ÈGOÏSTE |18+ [English Version]

Chapter 11. "Quarrel."

The test of a man or woman's manners is their behavior during an argument.

George Bernard Shaw

On behalf of Joanna:

I was lying on my bed, flipping through my social media feed, some older men writing to me about wanting to meet me, I was disgusted to read it, but on the other hand I was afraid that if I didn't find a boyfriend, I would marry one of these "older men".

Nothing, as they say, was going to happen until my mother came into the room.

- Joe," she called me back, "can we talk?

- Yeah, sure," I kept staring at the phone until my mom came over and turned it off, "what's wrong? - Sitting down in a lotus pose I asked.

- Your father went to talk to Mr. Wright.

- What? Why?

- They were supposed to sign a contract, but that's not the point, your father is going to talk about Henry.

- I don't understand...

- I don't understand why you said Mr. Wright's car was hit by Henry when it was you.

- Well, Mom... - I lowered my eyes," If I confessed, Dad would condemn me in public again, in front of your friends. He himself always told everyone I was a good driver, and how would he feel if he found out otherwise?

- Oh, Joanna... as long as he doesn't say anything to your father... - before my mother could finish her sentence, my father arrived. - I'll go and meet him. - She said and left me all alone.

What am I supposed to do now? What are the chances of Mr. Wright telling my father about me? - I asked myself this question, and at once I had my answer,

- Joanna! Quickly come down to talk! - On entering the threshold of the house, my father shouted.

I'm finished... - went through my mind and I headed downstairs.

- What happened Dad? - Going down to the kitchen, where my father was sitting furious, I asked

- Sit down! - He said gruffly, Mom stood next to me and just kept quiet.

I sat across from him and waited, he wiped his face with his hands and looked at me.

- How much longer are you going to embarrass me? - He started more calmly," How much longer would I have to listen to my daughter being a talentless loser, how much longer? - And then his tone was a little higher. - Johanna! Do you hear me? Why did you lie to me? Why did you make a fool of me?

- I didn't mean to... - it was the only thing I could say, but it didn't calm him down and he went on.

- Why did you lie to me? Why did you set Henry up? Couldn't your little head figure out that the truth would come out sooner or later? No?

- Dad, it hurts me every time you accuse me of not being who you wanted me to be, and instead of accepting me for who I am, you keep throwing a lot of dirt on me, and then you ask me why I did it? - I got a little harsher.

- Don't raise your voice to me! I do everything for you to live better than others, and instead of helping your father, doing business with me, having a great social circle and being normal, you act like a fool, who do you think you are? I've been working since I was fifteen and you're twenty-three by the minute and what have you accomplished? - He shouted, and then added, "You have achieved that you are killing my nerve cells with your idleness and stupidity. I'd rather we were lying here listening to music all day long and looking at my phone screen and talking to all kinds of freaks, instead of this kind of stupidity you should have been sitting next to me and working like a normal person. But no," he started waving his arms, "only I, Alfred Morris, could have had such a daughter!