Ugh. What am I even supposed to do today? Every day feels the same. I do the exact same things. Sometimes, it gets suffocating. I see the same things over and over again.
After breakfast, I go to the garden. Then I check if my mom needs help. After that, I try to talk to Max—my one and only best friend. That's pretty much how my days go. It used to be better when I was still doing homeschool. At least I kept myself busy with schoolwork. But now that I've graduated, I honestly don't know what to do with myself anymore.
I've been homeschooled all my life, even through college. I've never experienced having classmates, prom, homecoming, or even a graduation ball. I only learned about those things through Max. Max is the daughter of one of the farmers here—her parents have been working for us for a long time. Even before Max and I were born, her parents were already working on the farm. We've been playmates since we were babies. And even now, we're still friends. But we barely talk anymore since she's busy with work in the city. I sighed at the thought. I kind of envy her.
I grabbed my phone from my room. No messages. But there was one missed call from an unknown number, so I ignored it. Dad had already left. That's always been his routine—right after breakfast, he heads straight to work. I went to look for Mom. I checked her room—she wasn't there. Hmm, where is she? I checked Dad's office next to their room—and there she was, on the phone. She looked toward the door when she noticed me standing there, surprised to see me. I walked over to the black leather couch across from her desk and waited for her to finish her call.
We actually look alike—both brunettes, fair skin, brown eyes, and both 5 feet tall.
"Okay, we'll talk later," she said to the person on the phone.
"Yes, sweetie?" she asked while placing her phone on the table.
"Mom, do you ever get bored?"
I saw the confusion on her face. Her brows furrowed at my question, but she gave me a half-smile.
"No. I always find something to do. With a farm this big and just me managing it, there's no way I could get bored."
I sighed and looked down at my fingers.
"Why, honey? Are you bored?"
I looked up and smiled in response.
"I want to work, Mom. I want to experience a normal life. Like Max. I don't even care if the salary's small—I just want to work."
Mom stood up and walked over to sit beside me. As I looked at her, she was wearing a dark purple top and a black skirt. I realized she never seemed to age. She looked exactly the same as when I was a kid.
"What do you want to do? Try a new hobby? Do you want me to enroll you in a pottery class or something you can do here on the farm?"
I shook my head to show I didn't agree.
I just smiled and said, "No, Mom. I'll just find a new hobby myself."
I hugged her, and she kissed me on both cheeks. Then I stood up and went back to my room.
My whole room was pink. On the left side was a pink vanity, and on the right side was my study table. In the middle was a queen-size bed with pink floral sheets. Way too big for just one person. But I liked it. Across from my bed was a large window. When you looked out, you could see the part of the farm where the apple trees were. I walked toward my bed and took a deep breath. Ugh, what am I even going to do?
Suddenly, I thought of calling Max.
I wonder if she's busy?
"Yo girl! What you doin'?"
I could hear car horns in the background—she must be outside.
"Nothing, rotting in bed."
She laughed at my reply.
"I miss you. But I'm about to go to work. I'll call you later, okay?"
Of course. She's busy. I'm the only one doing nothing.
"Sure." I ended the call.
I got up and walked back and forth from my window to my study table about three times. Until finally, I thought of an idea. It's still early—if I come back before Dad gets home, no one will notice. But… how?