Page 13 of In a Perfect World

Chapter 7

Triana~

After talking with Sonia last night, I’d made the mature decision to visit my parents this morning to clear the air.No matter what, it wasn’t a good feeling to be at odds with them, and despite it all, I really did love them.They’d always done what was best for me and Tomasco, and so while I didn’t owe them the rest of my life, I still owed them, and so I needed to make this right.

So, taking in a deep breath, I knocked on their door, then waited.While we were a close family, my father was very rigid about certain ideals, and he believed that it was rude to just walk into his house without permission, even if it was his own children.Yet, whenever he came by to see me, he questioned why my front door was always locked.

When the door finally opened, it was my mother standing on the other side, and the dour look on her face made me want to turn back around, get into my car, then begin looking for a new job.While they might not have been expecting me to show up today, it was clear that they were still expecting an apology from me, because why wouldn’t they?In their eyes, I was the one in the wrong here, and talk about digging in your heels.

“I’m guessing that you’re here to apologize,” she stated, and the tone of her voice had immediately raised my hackles like nobody’s business.

“I’m here to talk with you and Dad,” I corrected.

She lifted her chin, and when she stepped aside to let me in, she called for my father.“Tu hija está aquí, aunque no está aquí para disculparse.”

As each word hit my ears, I could feel my anger returning with a vengeance.She’d told my father that I was here, but that I wasn’t here to apologize, and if that wasn’t setting the tone for an automatic fight, then I didn’t know what was.

My father walked into the living room as my mother shut the door behind us, and with his expression matching hers, it was obvious that my coming here had been a waste of time, and I felt both angry and sad over it.

“So, if you’re not here to apologize, then why are you here?”my father asked coldly, and it really was throwing me off how cruel they were behaving.

“Why are you guys so mad at me over this?”I finally asked.“Am I forbidden to have an opinion on my own life now?”

My mother went to go stand next to my father, and when she looked up at him, the hairs on the back of my neck immediately stood at attention.

This was not good.

“This is about family, Triana,” my father said.“This is about our honor and all that we stand for.”

My brows furrowed, dread slithering down my spine.“Meaning what?”

“Your father and I have already spoken with the Fuentezes, and we assured them that you’d be more than happy to marry Romelio,” my mother announced, and I could feel my lungs seizing in my chest.

“Wh...what?”I stammered.“Why would you do that?Why would you...why would you speak for me like that?Especially, without talking with me first?”

“Well, we had no reason to believe that you’d be so against the union,” my mother huffed.“It’s a good match.Él es un buen hombre.”

“I don’t care that he’s a good man,” I snapped.“I care that you don’t see how wrong this is?I care that you would arrange something so permanent with a person that I don’t love.”I looked frantically between my parents.“How...how can you think that this is okay?”

“You’re not a parent, so you don’t understand that it is our duty to guide you if we see that you might not be heading in the right direction,” my father replied, absolutely flooring me.

“What wrong direction?”I screeched.“I’m only twenty-four.I have at least a good ten years left before I’m forced to make permanent life choices.”

“We don’t see it that way-”

“I don’t want your life!”I yelled.“And I don’t owe mine!”

“That’s enough!”my father roared.“This will be the last time that you disrespect us in our home!”

“Disrespect you?”I choked out.“What about your blatant disrespect for me?”

My father’s chin went up, and I knew that look.“If you see us doing what’s best for you as disrespect, then it’s obvious that we’ve failed with you somewhere along the way.”

“So, I’m a failure because I want to choose my own life?”I looked over at my mother.“Are you serious right now?”

“Triana,calmaté-”