The Troublemaker's Return

Chapter No. 2

Sophia

Halfway between the dinner, my sophisticated sister left the table saying she needed to powder her nose. Royalty my ass!

Now I was stuck on the table alone with both pair of brown eyes peering at me in an attempt of figuring what would be the right time to pounce on me. I remember this look; it was the same look they gave me before Mom showed me how to use a condom on a banana in middle school.

Dad cleared his throat by letting out a small cough and if eighteen years spent with them were of any indication, things are about to go down my friends. "I have a friend in Stanford. He can help you go back." he said, placing his fork back on the plate and wiping his mouth with the napkin. I didn't realize I was tapping the floor in agitation until Mom pointed it out.

I have turned down their offer again and again but they won't stop pestering me about bloody Stanford. "If I wanted to go back, I won't have left at all." I said dryly, my eyes switching between both my parents.

"I thought you would have understood by now that being a waitress is not enough to meet your needs." Dad stressed in a mortifying tone. He was moments away from bashing his own head. I knew how much his Alma mater meant to him and knowing that her daughter purposely dropped out didn't go well with him.

"Dad, I have told you before. I don't see myself working as a lawyer. I want to do something that would make me happy." I made them aware, although it was not the first time I was doing it.

Just imagining myself as someone who works day in and out like my parents make my skin crawl. I didn't want to end up like them, no offence. I love them for sacrificing their lives for their kids but I neither have the courage, nor the stamina of doing the same. I want to be able to give time to the people who actually matters.

"And what exactly makes you happy?" Dad asked, propping his elbows on the table and leaning forwards. He looked intimidating with that posture but this time, he was not going to scare me.

"I haven't figured it out yet." I announced, lowering my head so that my gaze was fixated on the empty plate on the table, not the disappointed faces in front of me.

Dad let out a sigh dejectedly, as if giving up on me. Mom took the charge from his hands and started, "You're turning 24 this year. How long do you need to figure it out?"

"I don't know. It's not exactly a rocket science; I can't give you an exact date and time." I huffed defensively.

"You are wasting your talent sweetheart. You are smart and intelligent. You can't just be a waitress for the rest of your life." she stated in pity and my head started to ache. This was not the first time we were arguing on this topic and the results were still the same. They clearly refused to accept that their younger daughter didn't follow the same passion or ambition as them or any other fervent person.

"I think I should leave now." I stood up and both of them shared a look. It was clear from their faces that I was a let-down, that I was a constant cause of nuisance for them and they were better off without me.

"Sophia!" Mom tried to stop me but I was done for tonight so after an awkward and brief hug to both, I drove back to my sanctuary also known as my apartment.

..........

"How was the dinner?" Tessa queried once I entered the cafe in the morning. We both worked two shifts, from 10 in the morning to 8 in the night and I was an hour late today, all thanks to the wonderful dinner I had with my parents.

"Horrible." I declared and immediately went into the bathroom to change into my uniform. My eyes were swollen from the lack of sleep and my face looked puffy. At moments like this, I was grateful for my brown skin for hiding the redness and swelling.