Carmen looked at her aunt in confusion. She mustn't have been serious and had to be joking about it.
"What do you mean 'on vacation'?" Carmen asked as she narrowed her eyes at her aunt.
Her aunt Lucille worked as a travel agent, so she got chances to travel around often. Carmen had always envied the carefree lifestyle she provided for herself and her daughter. Her daughter was everything that Carmen wished she could be but never was.
She was carefree and had everything that she wanted given to her by her parents. She often wondered what her life would be like if Lucille was her mother instead of her real mother. She knew that it was wrong of her to think in such a way, but everyone craved to have someone who would show them an ounce of love and affection once in a while.
"So the thing is, I got this trip organized for this family, and then all of a sudden they canceled. Because guess what?" Lucille asked.
Carmen shook her head, staring at her with amusement on her face. "It turns out that the husband was cheating on her" Lucille said in surprise. Carmen gasped at her words, feigning a gasp.
"He didn't?!" She asked dramatically.
Lucille rolled her eyes. "He did. And I wanted to give them a refund, but the wife said no. This would be his punishment for what he did to her. So now there is a booking at a fancy ski lodge in Switzerland, but no one to go," Lucille said with a sigh.
Carmen looked at her, and then her eyes widened as she continued.
"So I went up to my boss, and I was like, Why doesn't he give it to me?" Lucille continued.
Carmen saw the grim look on her face as she talked about her boss. He was a terrible person in general.
"And what did he say?" She questioned.
"He laughed in my face. Then I suggested he come as well to loosen his muscles. And this time you won't believe that he actually agreed." Lucille said.
"Did he really agree?" She asked raising her eyebrow at her in disbelief.
"Okay fine. I had to agree to go on a date with him. But who cares?"Lucille confessed.
Carmen widened her eyes at her words. "You are going out with him?" She asked.
"It is a burden I have to bear, but it is worth it. Check out Crystal Lake Lodge." Lucille said.
Carmen pulled out her phone and googled the lodge, and she gasped at the sight of it. It was three floors with glass walls on one side. It was situated right at the neck of the mountain.
It was a 5-star hotel and wasn't far off from the Northern Lights. It was a famous tourist destination for many celebrities. She went through their brochure and found that they had numerous activities for them to take part in.
She felt excitement come over her. She actually couldn't wait to go. The last time she had been on a family trip was nearly 10 years ago. Her parents traveled often, but it was mainly for work, and they thought it was too trivial to bring her along.
She spent the time with her brother at her aunt's home and didn't mind it much. "It's actually really nice." She admitted.
Lucille grinned as she grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "You see! I knew this was good." Lucille grinned.
"But, Luce, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble" Carmen said to her honestly.
Lucille shrugged her off as she said, "I wasn't doing it for you. It's for me. I need a break from this town. Plus, you haven't been on vacation since Christopher." She said it to her sadly.
Carmen smiled as she felt a tear on her cheek.
Luce quickly wiped it away as she said, "No time for crying. We have to celebrate." Lucille cheered.
She turned to her as she remembered something.
"Wait! Have you told my parents?" Lucille turned away from her as she gave her a weak grin.
"Uhmmm. I was hoping that you could do that." Lucille said to her.
Carmen felt her stomach drop as she closed her eyes. She knew this wouldn't end well. She had been avoiding her parents since yesterday, and she knew she wasn't ready for that confrontation.
"Do I have to?" She groaned. "You don't, but you should. This vacation will be good for them too." Lucille said. "What do you mean?" Carmen asked with furrowed brows.
"How often do you see them just talking? They are constantly fighting, and that is never a good thing. They are hurting too, and maybe this will be a good way for them to bond. They might even warm up to the idea of you studying fine arts." Lucille said.
Carmen felt her heart drop at this fact.
She knew her parents fought a lot, but she hadn't thought much about it. She knew that they would always find a way to get back together. She had never considered what would happen if they ever decided to get a divorce.
"Fine." She muttered as she opened her door and began making her way downstairs. She found her parents in the living room, talking in hushed voices. Her mother raised her eyebrow to look at her as she took in how nervous she seemed.
"So are you here to apologize for your behavior yesterday?" Sylvia asked. Carmen gritted her teeth at her words but said nothing. "Fine arts, really. I just want you to give me a heart attack. I might as well join a band." Sylvia scoffed, muttering the last part.
"Actually, I am here to tell you we are going on a vacation" Carmen said to them with a bright grin on her face. But they only stared at her with deep frowns of disinterest.
And then, all of a sudden, her mother started laughing. She looked at her in confusion. "No. We aren't going on vacation."She said it to her firmly, shaking her head.
"Why not?" Carmen asked her in confusion.
"We have to go to work. Some of us actually want to be employed and have working jobs." Sylvia said it to her with a scuff.
Carmen felt a pang at her words, but she ignored the feeling. "Mum, this could be good for us." She said, Her mother waved her off as she got up to leave. She turned to her aunt in panic, but she only shrugged her shoulders at her, not sure of what to do. "I know you guys are getting a divorce." Carmen blurted it out. She widened her eyes as she rushed to cover her mouth with her palm.
She hadn't meant for that to come out that way. "How do you know?" Her mother asked.
Carmen sighed before answering her. "You guys argue all the time. I can hear you through the walls." Carmen said.
Her dad sighed out loud, and she saw guilt flash in his eyes. For a second, she saw her old dad. The one who had taken her out to play was the one who would take her and her brother swimming. The one that would kiss her head at night when he put her to sleep.
Those were simpler times when her parents actually cared for her, but they don't care about her now.
"We aren't getting a divorce. We are simply going through some issues." He said to her,
Her mother scoffed at her, rolling her eyes. "We can't get a divorce. What would the board think? A separation would only bring a bad reputation and publicity to the company. We have to keep everything under wraps." Her mother said.
Carmen's heart sank. Of course, the reason they would want to stay together was for their company and not for her. She shouldn't have even been surprised. She was never on their priority list.
"Please, mum. I need this vacation. Just take a look at the skin result, and the whole family is coming." Carmen pleaded. Her mother laughed loudly at the mention of a ski lodge. "You want me to trek through the snow? And to meet with those family members of yours." Her mother said this in disgust as she looked towards her husband.
"Not that your side is any better." He mumbled. Carmen sighed. She didn't know what she had been expecting from them, but clearly, they had no interest in giving her what she wanted. "We haven't been on vacation together since..." Carmen began, but she trailed off.
"That's enough. We want to hear no more of it." Her father said this as he stood up from his spot. He stormed out of the house, and her mother looked at her in anger. "I just ask for this one thing, and even that you can't give me" Carmen shouted at them angrily.
Her mother stared at her with a stoic expression on her face before saying to her flatly, "You should have known better." She whispered before leaving the room.
Lucille cleared her throat, and Carmen remembered her presence. She didn't understand what her mother meant, but then she remembered the date, and her heart sank. It was the 26th of November. Only three weeks until his death day.
Carmen could feel a panic attack coming on, and she wished he was there to soothe her more than anything. She couldn't stay in the house anymore. She had to go to the one place that gave her peace.
She didn't know how to drive, and she was determined not to learn. So she retrieved her bike from the garage and decided to head onto the road.
She knew where she was headed as she began to peddle wildly. She could see clouds forming in the distance and knew that it was about to rain soon. She soon pulled up to the cemetery. She felt her heart sink as she shivered. She headed towards his tombstone.
"Christopher Sanchez. Gone too soon." It read. It was almost ironic how true the words were. "I am sorry that I don't visit you enough, Chris." She said that, and she felt tears prick her vision.
"The family is a mess without you. Mom and Dad have not been the same. I haven't been the same." Carmen admitted. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she had been the one who died that night. Would they grieve for her the way they did for him?
She was sure that it would be a lot easier to cope with. The broken child and the black sheep She heard thunder crack up above her, and she felt a comforting feeling as though he was answering her in his own way.
Soon enough, rain began to fall in heavy pellets. She had had enough and decided to head home. She needed that time to clear her head, and it was nice talking to her brother after so long.
She was surprised to find the house empty and sighed. She knew that Maria would have gone home by now, and her parents were probably at work.
She hadn't realized how much she needed the vacation and the time away from everything and everyone until then.
She saw a note on the fridge saying that they had gone out for the evening and that she shouldn't wait up. She hoped that they would use the time to work out some of their issues. She couldn't help but feel guilty, as though she was the reason behind their tension.
She wasn't making the situation any easier for them. Maybe it was time she faced the fact that she should study business, as her parents wanted, and abandon her fantasy.
She pulled out her sketch pad and decided to draw something to distract her mind. As usual, she ended up drawing a faceless man. She didn't know why, but she had been drawn to the male physique. She had never been interested in men, not that they were interested in her either.
She was brought out of her thoughts when her door was knocked on. She pulled the door open and found her mother on the other side, staring at her with tear-stained cheeks. "Can I come in?" She asked, and she nodded, stepping aside for her to pass.
She came in and sat down on her bed. The situation was awkward as her mother and she was never close and wouldn't have heart-to-heart conversations.
"So...." Carmen began staring up at Sylvia, but her gaze was on her sketchbook. "These are actually very good." Her mother said, which shocked Carmen. "Mum, are you okay?" She asked with concern.
Her mom sighed in contemplation before finally answering her, "Just a little squabble. So, about the vacation. Do you really want to go?" She asked. She nodded her head, saying, "Yes, please." She sighed, saying, "Fine, maybe a vacation is what we need. We could make some friends and bond more. Maybe it could be a life-changing experience." She nodded her head, not knowing how true her words were.