FAMILY

01| Birthday and Pictures

The camera stared back at me and I tried to smile as prettily as I could. I always tried to look my best because of how important this picture was. My mom hurried over and carefully fixed my outfit and hair until everything was perfect. It had to be perfect for the person who'd receive this picture. My father. Though I've never met him, he always asked for a picture of me on my birthday. Ever since the day I was born, my mom hired a professional photographer to take the picture.

"This one is really good." The photographer commented when he showed the picture he'd just taken.

My mom neared the screen to take in all the small details. I wasn't a perfectionist, I was quite the opposite: I procrastinated a lot and was too lazy to put in any effort into my appearance. But this was the only picture my father would have of me for an entire year. I wanted him to think that I was the most beautiful girl on the planet. I wanted him to finally come home, but he couldn't.

My father was an untouchable man, as my mom had put it. He had a certain position that made him very respected and feared, but he also lived in constant danger. That's why he sent my mom and me to live in the United Kingdom. We couldn't be together because of the dangers that came with the life he lived. My mom never explained what kind of life he lived but it was easy for me to guess that he did criminal things.

Despite that knowledge, I still wanted him to think the best of me. I wanted him to think that I was the perfect daughter. I wanted him to love me so much that he would visit me once. That was my biggest wish: to finally meet my father. My mom didn't even have pictures because any connection to him could lead to danger.

"This one will do." My mom finally nodded.

We've been in this studio for the past three hours. I could tell that the photographer was getting annoyed but my mom took this very seriously. She was hopelessly in love with my father and did everything to please him. I know how much it hurt her to live so far away from him.

I got up from my seat and grabbed my purse. I was wearing a navy blue dress that made my blue eyes pop out. Though the picture was only a profile shot, my mom insisted that I also wore heels. I linked my arms with my mom and dragged her along. We've been up since six in the morning to get ready and I wasn't allowed to eat anything, because bloating was a woman's biggest enemy according to my mom.

That's a load of bullshit if you ask me. Bloating is completely normal but my mom's ideas on beauty were quite conservative. She believed that a girl had to have long, straight hair and smooth, unblemished skin. She bought me so much skincare, which I really don't mind, but I'm a teenager. Pimples are normal for my age, but she always acts as if the world is ending when a bump pops up on my skin.

"You've starved me for almost an entire day, it is your duty as my mother to now feed me!" I told her as we exited the studio.

We lived in central London. Today was a nice day, the sun was shining and it was warm outside. I felt the sun shining on my skin and I smiled brightly. I was excited to eat my stomach full and celebrate my birthday with my friends tomorrow. We would go visit museums and eat at our favourite spots. That's the ideal day for me.

"Since you've been so good today, I'll treat you to sushi!" My mom chuckled.

I grinned widely and jumped up from excitement. Sushi was the only food my mom and I could agree about. It wasn't too unhealthy for her and I absolutely adored it. We jumped into a taxi and went to my favourite place.

Once inside we took our usual spot and my mom let me order whatever I wanted. She didn't even try to stop me when I ordered too much. It made me feel a bit uneasy. No matter the occasion, my mom was always strict about eating too much. One time she found my candy stash and grounded me for two months. It was completely overdone and I learned to stash all my candy in my school locker.