Such A Silly Game We Play

The Beginning of it All

Oh, the sweet and warm summer air. Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed hair. People in school have been talking about it all week, how they'll celebrate the first day of freedom from the stressful and suffocating dungeon called school, and here it is. Well, unlike any ordinary out-going teenager, here I am, reading my favorite book for the gazillionth time, the Hunger Games, lying down on our grassy backyard, trying to feel the warm sunlight and fuzzy summer breeze. When suddenly, a shadow blocked me away from the sun. It was my dad and my uncle.

"Leena! Stand up!", dad shouted at me. I stood up quickly. "I'd like to finally introduce to you your Uncle Joe, we've been friends for quite some time now, and I think it's the perfect time for you guys to meet his family too!", dad tells us. My Uncle Joe gladly says hello to me with a corresponding rub on my head, messing up my hair.

Ughhhhh! Here we go. Socializing, bleh. Weird, I already know my Uncle Joe, I've been seeing him hanging out with my dad for years now, and it's only now he introduced me to him?

"Hey Leena!", pats me on my arm and immediately hugs me HARD, VERY HARD. "Heard a lot about you! Can't wait for you to meet my two sons and daughter! You'll have so much fun!"

Youch! His voice is LOUD. Though he was very lively and bubbly. Uncle Joe was a simple-looking average-sized guy. Wearing capri shorts, a simple t-shirt with a beer bottle printed on it, and Nike rubber shoes. He looked like a simple guy.

"Let's invite them to dinner on Sunday, hun", dad tells my mom.

"Sure! It will be lovely to meet his family now. You guys have been hanging out so much, I think it's prim and proper to invite them now, besides you'll gain new friends dear," mom says excitedly. You can obviously tell. She's already scouting for ingredients in the pantry and ingredients in her recipe book.

"Thanks so much! I'll tell my family as soon as I get home! Speaking of which, I should get home. It's getting pretty late", Uncle Joe said his goodbyes, pats me on the back (HARD), and walks out the front door. When I peeped through the window a few seconds after, his jet black Toyota Fortuner was already out of the driveway.

I then felt a sudden chill. A surprising chill!

"AY!", I shrieked. And there was my silly-old dad, holding a cold bottle of Perrier on my cheek. God, he just loves doing that!

"DAD. Why must you do that?!"

"Hey! You know why. I know how great my daughter is at meeting new people", he said sarcastically.

"Oh please, easy." Liiiiiieeeeed!

"Yeah right. Now, I want you guys to get ready," dad says eyeing me and my mom, "Sunday is just one day away, and we've got a lot to prepare for a formal sit-down dinner."

HOLD UP. What did he just say?! Formal. Sit-down. Dinner. God, what is it about this family.

"You guys think about what food to serve, your sisters are already texting me. I have to pick them up at the bus stop."

Ahh, yes. I do have two oh-so-perfect sisters. They both study in one of the top universities in our country. The eldest, Mary, 20 years old, is currently finishing up a degree in English Lit. She's a 100% book lover. Mom always brags that she read our complete set of encyclopedia just at the age of 13. But really? Who reads 26 thick books (from A-Z) full of information about life at the age of 13?!

And then the next was Mariel, 17 years old, currently starting college with a course on Biology, and of course, the pretty and athletic one. The moment she went home from her first day in high school, she already told us that she got recruited in the school's volleyball team.

And then here's me, Leena, 15 years old, second year high school, and... well. I'm good at math, I guess?

"Leena," mom said, "come on, what the hell are you doing staring outside we have to do some grocery shopping! And might as well buy you a nice dress, don't tell me you're wearing jeans and a shirt on Sunday."