I woke up still exhausted from yesterday. I just rolled out of bed not worried about the time or anything. I grabbed a towel and cloth to take a shower I never took last night. I did not remember why because I was still tired. All I knew was that I stunk. A shower usually wakes me up.
I went two doors down to the bathroom. The door was closed, which I found odd. The door was never closed in the morning. I did not look into it. Someone closed the door. I was too tired to care.
I opened the door without knocking. I took a step in and looked up. A figure was standing at the sink with a towel on their head. Of course it was Jessica.
She turned and jumped startled. She was startled? I was shocked. I jumped back into a wall and slammed my head against it.
"Ow!" I yelled.
"Are you alright?!" Jessica said as she was running towards me.
"Yeah, yeah!" I got up holding my head. I turned around and walked fast into my room. I slammed the door behind me.
Well that woke me up. I also remembered why I didn't take a shower last night. Of course this happened to me. Not to be weird, but why my dad or mom couldn't be in the bathroom. It would have been way less awkward. I looked down at myself. I was not wearing a shirt and was in my boxers. Yeah, it would have been way less awkward. My life lately has been something out of a movie.
It had to be Jessica in there. Just my luck. Then I thought back on it. She did have nothing on, but a towel. She was looking nice from what I saw.
Just my luck I thought with a smile.
I wished that thought away. I hung out with Dashaun way too much. Some of his perverted thinking was rubbing off on me now. I was not Dashaun.
I looked at the clock. It was ten. That's why someone was in the bathroom. I thought it was seven or eight like the time I always wake up. I must have been really tired yesterday.
I sat on the edge of my bed and waited. I heard the bathroom door open again. She was finally done. I waited a little longer for one noise. Click. That was the closing of her door. I peeked out the door to make sure no one was in the hallway. I closed it back and got the clothes I was going to wear for the day to bring into the bathroom. I did not want any more of that earlier situation. I checked the scene again then went to the bathroom. I did not want my life to be like this now.
After the shower I was relieved. It was more physically than mentally. I was so sore. My body ached. The hot water healed that actually. Since the news the shower has been the best thing in this house.
After I finished washing I brushed my teeth and got dressed then left the bathroom. As I was going to my room I heard talking downstairs. My mom and Jessica were in the kitchen. I stood there and listened.
"Jessica, do you want some eggs and grits for breakfast?" my mom asked.
"Yes, Ms. Randal." Jessica responded.
"You don't have to call me that." my mom said cheerfully.
"Yes ma'am." Jessica said.
"Oh no! That makes me sound old." my mom laughed. "Sarah is fine."
"Ok."
Jessica is so polite. A little too polite. I know she was not like this at home in Japan. I noticed something else as well. Jessica had one of those sweet, quiet voices. Maybe she was just using that voice with my mother, but it was cute. She talked to me before, but I just banged my head on the wall and I did not focus on that. I guess it matched her figure. Then I remembered the image of last night and smiled.
I continued walking, but then my mom asked a question.
"Jessica, what was that voice earlier?"
"Damn!" I said to myself.
"Oh. Your son hit his head on the wall." Jessica answered.
"How did that happen?"
Here it comes. She is going to tell my mom and she is going to over exaggerate. Most people will think it is an accident, my mom will think I was being a pervert or something. If I'm watching a movie and they kiss, she thinks it is a porno. One time she came into my room (without knocking) and she saw me fixing my underwear because it was gathered at the crotch. She thought I was pleasuring myself. This situation will be no different. This time she had a reason to think something was up.
I stood there anticipating her answer.
"I was in the bathroom and did not know what happened. He probably tripped."
"Oh. Ray is clumsy sometimes." my mom said.
She did not tell her. Why? She probably felt the situation was awkward enough and did not want to bring it up. Or she did not want me to be embarrassed. What was her gain?
I went into my room and turned on my Xbox. I did not forget the plan. I still got to keep my distance and act like I don't care. I was hungry however. If I were to go downstairs I know my mom would make me have a conversation. I did not want a conversation. In order for me to avoid that I had to stay in my room.
After an hour of Call of Duty I was hungry. Very hungry now. And they were still downstairs. What were they doing? I needed to eat something and fast.
"Ray! We are going shopping. We will be back later!" my mom yelled.
Thank god, I thought. I heard the door close. I turned off the Xbox and darted downstairs to the kitchen. I looked inside the fridge. There was a sandwich for me.
"Thanks Mom." I took the sandwich and went to the living room. The rerun First Take was just starting.
I just remembered it was Monday. My dad been left for his job at IBM. So here I was alone in my house again with a sandwich and T.V. Was this going to be my life now? Starving myself until twelve and be alone all the time?
Of course it did not have to be like that. I could talk to her and try to make it work. That was probably the best course of action. Then again I do have my pride. I will see this through and teach my parents a lesson. If not now then when? It had to be now.
Doing this however could make me lose a chance to date a beautiful girl in the process. I remembered what Dashaun said about this being my only chance. I started to think this was. Do I sacrifice that for the plan? A plan that may not even work? Or sacrifice the plan for a girl that may not like me? I could always wait until I'm in the NBA and use my money to get a girl, right? I had some things to think about.
This boredom was excruciating! It was already 5pm. No one came home yet and I was here all day. I probably could have went to Dashaun's house, but all Dashaun wanted to do lately was talk about Jessica. I also have been to his house for the past two days. I don't like going to people's houses that much even if it is Dashaun's house. I decided to stay home. I see now that this decision may have been wrong. I watched T.V and played my game. That was my whole day. When video games got boring it was time for television again and vice versa.
I turned on the T.V when my dad walked in the house wearing his grey business suit.
"Hey Ray." he said while walking by.
"Dad." I responded.
"Is your mom and Jessica here too?" he asked.
"Nope. They went shopping at 12." I told him.
"Oh. Then they should be back soon. Dinner today is pasta, is that alright?"
"Sounds good to me." Pasta was my father's favorite dish to make. I think it was the only dish he knew how to make.
My dad went upstairs. I guess he was about to change. I turned off the television and followed him up. I went into my room to play some 2k. I was not about to be downstairs with my dad by myself. Every time I am he wants me to watch him cook and talk to me. I have nothing to talk about so why does he even try. He never bothers me when I'm playing the game. I'll stay up here until dinner.
An hour later, Jessica and my mother returned home. My dad had almost finished dinner. Well it was done, but he wanted to wait until they got home. I did not know why. It's not like I was eating with them.
"Hey honey. Dinner is ready." I heard my dad say. "You are going to love it." I guess he said that to Jessica because it sounded too cheerful.
"Ok Rick, let me go change first and wash up." my mom said as she was going up the stairs. I could hear bags in her hands. Those were probably Jessica's bags. My mom just went shopping for clothes.
Moments later I heard another set of footsteps coming up. Guess that was Jessica. I heard her step at my door. She was just standing there. I knew that because there were no footsteps following the ones that came to my door. Then I saw the knob move. What the hell is happening? Is she really about to come into my room?! The knob moved, but then stopped. She released the handle. I heard footsteps move away from my door.
I let out a sigh of relief. What did she want? That was a confrontation I did not want right now. I still did not decided what I wanted to do yet. I really wanted to talk to her though.
And what is it with people and not knocking?
I turned my game off. I knew my dad was going to call me soon. I'm not going to start another game. I went downstairs for my plate. The plan was to go back to my room and watch SportsCenter or something.
When I entered the kitchen I noticed there were four plates with food on them. I guess my dad put them there because it was ready. I picked up my food and drink to leave.
"Leave the plate Ray." My dad said.
"Why? I'm going upstairs to eat." I said.
"No you're not." he replied. "We are eating dinner together. All four of us."
"What!" I was shocked. "This is not going to happen. Peace." I turned and left.
"Raymond I'm serious!" he bellowed. "We are eating together and that's the end of it." Oh my god. This guy.
"We never did this before. Why is it different now?"
"We are going to change things. Be more interactive. More conversations."
"Oh my god." I went to the seat near the wall and sat. I was pissed. This guy and his 'interaction' and 'conversations' was not cool. When he is like this however you just listen. Then I remembered what he said, 'All four of us'. Damn it!
I sat there mad and thinking how I would get through this dinner. My mom came downstairs wearing a t-shirt and shorts. That's her evening, relax wear.
"Oh that looks great, Babe!" my mom said. "Hi Ray."
I said nothing. I sat there leaning my head on my hand.
"How was your day?" she asked. I still did not respond. "What's wrong with him?" she asked my dad.
"He is mad that we are eating together now." my dad answered.
"Oh that. Ray it will be fine." my mom said to me. "We just want to talk more. See how everyone's day has gone. Things like that." She sat at the end of the table. This was followed by my father at the other end.
Damn it! Why did they sit at the ends? Now there was one seat left and that was for…
I heard the footsteps. Moments later Jessica appeared in the kitchen. This was the first time I've seen her since this morning's incident. She was looking great. She was wearing a black skirt that went just to her knees with a white strap T-shirt and flats. Man, did she know how to dress. Looking at her now I could tell she was just naturally beautiful.
She took a seat across from me. This is what I did not want. Now if I were to look up our eyes will meet. I wanted to look at here, but that was not what I wanted at the same time. How da hell will I get out of this one?
Dinner started off slow. Everyone was silent for a minute. My dad finally spoke to break the ice.
"How was your first day here, Jessica?" my dad asked.
"It was great, sir" she said.
"Rick, please." Just like mom. "What did you two ladies do today?"
"Well, we went to this fancy store and bought some clothes and shoes. Then we ate some lunch at a restaurant. Then we went to a salon for nails and feet. That was wonderful. Then we walked and talked by the river."
"Well that sounds like a long and expensive day, honey." my dad said. I thought in my head that it was a typical girl's day.
"Oh stop. It only came out to be $1000." mom said.
My father dropped his fork. My dad is serious about his money. He is black. So he was probably pissed. Then she started laughing.
"I'm only kidding, honey." my mom laughed. Leave it to the white wife to joke about a black man's money.
"Oh, you got me." my dad started to laugh.
While they were having a good time, I was eating my food quietly. I was almost done too. I wanted to finish quickly so I could just leave the room. I figured that was the best way to get out of the situation.
Jessica was also laughing now. Her laugh was so cute. Just another positive on such a long list.
"So, Ray. How about you? How was your day?" my dad asked.
"Fine." I said. Why is he talking to me?
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Nothing." I responded.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Everyone was silent now. I guess I ruined the mood that just started to pick up. Now everyone was looking at me. I did not look up from my plate, but I knew they were. Even Jessica was looking. Stop looking at me, woman!
I finished my last bite. I got up, went to the sink, and washed my plate. After that I left. I got down the hall and heard something behind me.
"Does he hate me?" Jessica whispered. I barely heard it, but I did. I did not hate her. I just have to do it… I went to my room.
Thirty minutes later I heard Jessica's voice. She was coming up the stairs.
"Thank you. I'm going to bed. Good night." she said. She walked up the stairs. She stopped at my door again. This time she did not stand there for long. Moments later she went to her room.
"Ray! Come down here please!" my dad yelled upstairs. Here it comes. Another talk I guess. I got up and went to the living room.
"I'm going to bed too. Goodnight Rick. Goodnight Ray" my mom said and then went upstairs as well. Just going to be dad tonight, huh.
"What's wrong, Ray?" my dad asked.
"I'm fine." I answered.
"Oh so you're just being disrespectful for the hell of it." My dad said.
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are. You have not said more than one word to Jessica since she been here."
"So. You should have thought of this before you do stuff without telling me." I just threw that out there. That was like the twentieth hint I gave about me not liking this. Maybe this time he could catch on now mom is not here.
"Is this what this is all about? We are the parents, we could do that."
"Not to the point where I'm sixteen and it is controlling your son's life."
"You don't get freedom until you are eighteen, Ray. Really until you leave my house."
"It's not that. You put me in things without my opinion. I'm not a child. You can't just force me to do things now."
"The things we make you do are for you to live a good and respectful life."
"Did your parents make you do half the stuff I do?" My dad was silent. "Exactly. I'm pretty sure mom is the same. You also don't have to agree with mom on everything either."
"What makes you say that?"
"I know you didn't want me to do the stuff I've had done and you don't want to do half the stuff you do."
"Why?"
"Dad, you're black. Black guys don't do some of the stuff you do."
"See now that is racist and stereotypical. Your mother and I agree on everything that has and have ever happened on neutral terms."
I just looked at him. I definitely don't believe that. I'm sure he doesn't believe that. No family agrees on everything. I know my dad just agrees with my mom on everything. I did not feel like discussing that so I said nothing.
"That's still no excuse for you to treat her like that. She will be here for a whole year and you got to deal with that fact." He said.
"I don't have to deal with anything. You are not controlling my life no more. I do not have to accept her or anything else you will make me do again."
"I know you don't like it, but this will be good for you. You will see." My dad was mad because I was being a little disrespectful towards him, but he was trying to be compassionate. I could see this was one of the times dad and mom agreed on the decision. "All I know is you will not continue to disrespect Jessica." my dad continued. "You will be talking to her. I mean that."
"We'll see." I said to myself. If I said that to him then I would have got slapped. I was already pushing it. I ran upstairs and into my room and closed the door.
What that conversation was basically about was that they controlled my life until I went to college. My mom and dad seem to not understand the fact that I am not their puppet, pet, or experiment that will do whatever they want. It seems the plan continues. As soon as I was about to change my mind too.
Actually I had time to think about this. Tomorrow started a week of basketball camp in New York. There I will see what I will do. The way things are now I may not speak to her for a whole year.
I want to think about it because I really wanted to talk to her. I looked out my door across the hall to her door.
Does he hate me?
God no. It is just that… it is complicated.
Thinking about what she said turned it into a 50/50 chance of me changing my mind. I did not want her to think I hated her. The thing is I hated my parents. Sadly, she was just a casualty. Does she have to be? I liked to think not. I hope not. Right now I just don't know.
I went to sleep with those thoughts. Soon I will be taking these thoughts to camp with me.