TEENS TEASE

BEFORE

"Catelena!" a woman in tiny kitchen shouted "Please come and take your sister to school". The woman's dark hair shone brightly in the morning light which poured through her kitchen window and effortlessly made way to her. The golden rays highlighted her olive complexion and pasty lips. Her face was drawn and tightened further as she frowned at what she was looking at.

"So many bills" she shuddered and closed her eyes to prevent tears from flowing down. She opened them to see a roach race across the table. She quickly slammed her hand unto it and dropped it into an overflowing pile of dishes in the sink. She would have to wash them-sometime she thought to herself. This possibly couldn't be happening.

"Mommy! Mommy" a little carbon copy of the woman, only chubbier ran into the kitchen to tug on her skirt. "Yes sweetie" The frown had disappeared as the woman smiled and lifted her little girl unto a seat beside her. She kissed her forehead and turned to open a cupboard. What she saw made her wince and she gingerly closed the cupboard.

"Would you just please take juice today sweetie?" she pleaded. The little girl nodded and the woman made her way over to the almost empty fridge. "Mommy do you know what day it is?" the little girl asked.

"No dear, care to share?"

"Kids Tease show announcement!"

"Announcement?"

The little girl nodded as the woman placed a half empty carton on the table and reached into a drawer for the last clean glass cup available.

"There was a competition to select seven kids from our region, so I texted Catelena's name" the girl beamed. The woman groaned inwardly as she struggled to keep her smile on her face.

"Honey, please ask mommy before you use her phone, ok?"

"She will be chosen and win!" the little girl argued. The woman sighed and pushed the glass of orange juice before the girl.

Just then the front door slammed and a tall teen walked into the kitchen's doorway. Sweat was dripping off her entire body.

"Catelena, what were you doing?"

" Mom, I told you I am on the track team training for the champs, if I pass tomorrow, mom, trust me we home free" the teen pleaded .

The woman sighed again. This was too much. "Just get you and your sister ready for school". With that, she pushed past the bronze skin colored girl before her and made her way up the stairs.

Catelena turned to look at the little girl.

"Ready for school, Rhea?"

On the affirmation of a nod, Catelena raced up the stairs to shower with much excitement. She really knew in her heart she would get picked.

"Come on Rhea! You could at least put in some more effort" Catelena urged her little sister

"I am really trying!" Rhea responded

Catelena rolled her eyes and turned round to scoop her Rhea into her arms and raced across the school compound. As they made it to Rhea's grade class, Catelena dropped her gently at her class door.

"You know I want to make it to class early" Catelena moaned

"Why?" Rhea questioned

"Because.....ughh!" Catelena trailed off hopelessly and sighed in frustration

"See you after school!" Rhea chirped as her older sister turned away.

Catelena walked away with a frown. She knew Rhea loved to be carried and walked slowly in order for her to get lifted. Initially, Catelena didn't mind at all, she found the exercise good for her body, especially her legs, pushing them further in strength. Sometimes she would hoist Rhea on her shoulders and jog to school while Rhea shrieked in happiness or sang.

The jitters were keeping Catelena uptight. Today was important. It was the day before tomorrow. Tomorrow when the reviews would be out after the race and she would go to regionals. An agent would definitely pick her and she would get investors to support her for the national race. Rhea would be happy, she would be happier but mom would be happiest.

Catelena sighed. She had been avoiding cleaning the house since she quit her after school job to focus on the race. Her mom hadn't been happy at all and demanded Catelena return to work. Catelena refused and her mom pleaded, explaining her extra income was very much needed.

When Catelena stopped washing the dishes, clothes and doing any house cleaning in the name of training, Mom went berserk. She vowed Catelena wouldn't stay another night. But for Mama D, their next door neighbor and Rhea's pleading wails, Catelena would have been really shut out.

Catelena gave up her savings as a truce and promise to watch after Rhea as Mom stayed up longer hours during the day to find extra work and picked up more shifts during the night at the nightclub. There was no time for Mom to clean up after them at home. She came home right before the girls left to school and would fall asleep for about three hours. She would wake up and rush out to find odd jobs to do till sundown and return to the club as a waitress.

"Hey, Lena" Aujour walked up with a smile. Catalena smiled back uneasily.

"Nervous, right?" Catelena responded with bob of her head.

"Don't worry, you will be fine! You've practiced so much, you make run run –in nervous circles!" Aujour burst in laughter at her own joke.

Catalena couldn't help it but join her friend. Aujour was funny for trying so hard to be funny! The thick curly haired friend of Catalena had in mind to be a comedian superstar and ran lines whenever she could. It amazed everyone how she found herself so good when they couldn't see it. Almost everyone had insulted her dream in one way or another.

Aujour had developed a knack of not waiting for a response before she laughed at her joke as a result. She believed she was funny, and to her that was all that mattered. Catelena admired her friend for her audacity to ignore the hateful attacks and carry on. In such a poor community, it was hard not to be let down.

Their vicinity was known for some of the worst incidents of crime. Desolation lurched in the air and Catalena was desperate to get out. Qualifying for the race seemed like her light at the end of the tunnel. Running for her life was more true for her than ever.

Aujour's conservation wasn't sinking into her mind as Catalena accustomed to nodding and smiling intermittently. Her mind was making it out; what she would do after qualifying for regionals.

.......

Aujour's name was given to her when she was born by a French doctor that delivered his first baby that happened to be her in the community as his service of the poor exclaimed, "Aujor' hui est le jour!". Her father impressed with the words he did not understand or fully make out, proclaimed to her dying mother, "Aujour sounds nice". People insist the words of the father was enough to kill his wife as no one could comprehend such as name, the lady dying more of heartbreak of her child's name than the unavailable blood to replenish what her body had lost made more sense, surely.