Amore Mio ✓

LXXV. Luggages

Carla rubs her nose, "Want some tea?" she asks.

I nod, closing the front door. Following behind her, the floorboards were creaking, filling up the heavy silence. There was a low dripping sound in the corner of the room, and I noticed the leak on the roof. When we entered the kitchen, the supposedly white tiles were stained brown with the noisy hum of an old refrigerator. Carla set two cups on the chipped vinyl counter then laid two bags of tea inside. I put my purse on the table and watched her pour hot water into it.

Carla hands me a cup. "Come on, let's go into the living room."

We settled ourselves on the creaking brown couch that seems to be covered with stains, yet the color blended everything out. I never noticed how Randy's house looked like because I visited him most at night since his father is always at home during the day. He doesn't want me to meet his father, afraid he might bother me.

My eyes scan the area, realizing this wasn't a place to raise children, yet Randy grew up in this same house.

Settling my eyes at Carla, she comfortably sat there, rubbing her stomach as she stared at the picture of Randy when he was younger.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling the warmth of the cup.

She let out another smile, but her eyes weren't. "I told my parents about the baby, and they disown me," she chuckled unamusingly, "Well, more like they told me to get an abortion or get the fuck out of their house."

I set both cups down. Carla takes a sniff, and I wrap my arms around her as she cries on my shoulder. I patted her back, feeling my chest tighten. "They said they don't want me, someone who brings shame to the family," her voice was low and crack. "Then, they insulted RaeRae, calling him a hooligan. So, I got angry and told them that Satan has a special place for them in hell how they will regret kicking out their grandchild. Then, I packed a bag full of stuff and left."

I gave her a tissue, and she blew it. "Why didn't you call me or come to me?"

She shook her head, "Alice, don't lie to me, I know you have problems of your own. I can't come to you. Plus-" she shrugs, "I like being here," her eyes scan the room, "I like being at the place where RaeRae grows up." She bit her lower lips, a single tear dripped down. "It makes me feel like he is still with me."

After some time, Carla started calming down, and we sat there, sipping the warm tea. "How is everyone?"

"Worried about you."

She smiled, "That's nice."

I laugh, "To have people worry about you?"

Carla nods, "Yeah. Alice, I grew up seeing nothing but fake people around me. Then I met you and Nina. You guys are awesome. If it weren't for you two, then I wouldn't meet RaeRae than Ian and everyone else. I wouldn't have any real friends," her voice shakes near the end.

I held her hand, noticing her nails weren't their usual, perfectly pointed tip. "We will always be here for you."

She laid her head on the couch. "Thank you."

"What are you going to do next?"

Carla exhales, setting her cup down. "I don't know. I'm 18 already, so my parents aren't my guardians. I'm cut off until I get an abortion, which I won't do. So, I'm going to see how things go. Probably graduate and get a job to help Mrs.Ricci with the bills. Plus, she is sick. She shouldn't be working so much."

"What about Stanford? What about your dream of developing some novel nanotechnology device where you can treat cancer?"

She pushes a strand of unmanageable hair behind her ear. "Everyone has a dream. A dream is beautiful, but reality can be quite ugly." She placed a hand on her stomach, "As an adult, there are responsibilities and sometimes, those responsibilities get in the way of dreams. Sometimes, we have to settle our dreams aside, and others, you have to give it up entirely."