CHAPTER 2 : BROKEN DREAMS
Celine
I grabbed my duffel bag from the ground and sprinted out of the airport, ignoring the plump woman raining furious curses at me in Italian for almost knocking her down. I ran all the way to the taxi stand, barely able to choke out my home address to the middle-aged man behind the wheel.
20 minutes went by slowly before the car finally screeched to a stop in front of my house. I dashed out and stormed in, slamming the doors so hard that the worn-out bricks barely holding the old building up came rattling down.
My brother, Armando flinched, tearing his lips away from the glass in his hand. “What the hell, Celine?!” he exclaimed. “I nearly choked on my beer.”
With all the pent up rage coursing through me, I dumped the bag on the floor and rushed towards him, grabbing him by the collar. I drove him against the counter and the glass slipped from his hand and shattered to the floor with a deafening crash, spilling all its content.
“Where is it?” I demanded, ignoring the mess.
“Are you nuts?!” he growled, the muscles on his tattooed arms flexing as he pushed me off. “What sort of madness is this?”
“Where have you hidden my money?” I questioned, glaring at him.
“What money are you yapping about?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
“Don't you dare play dumb with me, Armando!” I yelled, my eyes bulging. “Explain this,” I held my phone up, shoving it in his face. “Why is there a transfer of €50,000 from my account? A transfer I didn't initiate. How on earth did you gain access to my account? My Pin?”
“I have no clue what you're talking about,” he said with a hard glare, turning to leave.
“I'm not stupid, Armando!” I yelped, grabbing his arm to stop him. “I know you took my phone while I was asleep last night and made a transfer to some account. And then you try to cheaply erase the traces?”
“Fine!” he snapped, flinging my hand away. “I took it! Did you think all your sneaking around would go unnoticed forever? I followed you to the bank the other day. I saw you deposit some money in a large envelope. I've been watching you closely since then. Turns out getting your phone password and account pin was a walk in the park.”
“Armando,” I muttered in utter shock.
“You had that much money just lying in your account and you hid it from me?!” he yelled in my face. “Do you know how shocked I was? It must have been fun watching from the sidelines while I faced constant threats from those ruthless loan sharks when you had the means to pay back. How selfish and cruel can you be?!”
“Plea…” I choked on my words, my lips trembling uncontrollably. “Please…tell me you haven't squandered all of it.”
He looked away, then returned his gaze to me, clearing his throat. “I had to clear my debts,” he replied, reaching into his back pocket. “Here,” He held my hand and flipped my palm open, placing a €20 note on it. “I brought back some change.”
A strained gasp escaped my lips, my knees snapping beneath me. I reached for the counter and gripped the edges to steady myself before my knees could reach the ground, all the tears I had held in gushing down like a broken dam. “How–” My words caught in my throat as I stared at the note, shock paralyzing me.
After every measure I took to ensure he didn't get wind of my plans. All of the frugal spending. The tireless toiling, tending to tables at cafés, bars, and washing greasy dishes at restaurants, all in vain. He didn't pay back no debt. He had wasted all of that money he never worked a day for on what he knew best; gambling and women.
“Will you quit being so dramatic over a few notes?!” He yelled, his face devoid of remorse.
“A few notes?” I repeated as I lifted my weight slowly from the counter, tears streaming down to my lips. “A few notes you've never had the balls to make? God!” I pushed my hair back, gripping my forehead. “I can't believe I put up with your reckless ass for this long. Do you even have any idea what you've done? You just threw away six years of my life. Six bloody years, Armando!” I yelled, counting my words. “That's how long it took me to save up €50,000 just so I could finally go to college in the states and you just blew—”
“What?” he cut in, his tone laced with surprise. “You greedy bitch,” he cursed, letting out a scoff. “You were planning on running away to the states? I never even got a chance to complete high-school, and you want to go to college? Of what use is a college degree, huh? Are you going to use it in building a mansion after graduating? Or perhaps start your own freaking company? I always knew these unrealistic dreams of yours were messing with your head. Wake up, Celine! Life ain't a fucking movie. You'll never be able to escape the wretchedness you were born into no matter how hard you try. When you're done sulking, go fix me something to eat.”
“You’re such a sick piece of shit,” I shook my head in disbelief, his audacity stunning me. “All you're good for is taking. What have you ever done for me besides lavishing every dime of my hard-earned money on your drugs, alcohol, and gambling addiction? I even went as far as placing you on a monthly salary just so you'd stop stealing from me, but that wasn't enough. What haven't I done for you, Armando?!” I yelled out in frustration, my hair falling all over my face. “I have had it up to here. I want you out of my life for good.” I jabbed my finger into his chest, pointing towards the door. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
“You call his rat hole a house?” he mocked, erupting into laughter.
“At least I pay the rent,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over his ridiculous cackling. “I cloth you, feed you and pick up after your sorry ass. If you had any shame in you, you wouldn't be munching off your 26 year old sister at 36.”
His laughter fell off his face. “Watch your tongue, Celine,” he warned through gritted teeth.
“I don't want to see your thieving, scheming face anywhere close to me,” My hands struck his chest once. “Get out!” Then again, and again, sending him stumbling backwards.
“Celine!” he roared, grabbing both of my arms.
“Vattene!” I lashed out in Italian, slamming my fists harder against his chest. “Just leave! Get out, Armando!”
“Fuck off, Celine!” he yelled with bulging eyes, shoving me so hard that my head barely missed the wall behind. “You think you can get rid of me that easily? I'll be back, alright. This isn't over.” He charged towards the door and yanked it open, slamming it behind him.
I rested my back against the wall to stop my quivering legs from giving way, but it was too late. I crashed on my butt to the ground, drawing my knees slowly to my chest.
Why do we never get to choose our family?
Was this what the word really meant? A love-hate relationship?
I folded my arms and buried my face on my knees, my shoulders jerking as I cried my eyes out. And that was where I remained till the morning… helpless and hopeless, as I watched my dreams slip away like mere dust.
A week went by and I didn't see or hear a word from Armando. Unlike the other times when we had a falling out and he stormed out of the house, he always came back after a day or two. He was like a shadow I couldn't get rid of, but I had a feeling he was gone for good this time around.
I settled on the sofa, about to eat my dinner and retire for the night when my phone rang. I reached for it on the table, but the moment I saw Armando's name on the caller ID, my hand hung midway, a knot forming in my stomach.
I watched it ring, my expression blank and cold.
I had no intention of speaking to him.
I flipped the phone upside down, rose to my feet, picked up the ready-to-eat pastacup and threw it in the sink, my appetite disappearing.
The ringing ceased, and immediately it resumed again. And again. And again. Relentless.
He wasn't going to stop.
I snatched the phone and swiped up angrily, holding it against my ear. “I'm going to block you if you keep–!”
“Please…help me, Celine,” His heart wrenching whimpering cut me off, all my anger fading away instantly.
I'd never heard him sound this vulnerable in all my years.