Don't Play With My Heart - A Jai Brooks Fan Fiction (Watty Awards 2014)

Chapter 20: You Smile, I Smile

Tamara’s POV

“Karen. Can I have a serious conversation with you for a second?” I ask as I make my way into the kitchen, following the gorgeously aromatic smells drifting from there.

“Sure sweetheart. You can come to me about anything,” she replied, while also focussing on prepping the béchamel sauce for the lasagne that she was making for dinner.

"You know how I told you that I was going out with Jai today?” I question.

“Yes honey. About his dad, right?” she replied.

“See that’s the thing. I didn’t say anything about his dad at all. I just said we were going out, I didn’t mention who we were meeting. So if I didn’t tell you about it, then how did you even know that we were going to meet his father?”

“I specifically heard you say that it was a meeting regarding his father,” she insisted.

“I know for a fact that I would never say that because I promised him that I would keep it to myself. He trusted me and now he thinks that I’ve betrayed him. Are you sure you didn’t hear it somewhere else?”

“Oh, you mean the time you were discussing it the last time he was here?”

“Karen, why were you listening to our conversation? That was private information and I don’t want to sound rude but it was kind of supposed to stay private. One, Jai’s already insecure about the whole thing and second, with the whole celebrity caper, the media will have a field day with that information,” I explained.

“Tamara, I won’t have that tone. This is my house,” she replied.

“Really? My tone is the problem here? Well it’s about to get worse because eavesdropping is much ruder than my tone right now so I don’t see how this is being put back onto me. I am not the one in the wrong because I didn’t listen in to someone else’s conversation,” I say, my voice raising slightly.

“Young lady, I have been lenient with your whereabouts while you’ve been here so I don’t appreciate you telling me what I should and should not be doing in my own home. After everything that I’ve done for you, I think that I deserve a little respect,” she countered.

“Do you not think that listening in to a private conversation is being respectful? You need to give respect to receive it,” I said, “and it was only a matter of time that you brought up the whole sympathy card about taking me in. If I’m really that much of a burden, then maybe I should just find somewhere else to stay. I mean, technically you’re no longer responsible for me considering I’m legally an adult.”

“Well if that’s your choice then who am I to stop you? I’d rather not have someone here that’s going to question my actions in my own house.”

Tears threatened to fall as the words she spoke hit me like a slap in the face.

“Wow, you’d really give in that easily? That’s fine by me; I have all the help I need so because I’m clearly not wanted here as I have an opinion about personal privacy, I’ll be on my way.”

Before she could respond, I turned on my heel, not allowing her to see the lapse of my poker face. Never did I think that I would be packing my bags, the same way I had done countless times before, from here. I thought that I had found something worth staying for. I thought that I had found family. Dragging my bags down the stairs and to the front door, I take one last, longing look back at Karen.

“I thought you would have tried harder. After everything that I’ve been through and everything I’m going through now. Am I not worth anything?”