She woke up feeling a whole lot better but she was a little dehydrated and very hungry. She went to the kitchen and took some sips of water while thinking about how much she didn't want to go to college today. As she was standing by the dishwasher, the door suddenly opened and closed in a tiny bang. She stretched her head to the right and there her father entered he was holding his back, walking slowly while hunched over.
Ava immediately put her glass down and ran to help her father. She put his entire weight on herself and walked him to the living room. The door was facing the living room but it was at a great distance from the door. Right after you enter the door on your right you will find a wall that divides the kitchen from the living room. It had an arch and the kitchen had plenty of space, so much space to accommodate both a kitchen Island equipped with a dishwasher and on the front centre of the kitchen island is a table for eating.
"Dad…!" Ava started to complain.
"Please, not now." Her father immediately shut her down with a low and exasperated tone. She looked at him with so many words she wanted to say but she didn't say them.
"Aren't you supposed to be going to school?" He had tried his best to memorize her schedule like her brother but he just couldn't. He was now old and he forgot things.
"I'm not goi-" She held her tongue. Her father and brother had worked very hard to make sure that she went to college and got her Diploma.
Her mother died two years ago and that sent her spiraling because her mother was her first best friend. When she died Ava couldn't cope with the grief so much that her grades started to suffer. She wasn't a smart student but she wasn't bad. So her father and brother decided to send her to therapy. She went to therapy for a whole year and then she stopped telling her family that she was now okay. She was, she had come to terms with the fact that her first best friend was gone forever.
Her mother had also taken some life insurance so now she had money to go to school and settle her debt from before.
"I was saying that, I'm not going to miss classes." She looked at her father and she told herself that this, this was the reason that she hadn't broken under Eric's torture. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then she went and took a bath.
She was done bathing and she was ready to go out but first she had to fix breakfast and make sure that his father takes his pain meds. She prepared breakfast, contrary to popular belief Ava actually ate healthier than her family which she had to cut them off on because she doesn't want them to get sick.
"Brianna is joining us." Her brother walked in holding hands with his girlfriend.
"I'll get her plate." Ava answered her brother, "can you get dad to come eat?" she added.
Brianna walked to her and gave her a warm back hug. They made some small talk while Brian got his father to come and eat. After helping his father to his seat, Brian gave Ava a kiss on the cheek. It was a tradition that had since existed while their mother was still alive. Brian always had a hard time expressing himself verbally but he always wanted to express himself. So his mother told him to just come and give her a kiss on the cheek and she will know that he is saying 'I love you'. Since his mother is dead, all those kisses and all that love went to Ava.
They were seated and they were eating while conversing here and there.
"Dad, when are you going to stop working?" her dad immediately dropped his spoon making a clunking sound.
"Brian can you please try and help me here." She looked to her brother for some backup.
"Dad has already told us why he works." Ava felt so disappointed in her brother at the moment. Her father had said that he works because it helps him forget that his wife is dead. He said that working was his therapy, that he didn't just want to sit at home as that will make him think too much about his dead soulmate.
"Its bad for his body! His body is literally breaking down!" Ava was literally yelling at them, "if he wants to keep busy he can join the other senior citizens, there are many programmes within our community for old people!" her face was straight and there was no crease.
"I'm not that old." Her father chuckled and Brian joined him to ease the tension.
"Dad please just stop." She stopped yelling and started begging.
"My Princess, my body is bound to break, I am after all not as fit as I used to be and with my eating habits there is no way I could work." He was downplaying the whole thing.
"I won't ever forgive you if you-" she didn't finish the sentence because of the lump that formed on her throat. She stood from the table and took two slices of toast, she put jam on the slices and left. After she had collected her bag from her room she came back to the kitchen and kissed them goodbye.
Five minutes passed after her departure and the door started banging. Brian looked at his watch, "why the fuck are they early?" He sounded pissed already.
"They could have blown everything!" his father gave him a look that told him to calm down and he rolled his eyes. This wasn't time to be nice but then again he understood what his father meant.
He went to open the door and a very slimy, tall and skinny man was standing at his door facing him.
"You know why I'm here…" The man smirked playing with a toothpick in his mouth.
"I'll go get it." His voice was flat and he was clearly showing that this man annoyed him.
He went inside and took out a brown envelope filled with money, he went and handed it to the man. The man handed it to his companion and the companion started counting the money.
"I saw your little sister leave." His smile was dirty, "she looked…" he took a deep breath in, "she looked fine." Brian looked at him and wondered how he can spend some seconds trying to look for a word and then end up with 'fine'.
"I wanted to ask her out." He then started laughing obnoxiously. Brian was about to punch him in the face when his companion said, "the money is short." The man immediately became serious, "how much?" he was asking the sum that is missing.
"Five hundred plus interest." The companion answered. Brian asked how that was possible but then he was told that last month he didn't pay the full amount because his father needed to see a doctor so he was supposed to pay that sum plus interest.
Brian argued that he didn't have it at the moment and the little he can pay was either the interest or the five hundred but not both. The debt collector was okay with that as long as Brian was aware that next month the sum that he didn't pay will also have interest.
"oh fuck you!" he screamed while they were arguing. The debt collector slapped him, "we had a deal!" his voice was deep and steadfast.
"I borrow you money, you use however way you want and then we set up a payment plan." Brian wanted to punch him but he held himself back.
"I want my money or your little sister will know about me." He threatened and Brian felt so much anger but then it was overshadowed by pain. Every time they mentioned telling Ava about their debt he always felt physical pain.
"Do you know that today I came pretty early." He started narrating, "I waited for her to go to school and then once I was sure that she was gone I came in peace." He placed his palm on his cheek, giving him mini slaps.
"I mean I look out for you and your old man and you curse at me?!" His tone seemed to increase with each word he said.
"You as for money from me, I give it to you. You ask me to not tell your little sister about your debt, I respect that. You ask to pay a little later, I give you a month or so." He started listing things he had done for them that he considered 'good' even though he always torments them.
"Pay me what you can right now and then next month I want the sum that was missing today and it's interest." The debt collector then smiled that annoying dirty smile of his. Brian took out five hundred and gave it to him.
He closed the door on him and then he had a mini panic attack sliding down the door. Brianna came and found him then helped soothe him.
This was the secret they were keeping from Ava. Their father still worked even though his body was breaking because they were in massive debt. Before his wife died she was constantly sick so he spent their savings trying to save her and ultimately the last of the saving went to her funeral. Her life insurance had lapsed because they stopped paying but they still lied to Ava and said it did and they said that money will go towards her studies. Their father then got sick for about six months after his wife's death so they needed money and with Ava also going therapy they needed a lot of money to keep their lie a secret and to run the household.
"When are you guys going to tell Ava!?"