I hear my phone ringing. I raise my head from the math book - I think I dribbled over it - and I answer the telephone.
«You won't believe it!» My eyes open when the shrill voice of my bestie bursts my eardrums.
«Found a new potential boyfriend?» I ask in a mumble.
«I don't find boyfriends, disposable toy-boys finds me.» She snaps. As usual, her voice becomes joyful again in an instant. «Anyway, I have two tickets for a private masquerade party in Las Vegas.» She let out a piercing scream.
«Good, enjoy it.» I raise my phone to check the time and the numbers 7:45 get closer as it falls on my face. My life never really gives me anything to be thankful for, she pranks me and laughs at me all day. Sometimes I laugh with her, sometimes I cry.
I hear Gabi's voice on my nose. «Girl, I said I have two tickets, you should come with me!»
«I can't. Tomorrow there's school and I have the night shift at the bar.»
«Come on, it's the best opportunity to meet a rich man and change your life!»
I sigh wearily, thinking about the real problem.
«Don't tell me you're afraid to inform your parents of it, you're twenty!» She literally yells in my face.
I stretch and stand up. «I still live in their home.»
«You're not dependent on them anymore.»
«Gabi, you know they will always have power over me. They are overprotective and I'm extremely sensitive. I don't wanna face them, they make me feel safe and it's one of the few positive things in my life.» I look at myself in the mirror; my long, brown hair is messed up and there are bags under my light blue eyes. I look like a tramp! I really need a day off and I can't spend it in Las Vegas.
«Listen, think about it. I leave tonight, I'll wait you at my home around three o'clock, I hope to see you soon.»
I hang up the phone and I walk into the dining room. Mom is cooking, dad is watching tv and Nora is pissing around at the phone. I still ask myself how can we be so different: Nora has a black pageboy, black and little eyes and a bad temper. In common we have only the heart-shaped face and a bit of a belly.
As soon as she sees me, she starts provoking me. «What are you looking at, idiot?»
«Nora, for God's sake, stop annoying your sister.» Mom yells at her without taking her eyes off the meal.
Obviously, Nora keeps going with her show. «Were you lookin' at my big boobs? Don't worry, yours will grow up when you'll get through puberty. Oh wait, you're still an adult, sometimes it's hard to remember it since you never had a boyfriend.»
«Nora!» Dad finally stops her.
I sit at the table, thinking about her face if I tell her that tomorrow I'll go to Las Vegas. It would be epic. Maybe I can fool her. I walk to the kitchen, my lips spread in a sly smile.
«Mom, would you do me a favor?» I ask, smelling the tomato sauce she's cooking.
«Sure honey.»
«I wanna prank Nora. I'll say that tomorrow I'm going to Las Vegas and you'll agree.»
She laughs. «As you wish.»
I walk away, but my consciousness stops me. Nora won't believe you, she's not that stupid. But if the prank becomes real... «Mom, what would you do if tomorrow I really go to Las Vegas?»
«I would be happy for you.» She seems so calm that I believe her. She takes a bit sauce with a spoon to taste it.
«Good, cause I will.» I announce, arms up and a big smile.
She spits the sauce. «What are you talking about?!» She gasps.
Her initial peacefulness fooled me, but I'm always prepared to calm her down. «I can explain.»
«What? That you were ready to leave Flint without a word for days?»
«What's happening here?» Dad booms, coming in the kitchen.
I try to handle the situation. «Gabriela has two tickets for a masquerade party in Las Vegas, an elegant and innocent party, and...»
«Las Vegas?» Dad repeats with confusion.
«Party?» Mom follows him in panic.
«I bet you won't go anywhere.» Nora smiles at the kitchen door, chewing a gum. I glare at her and she chuckles.
Mom shakes her head. «I always knew that Manuela...»
«Gabriela.» I correct her.
«Whatever, she's not a good friend for you. I should have separated you since you meet her in elementary school.»
I feel the anger growing in me like fire. «No! Don't dare to badmouth her. She's my best friend, when you were away she always protected me from bullies, they were making fun of me because of my overprotective mom and she chose to defend me and be my friend instead of doing the right thing, insulting the person who ruined my life.»
Mom covers her mouth, her eyes clouded with tears. I love her, but right now I can only think that my stupid life would have been so much better without her, or with someone else. Dad and Nora look at her, waiting.
She takes a long sigh. What is she going to say? Nothing that I will like, all the sadness on her face disappears as her eyes meet mines. «One day you'll understand me. All I have done is for your own good. I made you study instead of going out with your friends because have a job is more important than have fun.»
I don't understand her as she doesn't understand me. «I know that work is important, but have fun is necessary too. You separated me from the whole world and... it hurts. I feel alone. Gabriela is my only friend and...» I try to hold the tears, nervously gesticulating to explain how I feel.
«No, not anymore. You'll never see Gabriela again.» Mom states in a monotone voice. I ask myself if she doesn't understand me or she just doesn't care about my feelings, looking at her with my mouth wide open. «Now go to your room. Charles, lock the door, tonight she won't dine with us.»
Her words fly in my head as I try to understand which is arousing my anger more. «Are you kidding me?!» I cry out.
«Haven't you heard your mother? Go to your room, Katrina!» My father tries to talk louder than me, this is his way to scare me, like a bear. Someway it works.
I run to my bedroom, crying. Anger, sadness and a sense of powerlessness storms in me. As I lay on my bed I hear the sound of the lock, then an annoying silence. They are happy and I'm not and they will keep punishing me until I will think like them. It sounds wrong... and scary. I love my parents, we never fight, but we don't just because I put their happiness over mine... isn't it the purpose of a parent?
I want my happiness and they want it too, I'm sure of it, they love me, but I will never be happy if I just study, work and sometimes rest in this golden cage that they created for me.
I remember Gabi's words: Come on, it's the best opportunity to meet a rich man and change your life! If she's right, I can make everyone happy in a night. I just need to go to Las Vegas and find a rich man to love, so I would have a partner and freedom and mom would know that I would have enough money to survive without even work for the rest of my life. Easy, isn't it? No. I never had a boyfriend, how do I flirt? Kiss? Give him pleasure? I can't even think about making love without blushing. I'm not even sexy, my body is half flat and half fat. But I'm also determined and I love myself, I can make it... and the best I can do is find a boyfriend that my mother won't like, cause she doesn't like anyone out of her family.
You know what? I don't care. I will find a man, my hero and maybe my parents' villain. This time the ones that should change their minds to be happy will be mom and dad.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP66XXvrI1
