before the pain | luke (JATP)

XXXVI

A dark cloud of anxiety and anger had filled the whole Garcia house. The yelling and screaming of Mila and her dad could be heard from miles away. How Mr. Garcia's seventeen-year-old daughter had been expelled. By going out supporting illegal actions.

As Mila screamed at her dad, her mind was spinning, her heart was beating rapidly, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"These boys! They have gotten into your head Millianna!" Her dad yelled, she shook her head as she cried. "This has NOTHING to do with them!" She yelled back her voice cracking as she did.

She tried to hold in her tears, she for the first time knew she could not hide away from this, she couldn't just pretend everything at home or school was fine, she couldn't hide in her stories og smile when Reggie sang with her in the car.

"Then what? Huh, Millianna! What is your excuse now?" He yelled as his face was red from anger, his veins being shown, his hair was a mess as his mind kept running around in texas that he couldn't pay, that his daughter needed a new school.

"Maybe it's you.... maybe it's you dad" Mila said as she tried to breathe, her anxiety making it hard to see clearly, her hands sweaty, her mouth was dry.

"Me?"

"I wanna be a writer dad... I wanna follow my dreams like you" She said as she breathed out crying, sniffing as the tears were down her nose and dripped on her shirt.

"You saw that life has nothing good to come! You are so clever and you go and do this! How will you ever be a lawyer?" Her dad shook his head as he kept going back and forth as he yelled at her.

"I don't want to be a lawyer dad! I don't want to go to school! I wanna be happy and the boys and writing makes me happy"

"Get out Mila" Her dad said. The room went quiet, only the faint sound of water dripping from the bathroom was being heard as Mila looked directly in the eyes of her dad.

"You throwing me out?" Mila asked, her voice being low, her dad sighed. "Pack your stuff, you live with your mom... you're her problem now," Her dad said coldly, as the tension was high between them. Mila turned around slowly as she went into her room, closing the door.

The darkroom filled with posters, notes, and the scent of coconuts was where she had lived for the past sixteen years. She went to her closet beginning to pack her clothes, she didn't cry, her tears had indeed stopped as she could only feel the ache of her heart which was broken.

She looked at the wall with notes and placed her hand upon them, she knew never going back to school might be for the better, no more Miss Bone, no more Oliver. Yet her mind went to Luke, how now that she was expelled he would have to clean the basement alone.

She put on her jacket and her shoes, walking out of her room she looked at her dad, who stood in the middle of the living room with crossed arms.

"You can come back when you have gotten some sense into you," He said in a low voice as he walked over opening the door, the house felt silenced, like a cloud of sadness and grief had hit it. Mila took a deep breath as she looked at her dad.

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may belong in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." Mila quoted as she looked into her dad's dark brown eyes, she noticed his wrinkles and how his hair was beginning to turn gray. Her dad sighed: " Exodus.... 20, 12" He answered her as she nodded.

"So much family love" She answered as she began walking to the door, yet her track stopped by the words of her father: "Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged....." Her dad quoted.