Page 193 of The Encore’s Crown

The volume climbs.

Natalia tells Ma the cake was one of the best things she’s ever tasted.

Another click.

Rithy leans toward her.

“He does know headphones exist, right? Useful for deaf fucking decaying assholes.”

I kick his ankle beneath the table. He grins. Dad doesn’t look back, but the volume rises again. Soon the whole room is filled with canned laughter and shouting from whatever show he’s watching. Every attempt at conversation becomes something we have to force through the noise.

Ma keeps smiling. That’s the part that hurts the most. She acts like none of this is happening, like the television isn’t punishment. Like the beer on the table and the pictures on the floor didn’t mean anything. Pretending if she keeps the day pleasant enough, he might let her have it.

Eventually, I can’t stand it anymore. I kiss the top of Ma’s head. Then Natalia’s.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” I tell them. “We’ll head out after.”

Natalia looks up at me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

The lie comes easily. She squeezes my hand once before letting go. I walk down the hall and shut myself inside the bathroom. I stand over the sink gripping the edge hard enough that the counter bites into my palms.

Breathe.

That’s all I have to do. Breathe. Piss. Wash my hands. Get Natalia out of here before he gives me a reason to forget every promise I made myself when I was sixteen. Don't go to jail over that asshole.

Through the wall, I can hear her talking to Ma. I can’t make out the words, but Ma laughs. Natalia says something else, and Ma laughs harder. It builds fast, the kind where you try to stop and that only makes it worse. One laugh catches on the next until both of them are breathless. At first, I smile.

Then the recliner snaps shut. The sound rings through the house, then heavy footsteps hit the floor. Dad’s voice explodes from the kitchen.

“I'm trying to watch fucking television.”

The laughter dies. I’m already moving.

“So goddamn rude.”

The bathroom door slams against the wall behind me. Then I hear it.

“Dumb blonde bitch.”

Everything inside me goes silent as I round the corner.

Dad is towering over Ma while Natalia stands between them. Her chin is lifted and shoulders squared. Every inch of her vibrates with fury as she looks up at a man nearly twice her size. Age may have weakened him, but he still knows how to fill a room like a threat. Ma is behind her, one hand pressed to her chest. Rithy has a hand wrapped around Natalia’s upper arm, trying to pull her back without making it obvious.

“Nat,” he says quietly. “Don’t.”

She doesn’t move. Dad points at her.

“How dare you come into my house and make noise while I’m trying to relax? Were you raised in a barn?”

Natalia’s eyes narrow.

“I was talking to Ma.”

“You were screeching like a damn harpy.”