Chapter 9

It was Saturday and I was on my way to my parents' home.
I turned my engine off and let my hands rest on my steering wheel. Before I left my car I heaved a big sigh.
I strolled to the wooden front door and rang the doorbell.
A few minutes later my dad opened the door, greeting me with a smile.
"Hi sweetie, come in", he said making way for me.
I walked in and gave him a peck on his cheek.
"Hi dad."
My mother's head appeared from around the corner of the kitchen. She had her checkered apron on, her hands dirty from flower and spices.
"So you're finally here", she said walking back into the kitchen again.
I rolled my eyes and put my jacket on the hallstand.
"Hi mom", I got into the kitchen and kissed my mom's cheek.
"Why are you so late?", she asked wiping her hands to her apron.
"Because I just came home yesterday. I had to do my laundry and I was very tired so I slept in", told her while sticking my head into the fridge.
I pulled out a bottle of coke and grabbed a glass.
"Go say hi to your brother", my mom said and I did as she wished.
He was in the living room, drinking beer with our dad.
"Sis! What's up?", he said bouncing up from the couch.
"He Julian."
After our hug I took a seat in my favorite chair. I always loved sitting in it. My brother and dad continued with their conversation while I stared out of the window. Thinking about the days when I was younger, when I spend so much hours in this chair. It was seated near the window, close to the heater, which was perfect in the winter. I read a lot of books in this chair with the weak winter sun shining softly through our window.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, like I did back in the days and placed my glass on the window sill. I knew my mom didn't like me putting my glass there, but I still did it.
I was so caught up in my own thought I didn't realize my phone buzzed.
"Yo sis. You're phone buzzed", Julian said while waving his hands in front of me.
"What?", I said a bit dazed.
He and my dad laughed.
"You'll never change Mira. Still a dreamer to this day", my dad said with a smile on his face.
I stuck my tongue out to him and grabbed my phone from the center table.
There was an envelope on my screen. I unlocked my screen and read the message.
I didn't realize I was smiling while I read it.
"Ooohhh Mira who is it?", Julian said in the most annoying way.
"Shut up!", I yelled at him not taking my eyes off the screen.
"Mira! Don't yell at your brother!", my mom yelled from the kitchen.
"Well do you finally have a boyfriend?", my brother asked sitting on the edge of his seat.
I typed a message back and put my phone down. My eyes looked in his direction and I formed a sarcastic smile on my face.
"Not that it's any of your business; but no."
"I don't believe you", he said amusement written all over his face.
"If you have to know, this was a friend she asked if I wanted to go out tonight."
Then my dad and my brother both started laughing.
My mood didn't get any better at this point.
"Okay, what's so funny?"
"You have friends?", my brother spit out followed by a laugh.
If looks could kill he would be dead by now.
"And you're going out?", he laughed so hard, he could barely speak.
"Fuck you!"
"Now, now kids. This is enough", my dad said and got up.
My brother was still laughing, I looked away, my eyes observing the clouds passing outside.
"Mira, come help set the table. Dinner is almost ready", my mom firmly spoke from the kitchen.
With aversion I got up from my chair and slowly strolled to the kitchen. I opened up the cabinets where the plates were and grabbed four of them.

"Mira, I want you to stop using language like that", my mother spoke.
"Okay, yeah so now it's my fault", I said opening up a drawer to get utensils.
"Your brother is just playing around", she said opening up the oven.
This was why I didn't like coming here when my brother was here too. He was always the innocent one and I would always get a lecture. I was so sick of it.
After I had set the table we had dinner.
My brother told a lot of stories which I didn't even listen to. I just ate my dinner.
"So, Mira how was your business trip", my dad asked as he grabbed the salad bowl.
"It was okay I guess. Rather boring", I said and shoved some fried potatoes in my mouth.
"Who's the commissioning party?"
"Woods inc."
"Isn't that from that rich man? What's his name again?", Julian said frowning his eye brows, trying to come up with the name.
"You mean Max", I said as monotone as I could.
Julian points his finger at me and shouts; "Yes! That's him!"
"He's so handsome", my mother sighed.
My dad, Julian and I turned our heads towards her.
"What?"
"Mom, oh my God!", Julian exclaimed.
Then everyone concentrated on the food again.
"He's arrogant and rude anyway", I said my eyes locked on my plate.
The room was filled with silence. I could feel everyone stare at me.
Putting my head up, I saw my feeling was right.
I lifted my eyebrows, wondering why they stared at me.
"You met him?", Julian asked surprised.
"I had dinner with him too."
Their eyes almost fell out of their sockets.
"What do you mean?", my mother asked.
I told them about the meetings, the dinner and the visiting of the property.
"But he's an arrogant prick. So I hope I don't have to see him anymore", I closed off my story.
"I read he's a real womanizer too", my dad said.

"No wonder with those looks", my mom exclaimed.
"Mom, that's disgusting!", Julian yelled.
She started laughing.
"I bet he has a different girl in every city", my dad spoke.
"That's why he's divorced", Julian explained.
I kept silent while they talked about Max' private life.
It made me think, were those things they said really true.
I know people talk a lot around town, but where there is smoke, there is mostly fire. Besides he didn't really speak up about his divorce.
If it's all true then I feel sorry for his ex-wife. Must be hard to know that your husband has an affair, or maybe multiple.
The conversation about Max ended and we were eating desert.
"Who wants some coffee?", my mom asked while I was clearing off the table with my dad. Julian walked to the couch as always. He never helped cleaning up. My mother never said anything about it. Only when I lacked of helping she would start to complain.
"Yes please", Julian answered taking a seat.
With glasses in my hand I walked up to my mom and put them on the kitchen counter.
"Mom, I'm going so no coffee for me", I said opening up the dishwasher.
She turned around, her hands on her hips.
"You're going already?"
I heaved a sigh, I knew she would act up like this. Gladly she didn't hear me cause of the noise the plates made while I neatly placed them in the machine.
"Yes."
"Why are you always leaving so fast. Sometimes I really wish you were more like your brother you know that?", she groused.

Yes, I know already."He's staying over and tomorrow he'll take us on a boat trip. Why don't come with us?", she asked in an attempt to make me stay.
"I just came back from L.A. , I'm tired", I answered closing up the dishwasher.
My left hand leaning on the counter, my other stuffed away in my back pocket.

"You can spend the night here."
"Mom, no. I'm going."
Julian came walking in the kitchen.
"You say you're tired but you're going out with a friend", he sarcastically said.
My mom's look went from a little annoyed to furious in just a split second.
Okay, here we go...
"What? You're lying to me Mira?", she yelled at me.
"Mira, is that true?", my dad interfered.
"Yeah Mira", Julian's annoying voice had to put some oil onto the fire.
"Fuck you Julian!!"
"Mira!"
Great ending to this dinner party. I walked away to get my purse and my jacket.
My mother followed my footsteps.
"Why do you always have to be like this, Mira?", she hissed as she grabbed my arm. Her angry eyes looked as if they were to spit fire at me.
I pulled away from her grasp and stormed off.
"If you don't get back here this instant...", my mom threatened.
I just looked at her angry face and saw my brother shaking his head behind her.
"Answer your mother", my father spoke demanding.
Fixing my jacket I gave her one look and then I opened the door, to slam it shut behind me as I walked off to my car.
I saw my brother running towards my car as I started my engine. He knocked on my window.
"Don't go", he mimicked with his lips.
I rolled my window down a bit saying; "Bye."
Then shut my window and stepped on my gas pedal.
All I wanted was to get home as fast as I could.

When I got home, most of my anger had fade away.
I crawled up on my couch and got my phone, someone had send me a text while I was driving. That reminded me Claire had asked me to go out with her.
The thought of being away cheered me up. I was excited to go.
The text was from Claire, probably to set the time. I opened up my message box and saw it was from her, only not to set the time.
She canceled the appointment, she was going out with another friend of hers, some private party.
I threw my phone away and sank deeper into my couch. This was nice being at home all alone on Saturday night. Sometimes I felt my life was so boring. Most of the time I was working. If I wasn't working I was at home, all by myself.
I was really looking forward to going out, but I guess I'm not fun to go out with. Claire had done this to me before. Asking me to do something or go out and cancel our plans at the last moment.
My thoughts got more and more depressed with every minute that went by.
The fact that my mom put Julian on a pedestal again wasn't really helping either.
He tried to call me a few times and so did my dad, but I wasn't feeling like talking to them. All they would do was yell and tell me I wasn't supposed to behave like this.
Then my phone rang once again. I was ready to toss it to the other side of my small living room, but this time it wasn't my family that tried to contact me.
It was Raoul, someone I met once while going out with Eddie.
"Hello", I said.
"Whaddup Shorty." He always called me that.
"I'm fine", I answered.
"So, watchu doin?"
"Nothin much."
"Do you feel like coming over?", he asked me.
"Sure."
All our conversations were like this. Never talk too much; was his motto.
I was fine with that, I didn't feel like talking anyway.
Fifteen minutes after our conversation I arrived at his neighbourhood.
But the part where he lived was even worse than where I lived. I never liked coming here. During the day it wasn't so bad, but at night, like now, I always found it a bit creepy. Most of the apartments were dilapidated. I entered the building and the smell of weed and urine punched into my nose. It was very intoxicating, so I put my hand in front of my mouth. Not that that was any help, it was just the idea. To get to his place I had to get to the first floor.
Arriving there I knocked on his door twice.
"Whaddup Shorty", he said while he opened the door.
I just smiled as I walked in.
His home didn't really feel like a home. He had a matras in the living room. A small television set was positioned on a low side table. He had two lamps, who didn't give much light.
"I see you bought curtains", I said looking at them.
"Yeah, I just got them", he answered.
Last time I was here, he just had a few old sheets that served as curtains.
I turned around and put my stuff on the one chair that was placed at his kitchen table, that was also seated in his living room.
He had poured some wine for me and a whiskey for himself.
The TV was playing R&B songs and I took a seat next to him on the matrass. He handed me my drink and we started chatting a bit.
It didn't take long before he began kissing my neck. I knew where this was going and I just went along with the flow. When he was busy exploring my body and undoing me from my clothes my mind started to wander.
It was like a was on autopilot when touching and kissing him. It didn't feel like I was there, but this was better than being alone. His masculine chocolate brown body was nice to look at. He did everything he could to please me, but this wasn't the way. My body was satisfied but my soul was empty.
After we were done he soon fell asleep. It took me a long time before I finally slept. The next morning he had to leave early for his work.
Not long after he left I dressed myself and went to home.