Saturday, July 25, 2009 @9:07 AM
It took all my strength not to burst into a yell or scream at my mother. There she stood in the doorway, fists firmly planted on her hips, her wild frizzy hair held back by two long hot pink hair clips, the kind they use in salons. Her face was pale with anger and her mouth wouldn't stop cursing and swearing. According to her, I bring shame to the family and the neighbours will talk. According to me, she is shouting for the neighbours to hear and then talk.
"What in the world did you think you were doing? Who is that girl? Why is she drunk? How could you go out with someone like that? Did you drink? Did you make her drunk? You tell me, what are we going to do? How can we face people anymore? What will the neighbours think? MY son, the one I always say was well behaved despite not having a talent for school, bringing a drunk girl home! And not even home, you displayed her right at McDonald's, where everyone could see you with her! You-"
"Mum, I did not drink and I did not set her drunk ok? She is a neighbour..."
"A NEIGHBOUR!??!?! You bring a drunkard home and you say she lives RIGHT HERE?! Whose daughter is so ill-behaved!!! How did you even get to know this girl? Look at how she dresses, look at that makeup on her face!"
"I saw her once in the lift. Then tonight my friends and I were about town, and I saw her again and a man was trying to drag her to his car. So I took her back here but I don't know where she lives so I brought her to McDonald's."
"She was with a man! Oh my god, how can you make friends with such wanton girls, I do not understand. And you brought her to McDonalds where everyone can see you in her company. What will the neighbours think? That my son set an indecent girl drunk, because he is indecent too?"
"Mother! Would you have liked me to bring her up to our house, sleep on our sofa and then puke all over our floor?"
"No! You should've left her at the police station! You had the nerve to hang around her until she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning, you! Stupid fool..."
"She lives here. Which part of it do you not understand? She LIVES IN THE SAME BLOCK. If you worry about what the neighbours think when I am seen with her, how about what her parents -who ARE our neighbours- will think if I had just dumped her with the police?"
"That is not my problem, and that should not be your problem. They have failed to teach her how to behave! And now people will gossip and talk about how my child have mixed with bad company and I have failed as a mother! ARe you happy now!"
With that, my mother stormed back into her room, lamenting louder than she needed to about how she'd let my ancestors down and possibly her grandchildren too. I sighed. What a mess I'm in, and what a mess she's got me into. With neighbours like these, who needs enemies....