Facade

Abrasive

a·bra·sive
/əˈbrāsiv,əˈbrāziv/

(of a person or manner) showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh.
"her abrasive and arrogant personal style won her few friends"

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The horns of the cars outside starts to blaze inside my apartment as I opened the door of the terrace. I took the cigarette pack and lighter from my bag.

When the burning tobacco begans to sizzle as I inhale the toxic fume, the tightness in my chest begans to relax as the bitter taste hits my tongue and the smoke warms my lungs.

"I thought you said you already quit." I pretended  not hear her voice and continued to exhale the smoke inside my lungs.

She moves closer to me with her stern face. The same face she pulls when she reprimands me when I was a kid.

She took the cigarette from my finger and push the remaining burning ember to the ashtray, giving me her dirty look before she goes out. "Smoking is bad for you, it will destroy your—"

"Cheating is bad for him, too. It will destroy your marriage." I interrupted her.

She shakes her head in disapproval turning away from me. Her eyes avoiding me as she did the photos lying around the table.

We're back to the eerie silence as I close the door. The same eerie silence after showing her the photos of dad entering hotels.

"Why does it feels like I'm disappointing you more than him?" My hands immediately grabbed a photo to show her. "She's as old as I am!"

"How much did you pay for this? How much did you pay some strangers to dig dirt on your own father?!"

The blood quickly rushed to my brain. She has the audacity to blame me.

"Did you know about this? Let me guess, you knew but you never want to deal with it?"

"I DIDN'T KNOW! But I was happy not knowing!" She said as she look at the pictures on the table. "... what do you expect me to do? Divorce your dad? He comes home to me. He makes me happy."

Pathetic.

Women who leaches on to their husbands and clungs to them as if their the center of the gravity. That if they lose them, everything goes haywire.

It wasn't always like this. They are the perfect couple. They completed their studies on time. Travelled the world together. Had me in their thirties, their only daughter. And now they're in their fifties, they are supposed to just retire in each other's arms.

Until my dad decides to fuck it up by dating his assitant. His assistant who's as old as his daughter. His married assistant.

How cliche...

"Go home mom, if you don't want to deal with this I will."

"Are you planning to do something insolent to your father? I know what's going thru that head of yours. We're still your parents!"

"Don't worry mom, I'll try to tone down my crazy this time." I said. "Go home, prepare a dinner for him. Like I said, you don't have to do anything..." I said as I rolled my eyes at her.

"If you do something to humiliate your father, I will forget that I have a daughter."

When I heard the door slam shut, the tears that I've been holding on fell as I quickly brush it from my face.