of my life. Once again, I don't know how to react to this. She stopped in front of the second room.” Here’s your room. Get all your room stuff downstairs and settle in. We will call you when dinner is ready.”

Teresa was about to leave when I touched her arm. “You sure you are fine?”

“I am” She smiled and chuckled. “Just tired from all the driving. My back aches like hell. Also, I have to pay the guys.”

“Yeah, tell Ben I will miss his lasagna.”

We were never close but we are civil. I may be a pain in the a** but I know when to draw the line.

Ben, one of the truck drivers was our neighbor in Manhattan. He was very fond of us, specifically me. His wife and kids would always invite us for Sunday lunch regardless if Ben was there or on the road. Maria, Ben’s wife was a great cook and their kids were angels. Very nice kids and Ben would always give me a huge serving of lasagna whenever Maria made them. Oh, another one of the many reasons why I would miss Manhattan.

The room given to me was like the living room, well-lighted and cozy. The walls are painted periwinkle and the curtains are carefully chosen to match the walls too. I tried the bed and it was soft and warm. I have my TV and my very own bathroom. I am not going to lie, I like it, but there is no bathtub like the flat we had in Manhattan. That's a downgrade.

There was also a window which, also gave the person inside an awesome view of the woods. But it was dark now and all I could see was the silhouette of the forest canopy.

And then I saw it. I had to squint my eyes and I swear I saw movement. Also, I heard the bushes moving and the twigs snapping.
Weird.

But how? I was on the second floor and the forest was a good fifty meters away from the house. Double weird.