I stood there for a long time before finally knocking on the door. In this house, Mom favored my brother, and Dad was always silent, but my brother, Colton Weinberg, had always loved me.
He wouldn’t drive me out, would he?
It was my mother who answered the door.
A strained smile creased her face.
“Alina, you're back.”
I nodded, entered, and changed my soaked shoes, hearing her explain, “The rain was too heavy. Your dad couldn't get out. He was planning to wait until it eased up before picking you up.”
“How did you get here? By taxi?”
“Yeah.”
As I swapped shoes, I noticed a few pairs lying around, soaking wet. I pretended to be clueless and asked her, "Did you go out?"
Mom frowned at the sight of the wet shoes but found an excuse.
“We were at Marcela's parents' place before the rain. Just got back and got all wet.”
I said "oh" lightly and walked towards my room with my suitcase.
When I opened the door, I found it filled with clutter.
I stood at the door and looked at my mother. "Mom, what's going on?"
My mother twitched her lips, looking embarrassed.
“The house is crowded with stuff, and you don't stay often, so we used it for storage.”
“What about my things?”