La Mer est Rouge [GxG]

Dad came home

Dad returned with a bang. As usual, he brought gifts and hugs back from his business trip, but something else tagged along.

He had the promise of money. A real promise.

Mom was always pessimistic about Dad and his zoo. Because our zoo wasn't run by the state, it was much smaller and less popular. We didn't have as many shows, tours, and animals, which led to a pathetic income.

Mom drank with Milo on the weekends. They filled themselves up with liquor and swore at each other and about Dad because money was thin.

However, Dad had money for us, and it was all because of Mer.

"Tori, the news wants to offer us so much money and air time for the mermaid. Other zoos are trying to convince me to sell her for millions and millions of dollars! She's a jackpot," he said.

His hands were waving and shaking like jazz hands, and his eyes lit up. He ran up to me and embraced me in a dad hug. He lifted me off the ground and crushed my ribcage again, but it felt emptier than our last hug. I barely hugged back.

Once he let go, he looked back at Mer.

"Damn, I forgot to name her! Everyone kept asking me what she's called, and I just didn't have an answer. I'll get back to you on it tonight, okay?"

I nodded obediently. It took all of my willpower not to tell him about Mer—about her name and the fact that she can talk. She can't be a secret, right?

Whatever. I didn't say anything anyways.

I just followed Dad back home to see Mom. Our house was only a few minutes away from the zoo, so I decided to walk home instead of drive with Dad. He's a fun guy, as I've mentioned before, but money is a sensitive topic for all of us. He tries so hard to make us money, but the entire family disagrees about how we should make it. My dad insists that business deals and regular marketing strategies are the way to go, my mom thinks selling the company and settling as employers is the best option, and I think expanding our local impact and outreach will do the trick. Money is awkward and uncomfortable to talk about, okay? Don't blame me for not wanting to be yelled at.

Lucky for me, though, on the way back, I saw a good friend of mine.

He was hanging out by himself, smoking a cigarette and sitting on his longboard. His black man-bun could be seen from miles away, so I knew it was him, but his Hispanic ass was pretty obvious, too!

"Jorge, good to see you again. Shouldn't you be studying for finals? Oh, that's right, you haven't passed a class, like, ever, so what's the point?" I greeted him.

He took his cigarette out of his mouth and put it out on the sidewalk beneath him because it was basically done with. His hazel eyes looked up at me as I stood beside him.

"Shouldn't you be playing with goldfish or your girlfriend's boobs or something?" he sassed in return.

I blushed and scoffed. He's good.

I sat down beside him. "My dad came home from a business trip about the mermaid."

"Shit, you're right, I forgot about that. How's she going? Did you kill her yet?" he asked with a sleazy snicker.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "No, she's still alive. And no, you can't bang her."

He made some sort of grumbling noise before pulling his hood up over his head. "Lame. It's okay, though. I'm not really into fish."

We both laughed, and he put his arm around me. He pulled me close, but my face slumped into his side because he was both taller than I and sitting on a longboard.

He added, "What did your dad say about the business trip? Are you guys gonna sell her or keep her?"

I don't know why, but my stomach churned when he said that. I almost told him to go away before I puked, but I controlled myself.

"Of course I'm keeping her. She's not a collector's item," I said.

He shrugged. "I don't know; I think a mermaid is an exception. People would pay millions, if not billions, of dollars for her."

I looked up at him. "Money? Wow, that's shallow."

"Look, I'm just saying," he said with a louder, angrier voice, "Money is important, and you're always bitching about your family's money situation, and I know what it's like to be poor."

I raised my eyebrows. Damn.

"I had no idea," I sighed. "I'm sorry I'm being so weird and all because I should be wanting to sell her, but she's kind of like a person, y'know? She's half human in a weird way, so it's hard for me to imagine just getting rid of her for my own personal benefit. It's not like I'd sell you."

He gently pushed me off of himself and stood up. I quickly followed and watched his place one foot on his longboard.

"I know you wouldn't, but she's not human. That's the thing," he said and pushed off. He began riding away into the distance, and I just stared ahead at him until his speck turned into nothing. When I couldn't see him anymore, I continued walking home.

I usually didn't have a long time to chat with him because of his mysterious ways, but it felt like he left too early. Still too early.

I walked all the way home after that.

Our neighborhood was fairly pretty and suburban looking, but my house was probably one of the poorer looking ones. It was still decently sized, though. After that chat with Jorge, I didn't want to take anything for granted. I very much appreciated my house after that!

It was white with a dark roof. I used my keys to walk through the front door, and I already heard yelling when I stepped inside.

"I can't sell her! She'll make more money in the long run if we market her correctly," Dad said.

"I don't care about eventually! We need money right now, Earl!" Mom screamed back.

I closed the door behind myself, which eventually got their attention.

Dad emerged from the kitchen and hugged me. He did that iconic hug that lifted me from the ground and crushed my ribcage and sucked the sadness out of me. I wanted it to work as it always did, but it still didn't. Jorge's words filled my head.

When he let go, he noticed my mixed feelings. He grabbed my upper arms and stared at my eyes. His eyebrows furrowed, as if he was reading me.

"What's wrong, dear? Are you okay?" he asked.

I laughed and nodded, but I was obviously faking it. "I'm fine, but I'm just a bit worried about you and Mom."

He laughed a bit, and he turned to glance at her. She stood back in the kitchen still, but she was watching us like a hawk. She's shorter than I am, but she also has darker skin and eyes. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen her wear something that reveals her shoulders.

He replied, "Don't worry about us. Ever. You now she just worries about us."

I nodded and pushed him away. Probably too harshly, too. I took my shoes off and ran upstairs.

I just didn't want to deal with my parents or Jorge or Mer anymore. They're all headaches, and I need to focus on myself more often.

Besides, Mom is a jerk. You might think that's harsh, but it's so hard to sympathize with her when she just dominates everyone and crushes all happiness in her path. I get that money is hard to deal with, but she handles it wrong. She gets mad at everyone and yells instead of normally talking.

Plus, she might convince Dad to sell Mer even before he gets to name her.