𝙰𝚗𝚘𝚊'𝚒 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍
𝚂𝚞𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚖, 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚈𝚘𝚛𝚔. 𝟼:𝟺𝟶 𝚊𝚖
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞. We all are. It's inevitable. It may seem dark, Her way of thinking at least. But on the brighter side, before we die, we must live. Her dad once told her, "The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that prevents you from killing yourself." It's a quote he had read by Albert Camus. He had told her this on her tenth birthday, as she sat behind a piano. "We live in a bad place, and you gotta' make it out of here, ya hear me?" he instructed. "You focus on making it out of here."
Sometimes, these dreams of hers feel forced on her.
But in moments like these, where she can sit on the rundown fire escape with her apple headphones blasting she realizes that even though these dreams were created for her, she doesn't always hate having to follow through with them.
It's 6:45 am, and Laney sits outside her window on the janky fire escaped adorned in her brother's high school hoodie and a pair of plaid night shorts. Her feet only being covered by the snugness of her Nike socks. New York was known as the city that never sleeps, but in Sugarhill, this early, the only sounds echoing through the streets were the closing of car doors as passerby's made their way to work. She liked being awake before everyone else, to experience the calm before the streets became hectic.
It was calming for her, sitting outside in the breeze, music flowing in her ears, where she could faintly hear the sound of birds chirping.
"Music is a spiritual thing, mariquita." Monet would hum from above her daughter, as she washed her hair. It was a weekly thing, Monet would lay her daughter on the counter, head slightly dangling into the sink as she massaged shampoo throughout her head. The melody from Lauryn Hill's "to zion." echoed through the kitchen from her mom's old school record player. "you can feel music."
Her mother was right, at least that would explain why Laney has been able to stick to the countless instruments her father throws at her. She is grateful that her father chose music for her to fall on rather than sports or something like that. Laney was freshly eight when her mother died, she can't really remember too much about her, but she remembers that her mother loved music and she loved words. It didn't matter what kind of music you put on, her mother Monet, found meaning in it all.
Laney agreed, music to her is an art form, a creative outlet that she could put out and possibly be the only one to understand it. She liked that, being able to say what she felt without having to say it even if no one else comprehended. Maybe that's why she started every day off the same.
Laney paused the movement of her pencil across the wide sketchbook, finally pulling her phone from the pocket of her hoodie, seeing the time, 9:47 am .
She pulled the headphones from her ear, allowing them to rest around her neck climbing back into her window before shutting and locking it and making her way into the kitchen.
Her dad usually woke up at 10:00 am on the dot and the running of the shower faucet usually woke her brother soon after. So like clockwork, she began to pull ingredients from the fridge to prepare breakfast.
She knew she didn't have to but she liked to help out her family any way she could, even if it was something as simple as having waffles piled to the sky for Elias or a cup of jet-black coffee prepared for her father. They deserved it for all that they do for her.
After making her sixth waffle, she unplugged the waffle maker as a grumbling Elias slid from his bedroom. "Good morning twin." he yawned hands already grabbing three waffles and placing them on his plate.
"Greedy-tail," she joked, "good morning."
Her dad appeared a minute later, pressing a kiss to his daughter and son's hairline before reaching over to pull his plate from the counter as well as his cup of coffee and taking a seat at the table across from his two kids.
"What ya got plans to do today?" he questioned.
"Going to go hoop with the guys later," Elias answered still chowing down on a spoonful of eggs making his sister gag.
"Chew your food pig," she began making her father 'tsk' at her in warning, "Aolani, ia agalelei" [be nice]
She huffed, turning her head away from her brother as he opened his mouth wider leaning towards her face, "tell him to stop then." she whined scooting her chair away as they both laughed. "Vaea stop." he ordered turning to his daughter, "What are you doing today, pepe?" [baby]
"Working on finishing the piano piece, Notti wanted to come over too."
Her father hummed, swallowing down his food, "it's summer Aolani, make sure you enjoy it hmm?"
"Yead dad." She replied quickly reaching over to smack her brother's hand as he ripped a piece of her waffle and shoved it into his mouth.
Leati shook his head, a smile gracing his lips as he observed his two kids. He would be lying if he said it was easy being a single father. There were moments when he wished he could do more or be there for them more. But there were bills to be paid, and life didn't wait for anyone.
He wishes he was there more for Vaea when his wife died, and that he offered more support to his kids rather than shutting down. That he gave his daughter comfort and hugs instead of instruments to learn. But when his wife was alive, as bad as it sounds, he didn't have to solely provide everything. She was the comfort and hugs, and he was the man of the house, soft yet stern.
In his culture, the men provided and the women tended, not in the traditional way. As in tending to a home and kids, but to the heart. Monet was the glue of the family, keeping everything together. The furnace of the home who keeps it warm. He didn't know if he could do that, and he found himself isolating himself completely from the parenting role.
He wishes he didn't do that.
If he didn't his son wouldn't be in a gang, and his daughter wouldn't be so withdrawn.
Parenting was easier with Monet, hell, everything was but as he watches his two kids laugh with each other across the table from him, he can't help but feel like he's doing something right. He has to be.
Leati cleared his throat, commanding the attention of his kids, "I have to go to work now, try to be home by nine, I want to cook dinner tonight."
"Bet." Elias beamed nodding his head, "okay." Laney grinned.
As he stood from the table so did the younger pair, each barreling into their father's side and hugging him tightly. "Stay safe Pop's!" Elias belted rushing towards the bathroom.
"Love you, dad. Safety." his daughter added piling dishes into the sink. "Oute alofa ia oe." [I love you too]
When Laney was alone in the kitchen she pulled out her phone going to the group chat.
"Oh my God!" She yelled out as Notti sent a screenshot of her brother's youtube. "Elias!" She squealed running and banging on the bathroom door. "Elias!"
"Huh!" he hollered from the shower.
"Nigga, check your phone! Now!"
It was silent on the other end of the door other than the water running for a while until she heard her brother let out a loud "what the fuck!" before she heard the clattering of soap bottles and eventually a loud bang.
"Nigga, did you just fall." she called out, "fuck that! I'm viral!" he screamed rushing out into the hall clad only in a pair of boxers.
"You did it!" Laney squealed hopping into her brother's arms as he continued to shout exciting curses into the air.
She felt her phone vibrate from her pocket and when she pulled it out she could see an incoming facetime call from Notti.
"YOOOO!" Notti and Dd screamed at the same time as the call connected. She laughed as Elias snatched the phone from her hands just as hype as her friends, "Sugarhill on the fucking map ya heard! we up there!" he shouted, throwing up OY, Notti and Dd did the same cackling with her brother, she smacked her teeth snatching her phone back. "Check your ig mh." Dd laughed.
She hurriedly pulled up the Instagram app almost having a heart attack when she witnessed how fast her followers were growing
"What the fuck." She squealed watching as her only post began to blow up.
She laughed letting out a loud "Nigga you're verified!" To her brother before clicking her comments.
"Oh my fucking god!" she repeated, "come over, come over!"
𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭! 𝐩𝐥𝐬 :)