Anime gemelle - ENG

12.

This chapter is shorter than the others and focuses on Maya and her relationship with her family. Hope you like it.

Maya's parents' relationship had been a complete disaster since Maya was very young, fighting and yelling around the house every minute of every day. It was unbearable for Maya to have to listen to her parents' fights, but what hurt the most was to see how her brother Mason reacted to the fights. Mason is a year younger than Maya, so she always felt it was her duty to protect him, so every time their parents fought she would go to Mason's room and turn the radio on full blast trying to reduce the outside noise as much as possible while they distracted themselves with board games or some video on the internet. When Maya was 11 things changed drastically, her parents didn't even speak to each other anymore, they each lived their own lives and only pretended to be a happy family so they didn't have to deal with the opinion of others. At first Maya was grateful that the fighting had stopped, but it seemed that now her father's anger was focused on her and Mason.

He never physically abused them, but anything they did that was out of line or didn't meet his expectations was unacceptable and meant hundreds of punishments and hours and hours of listening to him complain about how his kids as well as his wife were a total disappointment. So, to avoid trouble Maya would do whatever was asked of her, always pandering to her father's wishes and worked her hardest to be the best at everything and not disappoint her parents. Mason, on the other hand, was sick of pretending and when he turned 15 he packed his clothes and left the house without saying anything to anyone. Since that day Maya had not seen her brother again, she looked for him, talked to all her friends and tried to get him to come back, but it was impossible. Maya felt totally disappointed, not only had the only person she cared about abandoned her, but now all her father's anger was totally focused on her.

Nowadays, basically the only thing that united her parents was their relationship with Maya, although her mother was still living under her father's rules and wishes, so in family gatherings and with friends they had to pretend they were a united family and Maya was the one who had to deal with her father's pressure and demands.

At home...

- Why do we have to do this? Maya complained to her mother as they prepared to leave. - He doesn't deserve you to do so much for him and I'm sick of pretending to be something we're not.

- You know how it is Maya, if we don't do this, he's going to be furious for days.

- I know. But I don't understand why we keep doing what he wants. He doesn't care what happens to you or me. He didn't even care when Mason left. All he thinks about is keeping up the perfect family facade and I'm tired of being his stupid puppet.

- Maya! He just wants what's best for this family. And I just want you to have a good future, raise a family and achieve everything that your father and I could not.

- The best? How is treating your family the way he does the best? At this point Maya was pacing around the room like crazy as she blurted out everything she had been repressing for so long. – Please tell me you don't believe that nonsense, because I'm sure that nowhere is what he does considered the best. Besides, I'm tired of you two trying to fulfill your frustrated dreams through me. I don't want any of that, your plans are very different from mine. Sometimes I wish I was more like Mason and had the courage to leave this family once and for all, but I'm not capable of leaving you alone with him and you know it.

Maya's mom didn't know how to respond to such a statement, she knew it was all true. The way he treated her and her children never pleased her, but the fear of facing him was always greater and with time she got used to live under his shadow, doing everything he wanted and trying to ignore the pain it caused her children. One thing was certain, she only wanted the best for Maya and for her life to be different from her own, however, her idea of a better life did not match Maya's.

- I don't want you to stop your life for me Maya. Her mom said after several minutes of silence. – I'm sorry you had to go through all this because I'm not brave enough to walk away from him, but you're not like me Maya. You have a great future ahead of you, you are strong, smart, beautiful, you have a great job. You can walk away from him, you don't have to stay for me, I've put up with it for so many years I'm sure I can keep doing it on my own.

- You don't have to keep doing that. Maya said as she went over to hug her mother who was already teary-eyed. – We can start over, just us, get an apartment, get away from him completely. You don't deserve to keep putting up with his tantrums and suffering for him.

- Do you think I can do it Maya? Don't you think he's going to pressure us and harass us to go back to him?

- Knowing him he definitely will. It's not going to be easy mom, but we'll have to learn to face it, we can't go on living like this.

- You're right, but it still terrifies me to think of his reaction. Maya's mom said as she tried to hold back the tears that were clinging to come out.

- I know. Maya said as she moved her hand up and down her mother's back. – Okay, we need a plan. For now, we'll go to that stupid meeting and pretend like always that everything is perfect. Then I'll start looking for a place to move as soon as possible, do you agree?

Her mother just nodded as she wiped her tears and tried to get up the courage for what was to come.

The meeting was just what Maya imagined, a theater where everyone gave their best performance, pretending to lead the best of lives. With the best smile she could fake, she made it to the end of the meeting without any problems. And now all she wanted was to go back to Carina and enjoy the peace that only she could make her feel.