ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴡᴏ

Outburst

ZOE

I take out my phone and open it to Lala's chat. I sent her fifty messages, but she hasn't responded. Just as I was about to text her again, my mother spoke to me.

"Something more important on your phone, Zora? You haven't said a word to me or your father." She says.

I roll my eyes and plaster a phony smile on my face. "Oh, mommy, how I missed you."

She rolls her eyes at me.

"Can I hold my grandson?" She asks Xavier, but she's not asking.

"Uh, he's sleeping." Xavier says.

She rolls her eyes again. "Then why am I here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Angie says.

I can feel the tension in the room. I don't even want to be here, but I'm doing this for Xavier.

"Okay then."

Angie takes a deep breath. "Before I start, I would like to say my English is not very good."

"Of course it's not. " My mother mumbles.

"Don't speak to my mother like that." Sofia's brother Jaun says.

"Hijo, ellos quieren una reacción, pero no se la daremos." Angie says to Juan.
(Son, they want a reaction, and we will not give it to them.)

I'm fluent in three languages thanks to my overbearing overachiever parents.

"Mamá, no pueden hablarnos así, no pueden tratarnos como basura." Juan answers.
(mom, they can't speak to us that way. They can't treat us like trash)

"Lo sé, hijo, pero personas así no cambiarán por nosotros. Ignóralo."
(I know, son, but people like that won't change for us. Ignore it)

"We'd appreciate it if you could speak english for the duration of this visit." My mother says, interrupting their conversation.

"Classy mom real classy." I say while rubbing my face.

"Why are you even wearing sunglasses inside?" She says in annoyance.

"To shield me from your bullshit mommy. It's just soooo bright." I smile sweetly.

I don't actually call my mother mommy, but with the sarcasm, it's very pleasing.

"Zora -"

"Okay, enough." My father says.

"Still kissing moms ass I see." I mumble.

"I just wanted to meet the family of my grandsons father." Angie says, breaking the tension once more.

"A child that was conceived due to an affair." My mother argues.

"Seriously?" Xavier says angrily.

"It doesn't matter how he came to be. He's here, and I think we all should get along." Angie says.

Xavier looks completely annoyed, and Sofia is holding hands with her sister.

"It does matter. If only my son knew how to wear a condom instead of shoving his penis into every little whore he stumbles upon." My mother says bitterly.

"The hell -" Xavier starts, but Sofia cuts him off.

"So I'm a whore?" Sofia asks her and I'm fully invested now.

God, it's like a lifetime movie. No, it's like the titanic. Wait, no.... The submarine.

"You slept with a married man." My mother says to Sofia.