DANCING QUEEN ━ ELI MOSKOWITZ

𝒐𝒏𝒆

Making her way into the tiny kitchen, Venus threw on her cream-colored, lilac embroidered apron and began to brew a hot cup of coffee. Still singing along to the song playing softly in the background, she twirled around the kitchen with a gentle smile. Grabbing two strawberry pop tarts, Venus set them in her bag and began to cook up a serving of french toast topped with fruit and syrup. As she waited for everything to finish cooking, she began to water the littered plants around the room. She remembered how her mom placed them everywhere, saying that they would bring life to the dull room. Celia and Venus also painted the kitchen a pale yellow color and strung lights around the wall's trim.

The pink-haired girl's honey brown eyes glimpsed over at the now filled coffee pot, and with a swift turn, she grabbed her Mamá's favorite coffee mug. A pastel green cup decorated with hand-painted flowers—one that Venus made for her in the fifth grade. 

As the Torres girl carefully balanced the cup of coffee and the plate of french toast in her hands, her slipper-covered feet tip-toed into her mother's room quietly. She delicately placed the items on her wooden bedside table, rushed out to grab the pills she had sorted, and turned her gaze to the cluttered room. Celia's room was a warm cream color. The paint was chipped and cracked here and there, and stains littered the carpet, accompanied by small cigarette burn holes. Her bedsheets were a pale pink and florally patterned, specifically roses—she favored the flower. Small plants adorned the room, and a few things Venus had painted hung on the walls. Paper plates and glasses were randomly spread across the room. The trashcan in the corner had begun to overflow, a mountain of tissues and old empty prescriptions falling to the floor.

With a huff, Venus began to clean up the mess. Her nose scrunching up every now and then at a nasty plate or glass she'd grab. After a few minutes, the room was cleared, and she leaned down on the bed and gently shook Celia awake.

Venus spoke quietly, a comforting tone fluttering through her words, "Mamá, it's seven, you have to get ready for work."

Celia groaned and opened her hazel eyes, an unreadable look stuck behind them. She sat up slowly, hands gripping her daughter's arm for assistance. Her face was sunken, and her cheeks were more prominent. Heavy eyebags stood out on her face as she looked down at the food Venus had prepared, a glare forming as she noticed the pills beside the plate.

"Morning," She muttered to Venus tiredly, shaky hands reaching to grasp the flower-covered coffee mug. "Thank you, my dear."

The pink-haired girl nodded as she held out the pills to her mother. Celia's fatigued eyes stared away from her daughter as she sighed, "Mija..."

Venus' lips tugged into a frown, and she leaned forward with her hand stretched out, "You have to, Ma. It's for your own good."

Celia's sunken eyes hardened with a huff, and she turned her head stubbornly, "I do not need them, Venus. You know that. I do just fine without."

Venus tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes with a hint of annoyance, "Will you at least take your heart pill? I'd rather not leave this house with the thought of you having heart failure."

Celia rolled her eyes, "Ay, dios mios. Don't be so dramatic. I will be fine."

"Por favor, Mamá. It'd give me some peace of mind." Venus begged insistently, grasping her mother's hands with her own and looking at her pleadingly.

Celia gazed at her daughter, an unreadable expression painted on her face. She turned her palm face up and grumbled, "Mija, you know I can't resist the puppy dog eyes."