The Hard Knock Life

Part 15

"Rule number one. No drugs or alcohol in this house unless it's rum cake." Celia said.

We were all sitting in the living room and had just begun the family meeting that Asia had been itching to get out of with multiple excuses.
'I have to poo', 'I have to make an important phone call'. Then she really screwed up in the middle of the meeting when she decided to say 'our mother just died'. It took a lot of work to smooth that one over. August made the explanation as she had a brain aneurysm at work. Celia wondered how August found out and he said he got the message as well. Then, she wondered how I didn't know and 'I said I didn't get the message yet, which is strange, but frankly that's just unfortunate because she killed my brother.' Then she said, 'I thought your dad killed him.' And I said, 'she was an accompaniment... I'm not sure if that makes sense but that's what happened.'

"Well how is your dad taking it?" She said next.

"He's dead too." August blurted out.

I looked at him with the plot of doing some serious damage to him later.

"What?! How?!" Celia said, baffled...flabbergasted...shocked.

"I don't know. He just is." He shrugged.

She shook her head, confused.
"I don't even know how to handle this. Your parents are dead, but you somehow don't care. I don't understand why you're not even bothered by it. I don't know if I should be mad at you or..."

"Celia," Asia said, in a serious tone, "we're honestly fine. They were bad parents. Their only good qualities were making money. Now they're gone. And they killed our brother. So our feelings and ties to them are officially gone-"

"May God rest their souls-" August interrupted.

"We will be fine." She concluded.

Celia stared at her for a moment before leaving the room.

"Are you guys crazy?!" I whisper yelled, when she was out of hearing range.

"I told you she had to know. She had to find out someway, somehow." August said.

"She didn't need to know. She didn't need to know." I paced the room. "There were other ways to go about this."

"What's done is done. The cat is out of the bag."

I stopped in front of August. "She is probably in her room calling people right now, telling them our parents are dead. There is going to be a police case looking for evidence."

"We have the evidence." August said. "You have to think on the bright side. Now we have no secrets."

"Oh, we have a secret." I said, matter-of-factly. "Mom didn't have a brain aneurysm and we do know how dad died. You killed him!"

"Bring your voice down." August said through gritted teeth.

"She doesn't know you're pregnant either." Asia said.

I looked at her, eyes narrowed that she had talked to me and and shocked that she mentioned me being pregnant. Then it clicked.

"You're mad that I'm pregnant aren't you? That's why you're not talking to me. Cause I'm pregnant? Really?"

Her nose flared once and she folded her arms across her chest. I could tell she was grinding her teeth. Check mate.

"What does me being pregnant have to do with you?" I said, eyes narrowed.

Her eyes focused on my feet and she didn't say a word.

"Are you the one that was raped, Asia? Are you the one that got pregnant? Are you the one that now has a huge responsibility to do now that there is another human being in your stomach that will need to be fed and clothed and played with and taught and disciplined? You have no right; absolutely no right to be mad at me- God, you are such a brat. This has nothing to do with you Asia!" I exclaimed, finally losing my head. I knew it was coming.