When Where and How to Love

Chapter 45. Ding! Ding! Ding!

At a times like these, Juliana missed her mother the least, make no mistake, Juliana loved, still loves her mother, but living, or rather, surviving the day of her mother's opening night, was quite a feat. She and her father would spend the entire day before planning their strategy. 'I'll take care of her in the morning and you in the afternoon. And I'll meet you at the theatre,' her father had said the day before the premiere of Wicked. 'Why do I get the worst part? You're supposed to be her husband... In good times and bad, isn't that what they say? Well, you like walking the red carpet with her afterwards and greeting the cameras with that stupid look on your face,' replied a teenage Juliana.

They both knew the mornings were more bearable because her mother entertained herself by vocalizing or choosing her wardrobe or she spent hours in long talks with the director of the play. But the afternoons, those four or five agonising hours before going to the theatre were terrifying, so frightening that when either of them heard her mother yell, 'MACARIO!' or 'JULIANA!' It immediately turned into a father versus daughter rugby match to see who could get out the door first. Juliana would rather play hide-and-seek with Freddy Kruger, Jason, or the Scream guy, than relive the tremors caused by her mother's screams.

You know how they say that sequels are never as good? Well in this case, it was not true. This horror sequel could easily be named, 'The Juliana Massacre Part II' and this one was much more violent, much bloodier, and much more terrifying than the first. Because if there was something worse than living with Guadalupe Valdés on opening night, it was living with the entire Carvajal and Jauregui families on Lauren's wedding day. And Juliana knew it, she knew it from the moment her beloved girlfriend, with her murderous look, her powerful smile and her perfect ass, came home with Lauren's wedding dress in hand and announced, "Love, tomorrow Lauren and her family are coming here to get ready before the wedding."

And when the brunette came home from her morning jog, and saw Lauren, Clara, Ruth, Eva, Lucia, her daughter and her girlfriend running around the apartment, she couldn't help but hear her father's laugh and his voice saying, 'This time maybe you will get the mornings and afternoons, muahahaha! And on top of that, there are five more women to look after, muahahaha!'

And if that were not bad enough, the situation worsened when she saw Mateo, the husband of Valentina's sister, sitting comfortably in her favourite chair. From the moment they were introduced, the athlete had taken an immediate dislike to the man. But, as her girlfriend had pointed out, lately Juliana did not like anyone who came within two metres of Valentina. And Mateo's overfriendly hugs, were really beginning to anger the brunette.

'The Juliana Massacre Part II,' began with a lecture by the Latina's grandmother, Ruth, about how inappropriate, improper, and appalling the behaviour of the basketball player had been once the ruling, of the now dissolved VPB, had been announced.

Was it Juliana's fault that they chose to spend three hours outside the apartment because Valentina was constantly repeating words like, "MY GOD JULIANA!" "MORE, MORE, MORE!" "SHIT!" "NOW WITH YOUR MOUTH!" and the occasional moan or little cry? Was it the athlete's fault that her girlfriend was wearing a sexy toga and all she wanted to do was rip it off with her teeth? Of course not, but better to blame Juliana, right?

If Juliana had been chained by her feet, like in the movie SAW, and sawing off her foot was the only way to escape the matriarch of the Jauregui family... Juliana would have already escaped, she would be hopping her way to freedom on one foot. She was sure she would suffer less while bleeding to death.

When Juliana was finally able to convince Ruth that her 'inappropriate behaviour' would not be repeated, 'As if!' the brunette laughed to herself, the woman left her alone. But what Juliana had not realised was that the 'charming' grandmother had been the least of her problems. The rest of the women in the apartment seemed like they had gone crazy, possessed by some evil beings. They were driving her crazy with their arguing and crying.