Thorns

34 - Whitney

Whitney

I knew, honestly, that things would turn bad. Probably not the right word, but still, it's the only one that came to my mind when my Daddy called me, crying. I couldn't believe that happened! I couldn't believe they were taking my relationship with Rai as an excuse to hurt my family. Again.

I saw Rai following me to Central Square. His black vintage car looked shiny and menacing as he rode behind me. I knew it was stupid to be afraid, he never, once, hurt me, and he never made me feel like he was a gang guy, not until I tried to actually see him. Now, I was scared again. I was scared of what he could do, 'cause, let's face it, he could break my life into tiny pieces. In truth, he did just that.

"Don't you think you should give me some sort of explanation?" He growled, opening the door of my car and pulling me by my hand to face him.

"I told you to let me go" I mumbled, and shoved him aside, as I practically ran to my Daddy's bakery.

I felt him following me. Fine. He wanted to see what he'd done, I couldn't care less.

"Santa Maria..." I heard him say as we walked inside the trashed bakery "What da..."

"Whit!" I heard my Daddy call, as he left the two policemen to talk to Seth, who also looked pale and scared "Oh, honey!"

"Daddy." I mumbled and hugged him "What happened?!"

He looked around, gesturing with his shaky hands. He couldn't speak and just cried again. I held him and looked around. All trashed... the glass shelves, the golden chairs, the green and salmon walls... All the colorful pieces my parents tried to put together, ruined. Trashed and destroyed, vandalized. There was graffiti on the walls. Mean words.

Joto. Puta.

The walls were full of them. That's what Rai's lovely friends Cuervos thought about me and my family.

"You didn't have to come" My daddy whispered, cleaning some tears with his shaky fingers.

"What happened?" I repeated.

"I... I don't know! I just came here and..." He said, gesturing to the destruction "And I called you and the police. I don't understand! Why do they hate us so much?!"

I hugged my Daddy and saw Rai walk around the mess, looking with a deep frown at the words on the walls. He looked... enraged, is the best way to put it. Like he was working on a violent plan in his head. It made me scared of him, even more.

He followed me to my place after I was able to convince my Daddy to go home and rest. Seth and the others would clean the mess, he didn't have to be there to see the damage. I called Dad but made sure he wouldn't come home until he was off work. Daddy wouldn't want to hear screaming, just yet.

I was so... touched... when Rai made some tea to my dad, and when he took it to his bedroom. He made sure he was ok and rest before he joined me in the kitchen again.

"He's asleep." He said, setting the green cup on the marble counter "He wanted to call everywhere to start putting things up together. I made sure he wouldn't. Tough to explain him, though."

"Yeah... he's kinda of a hard head" I smiled a little after I put away the tea bags and clean dishes.

"Give me a sec" He mumbled, picking up his phone and walking towards the back door.

I nodded and, obviously, couldn't help myself to eavesdrop on him. I couldn't' get half of what he was saying, 'cause when he's angry he talks fast, especially if it's Spanish. From what I could gather, though, he was talking about my family, and about what had happened to the bakery. He was furious. Once he got inside, I quickly pretended to be busy with the dinner arrangements.