~ that's just life, baby ~
where valentina and pete figure out how to raise their child as a functioning person in society
'pete, where did she go?'
'i thought you had her?'
'no, i thought you had her...
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Jiggling her keys around inside the lock, Sabrina sighs as she opened the door to her childhood home. She flings them into its designated bowl, along with her MetroCard. The house smelled like home cooked meals, burning patchouli candles, and a hint of weed.
A tall tattooed figure moves around the kitchen, mixing and tossing ingredients in a frying pan. He's rapping along to a fast-paced song while bopping his head to the beat.
Based on the smell alone, Sabrina could only guess that he's making some recipe he found on the internet. Probably something Mexican with a healthy twist, he's been into that lately.
The teenager studies the man who dances around, despite having terrible rhythm and coordination. She silently laughs at his poor attempt to dance.
No way in hell that her father is the 'King of Staten Island.'
Maybe the king of dorks, she jokes.
In all seriousness, her dad is.... her dad. She couldn't see him in any other way. He wasn't an A-list celebrity. He's not going out and doing anything of such high status caliber. For all she could remember, whenever he wasn't at work, he would try to be at home spending time with his wife and kid.
He would paint his nails to be matching colors as hers, write her little notes of encouragement and stick 'em on her lunchbox, googling the latest slang, and making her belly laugh until her sides and cheeks hurt.
She couldn't possibly imagine him or her mom being trapped in a fishbowl of a life. One where inescapable scrutiny surrounded around them. Where in the world would they have the time?
It's not they've never mentioned what their jobs were. They would talk about work, whether it be on the phone or with friends and family. However, it would also be vague. It's as if they would talk in code whenever she was within ear.
And when she asked what they were talking about, both of her parents would say that it was nothing. When she was a kid, they would never give her such a reponse. Her parents would answer her questions with such thought and detail.
They would share everything with her, so what changed?
"Holy shit! What the fuck!" Pete jumps out of his skin at the sight of his daughter. Chunks of food courageously escapes from the pan and splatters directly on the floor. For a beat, the two stared at the puddle and back at each other. "Don't sneak up on me like that, peanut," The comedian groans in defeat, he's been trying to make that dish for almost forty minutes now.
Sabrina laughs, "Sorry, Papi." She grabs the roll of paper towels and cleans up the mess that was made. "Well, there goes dinner."
"It's okay, it wasn't really tasting the best anyway," Pete turns off the burner, "Your mother's cooking is better than mine."
The teenager pats her dad on the back, "At least you're trying, that's all that matters. One day, you'll be able to conquer the beast that is Mexican food."
"Haha, very funny," the Staten Islander ruffles her hair, knowing it's one of his daughter's pet peeves. Pretending to be annoyed, she huffs and slaps his hands away. Pete giggles as she attempts to fix her unruly hair back into place.
As she fiddles around with a stubborn knot, the tattooed man looks through the many take-out menus they have on hand. Y'know, in case the food was inedible, at least they had other options to consider.
"How do you feel about Thai?" Pete asks, waving the colorful pamphlet at her. Sabrina nods and calls the restaurant to place their usual order for the family of three, even though it would be the two of them tonight. Her mother has been working late nights and not wanting to leave her alone, her dad would work the mornings in office and then from home in the evenings.
Sabrina asks Pete if they could watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, marking it the sixth time that they will be watching it this past week. However, the father of one didn't mind as he loved the movie as much as his own daughter. In fact, it was one of the reasons that he wanted to get into comedy. The vulgarity and self-deprecating sense of humor found within influenced his style and became his trademark.
With their chopsticks in hand, the parent and child dined on the multitude of take-out cartons before them. If only Valentina saw them now, she would scold them on choosing such an unhealthy meal. But since she's been working late nights, plus the fact that Pete can't cook besides basic things, might as well take advantage.
The two point and laugh at the hysterics of the rabbit and detective duo. Pete would tease Sabrina about her crush on Jessica Rabbit.
It's moments like these that Sabrina cherished with her dad. For a while, she never got to see him when she was younger. But something happened between her time as an adolescent that he began working from home in the evenings. He became a stay-at-home dad, much to her surprise, and she never really knew why.
Well, at least now she does.
"Hey Dad?"
"What's up, mija?" Pete answers, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"I was wondering...." she trails off, nervous to be bringing this up.
Maybe all of those websites were lying. It's all a hoax, clickbait, it's not real.
"I was wondering...." she falters again which caught the attention of her father.
Worried, he asks, "Something wrong, peanut?"
For a moment, Sabrina wished she didn't have to go through this. Maybe she was born in the wrong family, she concluded. Because anyone looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to live in. But if she were to believe in that, it would be placing blame on her parents who did nothing but simply achieve their dreams.
Sabrina decides that it's not worth the fight tonight, "I was wondering when are we going to see Grandma again? And Aunt Casey?"
"We can go Sunday. I think your mother has the day off that day. We'll take the ferry, spend the day with Grandma and Casey, and then be back in time for dinner with your Uncle Mateo and your cousins," Pete says, planning the day out.
The girl nods in agreement and the father kisses his daughter's forehead before returning to the movie. On the screen, Jessica Rabbit met with Eddie Valiant who explains that she's not bad but rather she was drawn that way, which made Sabrina have a revelation.
Sometimes, our circumstances in life will determine what we'll be. There are going to be people who just haven't had all the opportunities or have stuff thrust on us that we cannot control. But just because you don't have all the opportunities, that doesn't mean you have to let it control your life. You will have times to change those circumstances and make it work for you.
The image that many have thrusted upon Sabrina and her family wasn't one that they asked for. In reality, it was simply two parents trying to raise their child. They're just like everyone else.
Her cousins are right.
It wasn't their fault and neither is it their parents.
｡*ﾟ+｡author's note｡*ﾟ+｡
YA GIRL IS GRADUATING!!!
i finished up all my finals on friday and i have my ceremonies this week!
i honestly can't believe that i am done with my undergrad, i've worked so hard to be at this point and it doesn't even seem real.
