Wednesday, 9 January 2019
Zaily had an off day at work. What better time than spending her off days with two of her little children.
“She told Farrell she has a remedial class today after school,” Zaily says. “He took the school bus home without her. I thought you knew?”
“It’s seven in the evening now. How can it still be a remedial class?”
“Did you call the school?”
“I thought she won’t play this kind of stunt since I warned her about calling the school. Anyway, it is already seven, I don’t think the school is still open.” Marc closes the door behind him.
Faith takes a cab home from the city.
As soon as she walks through the door, she sees Marc sitting in the lounge, reading a newspaper.
“Where did you go?” Marc asks.
“Nina’s place,” Faith quavers. “Her parents invited me to din---”
Marc slams the newspaper down on the table and says, “What more excuses are you gonna makeup right now, Faith?”
“But it’s true! I met her parents at her place just now and had dinner.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” Marc fumes.
“How can I tell you when I have no device to call you?” Faith bickers.
“So, you’re telling me that neither Nina nor her parents have a phone?”
“You think I remembered all your numbers?” Faith lies. “I wanted to call you, but I don’t have a memory of an elephant!”
“Don’t you dare be rude to me!” Marc chastises, as he points a finger at Faith.
Faith runs up to her room and slams the door behind her.
She throws her bag on the floor and goes to her bathroom.
Why can’t they trust me?
She is a teenager. Everything that she thought that she is doing isn’t wrong. All she ever wanted was to have someone that wants to be with her and loves her. She has Chris, and she doesn't want to lose him just because her parents control her like that. She is frustrated with Marc confiscating her phone. She doesn't want Chris to think that she isn’t interested in him.
As usual, Faith spends her time in her bathroom for almost an hour trying to cool herself off.
She hears knockings on her room door.
“Faith, open the door please,” Marc sounds apologetic. “Come on, let me in. Let’s talk.”
“Give me a while,” Faith is curious why there was a change of tone. She wipes her tears away.
Faith opens the door and rolls her eyes at Marc.
“What do you want?” Faith scowls.
“Here’s your phone,” Marc hands over Faith’s cell phone. “Promise me that your bills won’t be like that ever again.”
“Seriously?” Faith raises her eyebrows. “You are really trusting me with this?”
“For your safety, yes. And promise me you will update me on your whereabouts.”
“Alright,” Faith takes her phone. “Thank you.”
“Are you going to be home late tomorrow?” Marc asks.
It is going to be the 5th day of not meeting Chris if she doesn't meet him tomorrow.
“Is it alright if I go shopping with Nina tomorrow?”
“Alright, but be home before six,” Marc says.
“Got it,” Faith nods.
After school the next day.
“Do you really have to go?” Chris pouts.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Faith says. “I promised my dad I’ll be home before six.”
“Are you still grounded?”
“I don’t know, I guess not anymore.”
“Wanna go out this weekend?”
“Where to?”
“I don’t know, walk around the city?”
“Sounds fun! But I have to think about what to tell my dad.”
“School? Nina?”
“I can’t keep telling them it’s Nina I’m going out with. They might suspect something.”
“Oh, I know!” Faith beams. “I’ll tell them I have curriculum activities at school that day!”
“Good idea,” Chris says while leaning closer to Faith’s neck.
“I really need to,” Faith hesitates. “Go now." She stood up, took her bag and turn around at Chris.
“Oh, alright then,” Chris looks disappointed. “Do you want me to send you home?”
“I think better not,” Faith says. “Wouldn’t want my dad to see you yet.”
Faith sees Marc as soon as she got out of the cab.
“Hey, dad,” Faith waves to Marc. Marc looks at the watch then looks at her with a smirk. Faith just smiled.
“Anyway, dad,” Faith skips towards Marc. “I have netball practice on Saturday. Just a heads up.”
“Ya, alright,” Marc drawls. “Home straight after that, okay?”
“Gotcha!”
Marc opens the door behind Faith. “Oh, Faith, tell your mum I’m going to the provision shop nearby” Marc takes the car and drives off.
How am I going to bring her out on a date when I’m so short of money?
Chris has been a job hopper since he started working when he was only thirteen. National Service (NS) only pays him so little and he can't have any other job as it would consider moonlighting. He has to endure NS for two years.
He gets up from his bed and goes through his wallet. He only has fifty dollars left to last another week.
Shit.
“Hey babe, what are you up to?” Chris calls Faith.
“Packing the outfit that I’m wearing out this Saturday,” Faith giggles. “What’s up?”
“I'm kind of broke to go out on any fancy date though.”
“Oh,” Faith pauses. “How much do we need?”
“Err depends.” Chris blunders. “Feel like going shopping if you could chip in?”
“Oh, I guess I can, sure!”
“I let you continue packing then babe, love you.”
That was easy? How much money does a fourteen-year-old girl have even?
Faith looks into her purse and realises that she only has a few dollars left. She has been spending on her cab rides home from the city since she met Chris and Nina. She knows she couldn’t ask for any extra allowance just for her CCA.
I can try and steal?
Years ago, when Faith was only seven, she would steal from bookstores to get the stationaries that her parents refused to buy for her. She then continued stealing small amounts like a few 50 cents coins from her parent’s piggy bank at home to buy card games. Money that was left unattended, she would steal too when no one was around. One time, she was caught by Zaily and was forced to confess. Since then she stopped doing it because if any money missing from the house it would point directly at her.
She walks up to her parents’ room and walks straight in, quietly.
Zaily had locked up most of the places where Faith usually finds the money at. She turns around and sees that Zaily’s purse is just sitting on the couch.
Faith carefully takes out Zaily’s purse so that the keys will not make a sound. She takes a few fifty dollars notes and folds them into her pockets. She then hears Marc’s car pulls into the driveway. She positions the purse back into place and runs out of the room.
Saturday morning.
Faith goes down to the living room and finds Marc reading the newspaper on the couch.
“I’m going off to Netball now dad,” Faith goes towards Marc, hugs him and kiss him goodbye.
“Here are fifteen dollars,” Marc hands out the money. “Go have lunch after. Mum and I won’t be at home today. We have two weddings ceremony to attend later in the afternoon.”
“Alright, dad!” She hugs Marc again and goes out to catch the public bus.
As soon as she reaches Chris’ place, she spots him outside smoking. She feels butterflies in her stomach again every single time she looks at Chris.
I can’t believe he is mine.
“Hey darling,” Faith says while interlocking her fingers into Chris’.
“Hi babe,” Chris smiles then takes a puff from his cigarette. “Did you get extra money?”
“Oh, I have a few and my dad gave me a little extra just now,” Faith takes out her purse and calculates how much she has in total. “I have like almost three hundred. Enough?”
Chris is surprised by the amount she has. “Oh, I guess that’s enough!”
“I should get myself changed first though,” Faith looks at one of the windows. “Are your parents at home?”
“Neither is,” Chris stubs his cigarette out. “I’ll bring you to the toilet.”
“After you,” Chris says showing her to the stairs. Faith giggles and walks up the stairs.
Chris looks up into her shorts.
Damn her ass looks good.
As soon as they reach the top, Chris acts naturally and points to the bathroom door. “This way.”
Faith locks the bathroom door and gets dressed quickly. She rummages through her bag.
“Where the fuck is my makeup?”
Her makeup bag keychain is showing, and she pulls the bag by the keychain. Her hand is pulled back fast and realises she only has her keychain with a piece of broken zipper hanging by it.
“SERIOUSLY?”
Her makeup is finally done. She packs up her things and walks out. From where she is standing, she can see into Chris’ room. He is on his bed and only in his pants.
“You’re staring,” Chris laughs. Faith looks down in embarrassment. “Oh, you’re done? I thought girls would take longer than that.”
“Err, well, I don’t use a lot of makeup.” Faith says.
“Well, alright,” Chris says and grabs his shirt from the ironing board. “I’m ready. Do you want to leave your bag here or?”
“I think I’ll bring it just in case.”
“Damn this is nice,” effuses Chris. He looks and the price tag again and sighs. “It’s freaking hundred and seven dollars?”
“I can pay for you if you want,” Faith suggested. “You can pay me back when you have the money.”
“Are you sure?” Chris raises his eyebrows. “You don’t mind?”
“Come on,” Faith takes the shirt he wanted and walks to the cashier. “This shirt is my treat.”
They walk around the mall for a few hours. Faith bought Chris several things that he wanted, including a pair of engraved couple rings for both. Faith is naïve. She is willing to buy anything for Chris.
“I’m hungry,” Faith pouts at Chris. “Should we have an early dinner?”
“How much money do you have left?” Chris asks, thinking that probably he could have his dinner at a restaurant instead of some fast food place.
“I think I have about eighty bucks left,” Faith guesses.
“I was thinking we could go to Swensen’s,” Chris says.
“Your treat?” Faith smiles at Chris. She hopes Chris would as she had spent so much for him.
“Err,” Chris deliberates. “I don’t know whether I would have enough. Why not you pay first, I’ll pay the remaining?”
“Oh, alright then!” She doesn't take so many thoughts into it and agrees.
“I need to be home by six,” Faith says looking at her watch. “It’s almost five.”
“I’m so annoyed by your curfew,” Chris rolls his eyes. “Why can’t you rebel a lil’ bit?”
“I just got my phone back,” Faith is puzzled as to why Chris got annoyed suddenly. “I don’t want my dad to not trust me again and take my phone back. How am I going to contact you? You saw how difficult it was for us remember?”
“Do you still have extra cash after this dinner?” Chris ignores what Faith said. “I wanna go back to that store near Starbucks.”
Is he serious?
Faith asks for the bill. “I don’t think I have enough after this,” Faith says looking at the total amount. “I might need you to pay for the taxi fare later because I don’t think taking the public bus would take me home by six.”
“I’ll pay you the remaining amount you need for a taxi,” Chris says. Faith tight-lipped. Chris seems ignorant about Faith.
Faith waits for Chris outside the last store.
“I’m left with ten bucks,” Chris hands over Faith the money. “This might be enough for taxi fare adding on to whatever you have left.”
“Do you really have to buy that?” Faith says looking at the handbag in Chris’ hand.
“Of course,” Chris takes the keychain out of the bag. “It’s sick!”
“It’s forty bucks!” Faith loses it.
“I didn’t use YOUR money for this,” Chris rolls his eyes at her.
Faith slams the door behind her when she reaches home.
“Are you angry at something?” Marc says which made Faith startle. “And were you wearing that outfit when you left home?”
“Oh, hey dad,” Faith’s eyes widen and she suddenly realises that she has forgotten to change back. “Training was tough. I showered and changed at school before heading out to grab an early dinner with my teammates. You and mum are home early?”
“Your mother doesn’t trust your brother to leave Fran and Ash alone with him,” Marc sighs. Faith laughs.
“How can she?” Faith walks up the stairs and then shouts, “He is always in his room with his Playstation!”
“Shut up!” Farrell shouts from his room.
Faith is so angry with Chris. She had to dig in her purse for coins to pay the taxi fare. Luckily enough the driver was nice to let her off.
Why is Chris so ignorant about me?
She sits on her bathtub, naked, staring blankly at the floor. Faith literally wiped out her monthly savings to go out on a date with Chris. And she did not buy a single thing for herself.
While drying herself, she heard a faint ringtone from her room.
Shit, it’s Chris’ ringtone!
She runs out and grabs her phone from her bag.
“Hel-” Faith is cut off by Chris’ yelling.
“Is it so hard for you to answer your damn fucking phone?”
“I was in the bathroom,” Faith sighs.
“Whatever,” Chris ignores. “Look, I just got my bills from the mail and I need some cash to cover them. You have some cash to spare?”
“I just used all my savings on you just now,” Faith retorts.
“Was that a tone with me?” Chris huffs. “You decided to pay for it, I didn’t ask! You can take all of those back if you weren’t sincere.”
Faith lets out a huge sigh. She feels bad. “It was for you so don’t give me back okay?”
“So, do you have some spare cash or not?” Chris sasses. “If not, I’ll call my ex or something for help.”
Faith feels threatened but couldn’t do anything. She is afraid if he calls his ex, something would happen between them.
“I’ll try to get it,” Faith utters.
“Oh great, I’ll see you on Monday then.” Chris' voice changes. He sounds happy. “Love you!” He hangs up.
Well, love you too…
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It's nice that her dad is being understanding about things.
ReplyDeleteChris sounds like a scrub... He really needs to chill out and not be so selfish. Faith has not had experience to know that this is not okay.