(1129  words)

Friday, June 27, 2025

The apartment felt different the next morning.

It was not empty.

Just... wrong.

Everything was in its place, but nothing worked the same way anymore.

Without Alicia, the apartment felt colder and more chaotic.

Michael stood in the kitchen, staring at the refrigerator as if something would appear inside if he waited long enough.

Nothing appeared.

"Are you serious?" he muttered.

Leo walked in, rubbing his eyes.

"What now?"

"There's still no food."

Leo opened the refrigerator anyway.

Nothing.

"Maybe we should go shopping," he said.

Michael looked at him.

"With what?"

Leo shrugged.

"Mom's card?"

Michael nodded slowly.

"Yeah... we still have it."

Mark entered the kitchen.

He looked tired.

He moved more slowly than usual.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's nothing to eat," Michael said.

"Then buy something."

Michael turned toward him.

"With what?"

Mark frowned.

"Use the card."

Michael crossed his arms.

"Do you even know how much money is in that account?"

Mark did not answer immediately.

Leo looked at both of them.

"Wait... whose account is it?" he asked.

Michael looked at him.

"Mom's."

Mark shook his head.

"No. It's a joint account."

Michael frowned.

"Then you can check it."

Mark hesitated.

"...Yes."

"Then check it."

Mark did not move.

"Just open the banking app," Michael added.

Mark sighed, took out his phone, and opened the app.

He stared at the screen for several seconds.

Then his expression changed.

Michael noticed.

"What is it?" he asked.

Mark did not answer.

"How much is there?"

Mark turned the phone slightly, as if he did not want to show it.

Michael stepped closer.

"How much?"

Mark finally spoke.

"Not much."

Michael laughed quietly.

"What do you mean, not much?"

Mark showed him the screen.

Michael stared at it.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Leo leaned forward.

"Is that bad?"

Michael looked at him.

"Yeah. It's bad."

"But Mom works all the time," Leo said. "The school. The tutoring lessons..."

Michael turned back to Mark.

"So where's the money?"

Mark rubbed his face.

"I don't know."

Michael blinked.

"You don't know?"

Mark shook his head.

"She handled it."

Michael stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"You never checked?"

"No."

Michael let out a dry laugh.

"That's insane."

Leo looked uncomfortable.

"Maybe she kept it somewhere else," he said.

Michael ignored him.

"You had access to the account the whole time and never checked?"

Mark's voice grew quieter.

"I didn't need to."

"You didn't need to?" Michael repeated.

"I had money," Mark said. "Everything was paid. Why would I check?"

Michael shook his head.

"Because it's your life."

Nobody spoke.

Leo looked down.

"And your money?" Michael asked suddenly.

Mark frowned.

"What?"

"The disability payments. The money in your account."

"That's separate."

"And what do you do with that money?"

Mark hesitated.

"I use it."

"For what?"

"For things."

Michael laughed.

"What things?"

Mark did not answer.

Michael stepped closer.

"Let me see if I understand this correctly," he said. 

Mom pays for everything. The apartment. The food. The bills. And you... what? Spend your money on yourself?"

"That's not what I said," Mark snapped.

"Then what are you saying?"

Mark looked away.

"I didn't think it mattered."

Michael stared at him.

"Of course it matters."

Leo shifted nervously.

"Guys..."

Michael ignored him.

"You don't know how much money we have. You don't know where anything is. You don't even know what Mom does all day."

Mark said nothing.

That was the worst part.

He did not even try to defend himself.

Michael turned around and opened another cabinet.

Empty.

"Where do you keep things?" he asked.

Mark shrugged.

"I don't know."

"The dirty laundry?"

"I don't know."

"The cleaning supplies?"

"I don't know."

Michael laughed under his breath.

"This is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous?" Mark asked.

Michael turned toward him.

"We don't know anything."

Silence.

He pointed around the kitchen.

"We don't know how this house works. We don't know how much money we have. We don't even know what we're supposed to eat."

Leo looked uncomfortable.

"It's only been one day," he said.

Michael shook his head.

"No. It hasn't."

He pointed toward the hallway.

"She does everything. Absolutely everything. And we didn't even notice."

Silence again.

Then Michael smiled slightly.

"Honestly, I think she trained us."

Leo frowned.

"What?"

Michael shrugged.

"Like pets. Food appears. Clothes get washed. Bills get paid. No questions asked."

Leo almost smiled.

"That's not funny."

"A little bit," Michael said.

"We're completely useless without her."

Mark did not laugh.

He stayed very still.

Something changed in his face.

Michael noticed.

"What?" he asked.

Mark shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Say it."

Mark slowly looked up.

"It wasn't always like this."

The words came out quietly.

As if he did not want to say them.

Michael frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Mark took a deep breath.

"I had a job. I worked. I knew things."

He looked around the kitchen.

"Now I don't even know where anything is."

Leo watched him carefully.

Mark spoke again.

"She did everything."

Michael crossed his arms.

"Yeah. That's the point."

Mark shook his head.

"No. That's the problem."

Silence filled the room.

Leo looked at both of them.

"Maybe she'll come back today," he said.

Nobody answered.

A few seconds passed.

Then...

Someone knocked on the door.

All three froze.

Michael looked at Mark.

He did not move.

"Open it," Michael said.

Mark walked to the door and opened it.

Mrs. Parker stood outside.

Her gray hair was perfectly styled, and her heavy makeup looked strange in the quiet morning light.

Her eyes moved quickly, taking in everything behind him.

She smiled, but it did not look completely sincere.

"Good morning," she said.

Nobody answered.

"I hope I'm not bothering you. I just wanted to return something."

She lifted an old brown jacket.

Michael felt a knot form in his stomach.

"That's..." Leo said.

"Yes. Alicia lent it to me yesterday."

Mark frowned.

"Yesterday?"

Michael and Leo exchanged a look.

Leo spoke quickly.

"I saw it yesterday morning. In the closet."

Mrs. Parker smiled.

"Well, she had it in the afternoon when she gave it to me."

Michael stepped closer.

"What time?"

"I'm not sure," Mrs. Parker said.

"After sunset."

Michael nodded slowly.

"Right."

She handed the jacket to Mark.

"Well, I hope everything is okay," she said.

"I haven't seen Alicia today."

Nobody replied.

"Have a nice day."

Then she left.

Mark closed the door.

Silence.

Leo stared at the jacket.

"I saw it that morning," he repeated.

Michael took the jacket.

It was cold.

A little damp.

Colder than it should have been.

As if it had been outside for a long time.

He checked the pockets.

Nothing.

"Something isn't right," Leo whispered.

Michael did not answer.

He was thinking.

Then he quietly said:

"Yeah."

He looked at the jacket.

"Why would she wear this jacket in warm weather and then suddenly want to get rid of it?"

And for the first time since Alicia disappeared, none of them believed that she had simply left.