Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Julie
The house had been quiet for days. My father called the school, telling them I was sick. Maybe he was right. My stomach felt like it had twisted into knots, and my whole body ached as if my emotions had finally broken through the surface.
I kept my phone off, letting the TV drone on in the background, switching between random shows and the news.
We didn't speak much, my father and I. The silence between us wasn't the comfortable kind that comes from familiarity; it was thick and almost suffocating, as if the unspoken words we were both avoiding were pressing down on us, leaving us breathless. Carlos had been staying with our aunt, leaving the quiet to swallow us whole, and I had never felt so alone.
"Pizza?" my father asked one evening, his voice cautious, almost timid, as if he were afraid that even this small offering might shatter the fragile peace. I glanced up just long enough to nod before turning my attention back to the cartoon playing on the screen. "Sure," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.
I don't know if Luke and Reggie know, I hope not. Had the truth about my family's dark history reached them? The thought made my chest tighten with shame and fear. I couldn't bear to face them, to see the judgment or pity in their eyes. How could I, knowing that the source of all our family's issues began with my own mother?
The episode ended, and another began, the bright colors and cheerful voices doing little to lighten the heavy atmosphere in the room. The doorbell rang, and soon after, the delivery arrived. My father sat opposite me, a slice of pizza in his hand, though he didn't seem eager to eat it. I couldn't remember the last time we had shared a meal like this, sitting together at the table, and yet the distance between us felt insurmountable.
"Papi?" I finally broke the silence, my voice sounding small and unsure, almost as if it belonged to someone else. He looked up at me, his eyes weary, waiting.
"I need to know the truth," I said, my words steady despite the fear gnawing at me. "I need to understand."
He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. "I knew this was coming," he said quietly, his eyes dropping to the table.
"Your mother," he began slowly, his voice thick with memories, "was a wonderful woman, Julie. She loved you and Carlos more than anything." He stopped again, his words hanging in the air like a painful confession.
"But she had her demons."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, bracing myself for what was to come.
"Before you were even born, your mother was dealing with...drugs," he said, the word slipping from his mouth like a dirty secret he'd been holding onto for far too long. "Just taking them at first. We fought hard to get her out of the addiction. And to be honest, I almost followed her path as well. We were both lost until we learned about your arrival to this world."
