ILLOGICAL GHOSTS. jatp

one

          Tina had not believed in the existence of ghosts for as long as she could remember. She believed that when someone died they simply ceased to exist, the brain stopped working, the heart stopped beating and that was it. The end. Whenever she watched documentaries with Carlos on the supposed existence of ghosts, she always found a rational explanation for why a chair creaked or door moved, which always made him complain. But when Rose Molina died, Tina would have given a lot to believe in ghosts. To have some comfort in the thought that her mother was watching her and supporting her from the afterlife. That she wishes her good luck before her tests and gives her a kiss on the forehead at bedtime. Unfortunately the logical part of her brain was pushing that option out.

The entire Molina family took Rose's death hard. Julie stopped playing and singing because in the process she kept coming back to memories of happy times with her mom and every time she remembered it, she started crying still unable to come to terms with her loss. For several months, Carlos couldn't fall asleep in his own room and always came to sleep with one of his older sisters, cuddling up to them and asking them to sing him quietly the song their mom always sang to him at bedtime. Ray Molina spent several weeks locked away trying to understand why the love of his life was no longer with him, and during that period he devoted more time to work slightly neglecting his life at home and family.

And Tina? She looked like nothing had changed. Sure, she was sad, sometimes cried into her pillow about not having her mom with them anymore, but she knew there was nothing she could do to go back to the way things were. Time went on and they had to move on. And that was why she was usually the one who took Carlos in for the night, not wanting him to disturb Julie, who cried into her pillow before sleep. She was the one who helped her sister with schoolwork and her dad with keeping the house normal.

Fortunately, a year after Rose's death, the rest of the Molina family slowly recovered. Admittedly it wasn't the best, Julie still didn't want to go back to music, Carlos still had trouble falling asleep in his room, and Ray had become more forgetful, but at least everyone was able to smile and joke around during family meals again.

xxx

          Working at the DVD rental store was one of the best parts of Tina's day. Being surrounded by hundreds of movies, many of which she knew by heart and could easily recommend to clients was something she enjoyed. Especially since she worked there with her best friend, Silas. Sure, finishing late in the evening wasn't always pleasant, but bickering with a coworker always made her feel better even on cloudy days.

The two had been friends since they wore diapers, as their fathers were good friends and took them with themselves very often. The four of them always spent at least one weekend a month together at the beach, in a museum or just on the couch watching movies. Because of this, the two grew up always being at each other's side. And because of how much time they spent together and how much they teased each other and close they were, a lot of people took them for a couple, when in fact the two treated each other like extra sibling and always burst out laughing at the thought of a romantic relationship.

"Tomorrow. You, me and Star Wars marathon. What do you say?" Asked Silas closing the door to the shop. "If you pass the physics test, of course."

Tina glanced at him slightly offended. "I find your lack of faith disturbing. Of course I'll pass. I didn't spend three nights in a row reading notes just to fail. I always get lucky anyway."

"You know, Tina... In my experience there is no such thing as luck." He glanced at her with a grin, walking through a parking lot lit by a single streetlamp flashing on and off like in horror movies.