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“The car isn’t even yours.” I stood up, poking my finger into his chest. “It was my dad’s. You’re delusional if you think you’re the head of this household. My mom is, and when she isn’t, it’s Emilia.”
Franco made a big show of looking around the room. “I don’t see Emilia now, do I? No, because she’s in LA with her husband. She’s not a member of this family anymore.”
“Fuck you! She’s still my sister.”
“Gemma!” Mom cut in.
“Shut up!” I screamed at her, making her take a step back. “Just shut up. Stop taking his side. You always take his side. I’m your daughter. He’s not even your husband.”
Mom looked like I slapped her, but before she could say anything, Franco grabbed my wrist, holding on tight until it started to hurt. “You will learn your lesson, even if I have to hit you myself.” I drew back, startled by his words.
Mom placed a hand on Franco’s arm. “Let me handle this. Gemma makes a good point. I am her mother. I should be in charge of punishing her.”
Franco narrowed his eyes at me, squeezing my wrist tighter. I gritted my teeth and stared back, refusing to relent. After a tense moment, Franco scoffed and let me go. “She’s your daughter, Giulia. You better punish her for destroying the car.” I watched in disgust as Franco stroked my mother’s face. She looked down, bashful. Franco gave me one more look before leaving the room.
“How can you stand him?” I muttered.
Mom lifted her head, giving me a glare of her own. “How can you be so stupid, Gemma?”
“Me? How am I stupid?”
“Sneaking out by yourself. You were just asking for trouble.”
“I’m seventeen. I’m old enough to go out by myself.”
“No. Not when you belong to this family. Not when this family has enemies.”
I scoffed and turned away from her. “Whatever. Just give me my punishment, and I’ll be on my way.”
“You need to learn your lesson. You can’t upset your uncle anymore.”
“Who cares? He’s just an asshole.”
Mom looked away, pulling the end of her shirt sleeve farther down her wrist. “He’s more than that. Be careful with him.”
I stared at her like she was a stranger. “You almost sound like you admire him.”
“I don’t admire him,” she said softly. “I just know how to deal with him. Don’t make him upset again, please. Just go to your room for now.”
“What’s my punishment?”
“You have to make dinner every night and do the dishes for the next week.”
“So, you’re just passing off your duties to me.”
She leveled me with a look. “It’s your punishment. I make the dinner and do the dishes every night without complaint, and I don’t get one thank you. Not from anyone in this family. Maybe it’s a lesson youdoneed to learn.”
I rolled my eyes and went to my room, slamming the door behind me. I couldn’t believe my mom. Siding with Franco! Sure, sneaking out was stupid, but I didn’t intend to crash the car. That was a complete accident. How can she stand him, always catering to his every need, making sure he was happy when the rest of us were suffering? Ok, maybe my siblings weren’t suffering, but I sure felt like I was.
I called Emilia the moment I flopped onto my bed. “Mom is being difficult.”
“Hello to you, too,” was her response.
“She’s always siding with Franco, and it’s crazy. He doesn’t even belong here. No one wants him here, yet he refuses to leave.”
“What happened now?”
I explain to her about the sneaking out, the car crash, and the verbal smackdown by Franco.
