GuiTara (RE-WRITING)

🎵~6

"Love you too, Mama. Bye."

She hung up, and I fell back on the bed.

I just lied to my mother. I felt awful.

You better hope she doesn't discover the truth from Pam. My subconscious swooped in again.

"Pam," I whispered, then sat up. "Work." The sheets rustled as I stood up and headed to the bathroom.

¤¤¤¤¤

"Good morning, Auntie T," Keke greeted me when I appeared in the kitchen, fully dressed.

"Morning, Keke." I opened the fridge, grabbed a carton of orange juice, and took a large gulp.

Nando left the stove with two plates of scrambled eggs. "Morning, T. Sleep well?"

The carton hit the counter with a mild thud. "Ugh, I don't want to answer that question."

Nando just chuckled, joining Keke at the dining table.

"Where's Pam?" I asked after pouring myself a glass of orange juice and putting the carton back in the fridge.

"At the neighbours," Nando replied. "We received some of their mail by mistake. Pam went to deliver them."

"Oh, ok." I settled down at the dining table.

"You know, she was sleep talking about you last night," Nando said, stuffing a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Oh no.

My sister, Pamela Adwoa Martinez, had many traits. Sleep talking was one of them. Pam only sleep talked about someone when she was very pissed with that person. She would frown in her sleep and insult that person till daybreak.

I remember one time when I was eight, and we used to share a bedroom, she showered insults on some guy called Chad Taylor. I had no idea who he was. But later, I found that the Chad guy asked her to be his date at a school dance but never showed up. Pam swore never to forgive him that night. She called him an asshole and a dickhead, all in her sleep.

I only hoped she didn't say those things about me, prompting me to ask Nando. "What did she say about me?"

He was almost done with his breakfast. "Nothing much. She just called you a klutz and nagged a lot about how she regrets hiring you. But don't let it get to you, ok? She's just upset. It'll wear off sooner or later."

I let out a deep sigh and cupped my face. If only I could turn back the hands of time.

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut, startling everyone at the table.

Pam stormed into the kitchen with a scowl on her face. "I just came from Cranky Chelito's house." Her voice dripped with anger. "And look at what she was so happy to thrust in my face!"

The pages of a newspaper rustled as Pam furiously flipped through them. When she found what she was looking for, she turned the page to us. "Read it, Tara!"

"I can't." I sipped my orange juice, not sparing the paper a glance. "I took French in junior high, remember?"

"I'll read it." Keke volunteered cheerfully. She read out loud. "Camarera en Originally Afro-Mex derrama sopa sobre magnate de los negocios, Declan Pérez"

"Oh shit, it's in the papers?" Nando stared wide-eyed at his wife.

"What's in the papers?" I asked.

"You are in the papers!" Pam shoved that particular page into my face. I pushed it back, eyes scanning the content.