Problems of adults

Chapter 11 : A Huge Decision

The waking was hard. Constance's and Jane's father decided to wake them up early to talk with them. Jane was still in her bed, grumbling against her pillow, wondering why it couldn't wait the morning for this. It wasn't like if she had school! And it was too cold to move, she just wanted to stay in her warm blanket. But her father came back to her room to force her to wake up.

- "I'm coming," she mumbled.

- "Faster, it's urgent," Axel said.

- "I'm coming!"

The man nodded and walked away. She sighed in her pillow before using her arms to raise her body, her eyes still closed. She sat and saw Constance in the corridor, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

- "What does he want?" Jane asked.

- "I don't know, but I hope it's important," Constance answered with bad mood.

- "Me too."

Jane grabbed her Teddy bear and joined her sister in the corridor. The two girls went downstairs and saw their father sitting at the table with many piles of yellow papers. He invited them to sit before saying:

- "I took a huge decision. I...I'm selling the house."

- "WHAT!?" the two girls exclaimed.

- "Let me explain. Those last weeks, we've been in the red, I'm unable to pay all the factures in time. A court bailiff came here twice, I don't have other choice now."

- "What about my money? I mean, I'm sure I have enough on my bank account to pay!" Jane stated.

- "It's...complicated...You don't have enough..."

- "What!? Really!? How much do we own!?"

- "It's not that...your account is empty."

- "I'm sorry, what!? How!?"

- "I, I... (the man sighs loudly with his mouth and rubs his face) I lost my job."

- "And we were supposed to find it out by ourselves!?" Constance replied.

The man leaned against his chair and avoided eyes contact with his two daughters. The last time Constance had seen him so overwhelmed was when their mother died. The blonde girl turned her head to Jane, but Jane was boiling inside. How did he do to lose all her savings!? And without telling her!? What kind of father do that!?

- "Where are my savings!?" Jane asked firmly.

- "I...I thought I could make my money back!"

- "Your money back!? What the fuck does that mean!?"

- "I...I've played poker a few times and now I'm in debt! I tried to repair my mistakes with your money, but I keep playing again and again...and I lost..."

- "You fucking played my savings in poker!? You suck in poker! And now we have to sell the house because of you and your stupid debts!? What the fuck!? What's your problem!? It was for my studies!"

- "I know...I'm sorry..." he answered.

- "I don't care! That's not right! That's not fair! I don't wanna hear your excuses! This is all your fault!"

- "We won't really sell the house, right?" Constance frowned.

- "We are."

- "And where are we supposed to live now!?"

- "I've found an apartment in the middle of Corson's avenue."

- "Corson's avenue!? Lucas lives there, it's dangerous as fuck! Nice choice!" Jane angrily stated.

- "It's the cheapest one."

- "You know what!? I'm done! I'm going back to bed! And tomorrow morning, all of this will just be an awful nightmare!"

Jane quickly stood, making fall her chair, and went upstairs, heavily stepping on each step. Constance stayed on the chair, completely dazed by this information. She just realized that she knew nothing about her own father and his secret life. But she discovered a part of him that she didn't like, he literally stole Jane's money to play poker and he lost it! The man sat up straight and held out two yellow papers to her.

- "If you could put one in Jane's bag so she could put it up at school, I would appreciate."

- "A yard sale?"

- "Yes, every saving is important."

- "Jane's savings were important too."

- "I know...It's on Saturday, don't wait too much time to gather what you want to keep and what you want to sell. Same for Jane."

Constance took the papers before standing and going upstairs. She stopped in front of Jane's door. Jane was holding tight her Teddy bear, looking at her ceiling with some tears of anger and frustration falling on her temples. Constance entered the room and placed one of the two yellow papers on her nightstand.

- "Dad is organizing a yard sale on Saturday. He wants us to do boxes with things we keep and things we don't. And he wants you to put the paper up at your school."

Jane just nodded, unable to say a word without crying. Constance pursed her lips before closing the door. It was just a dream; it couldn't be real. But it was. It was, it definitively was! She grabbed the paper on her nightstand and evacuate her anger on it by tearing it out again and again until it wasn't possible anymore. She collapsed on her pillow and began to cry. She wished her mother was there, her father was completely lost now, she didn't even know if she could even still call him like that. What he did was unforgivable. How dared he ruin their lives like that!? Why did they have to pay for his mistakes!? It was unfair, all of this was unfair! It was unfair...