Where Do I Begin

Chapter 3

I open my eyes to my dark room and reach for my phone. Wrong choice. I feel ten times more sore than yesterday. Man, I really need to exercise. 

I attempt to turn on my side but that proves to be a challenge as I groan into my pillow. With languid movements and a whole lot of effort, I manage to drag my legs out of bed and sit up. 

How am I supposed to sit on the toilet?  

I check my phone for the time—11:15, noice—and notice I have two notifications. 

GASP. 

OMG, TWO? 

I can take a wild guess and assume it's a snap from Cisco to continue our streak. Surely the other is from the group chat with Romi and Lydia about today's plans. I open both but only reply to the group confirming lunch for two p.m. 

Man do I have to pee.

I heave myself off my bed and out of my room. I reach the end of the hallway, I toss my phone on the couch near the bathroom. 

After finishing up, I head to the kitchen where my parents are eating. No Cisco. Hmm, it's Sunday morning, he must've left for work.

I open the kitchen door that leads to the backyard and I'm met with an excited Fresco and Cygnus. "Hi guys! Are you guys cold? You wanna come in? Yeah, I bet." 

"Ya metelos. Apenas fueron al baño." Mom urges.

I open the door wider and let them in one at a time to wipe their paws. Dad hates when they have wet paws. 

"I'm making pancakes. Do you want some?" Dad offers.  

"Eh, yeah I guess," I shrug. "Y el Cris y la Sonia?" I ask, settling on the bar stool.

"Están durmiendo. Cisco apenas se fue a trabajar." she replies in Spanish.

I swear Cris and his girlfriend, Sonia, sleep in more than I do during the weekends. 

My dad and older brother share the same first name, Cristian, so we call my brother Cris. Anyways, he moved his girlfriend into our house a year after he graduated from trade school in California six years ago. They don't have a kid or anything, thank god, but my parents are fucking saints for letting them live here without charging them rent. 

Cris is turning twenty-six in April and Sonia is turning twenty-five in September. Cris works in auto body and Sonia works two part-time jobs while pursuing her degree. It's taken her a little longer than expected but she finally has enough credits to transfer from community college to a university. 

Sonia really wants to move out with my brother but they don't have enough money saved for their first house. Given the economy at the moment, I doubt it'll be anytime soon. That and my brother is shitty with handling his money. 

Speak of the devil.

My brother and Sonia walk into the kitchen and sit down for breakfast.

"Sister, sister. Morning sister." Cris says in a whiny voice as he rubs his hands together. 

I roll my eyes. I swear he does that to annoy me every Sunday. "Shut up," I retort.

He laughs in response and grabs two pancakes that are stacked on a plate in the middle of the table.

"Hi, Sonia," my mom greets with her accent.

"Hi," she groggily replies and grabs a plate.

My dad turns to me with a pancake on the spatula, slides it on my plate and sits down. "Did you, Romi, and Lydia have fun yesterday?"