“So… Joana, is everything okay with…?”
“Cris, mom.”
“Yeah, her.”
My parents exchange a look and I roll my eyes, they’ve been trying to be subtle with their questions all day long and pretending they don’t remember Cris’ name even though I’ve repeated it a million times.
“Does she have any classes with you?”
I take a deep breath because this is the third time they’ve asked me that.
“Just literature.”
“Ah, okay.”
We continue our dinner in silence, and I try to finish it as quickly as possible to be able to get myself out of this and go back to my room.
“And… do you like this girl?”
My mouth is so full that I nearly choke because of that question.
“Mom!”
She takes another bite of food as if she hadn’t just dropped that bomb, she takes her time chewing and passing it and then shrugs.
“What is it? Joana, honey, you know your dad and I love you no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you like a boy… or a girl.”
She winks at me and they both laugh.
“God, you’re so annoying!”
I get up from the table without finishing my dinner, I roll my eyes at them and that only makes them laugh harder, I get out of the kitchen and I walk to my room, halfway there I stop and sigh, I might have overreacted a little; it’s not usual that parents express that kind of acceptance out of the blue and I might as well take it. So, I walk back to the kitchen, getting mentally prepared for all the jokes that are about to happen at my expense, and I notice I can’t stop a small smile.
The kitchen door is closed but I can hear my father’s voice, his tone sounds serious and he’s talking lower than usual, I hear him saying Cris’ name and I come as closer and as quietly as possible.
“What do you mean what are we going to do about Cristina?”
That’s my mother’s voice.
“Well, that… don’t you think it might be, I don’t know, dangerous for them to hang out together?”
