Chapter nine – (During the holiday with Rafaela)
Rafaela placed her bags in her room – a rather small room at that but none the less she still loved it and always called the rather small cottage home. The house wasn't that far from the coffee shop her aunty owned and her job there, as much as the pay wasn't that great it helped her mother out immensely. They weren't one of the richest people around or one of the poorest but they got around. Her mother was having trouble, after the divorce and such she was just a little out of it and always tried to hide it from her only daughter.
The divorce had all occurred because Rafaela's father had an affair with another woman, all in all during his marriage with Mariana. That circumstance made Rafaela vow never to fall in love and one could say she had a fear of getting hurt. Mariana after that, though still young and quite beautiful was having trouble giving the 'perfect' life to the red and orange haired girl. Both of the women had, though, accepted Rafaela's father's daughter and in Rafaela's case half sister Mesi into their small family, Mesi not having anything to do with Amir's behaviour.
"Honey," the knock at the door brought Rafaela out of her thoughts, "can I come in? I have news." The Portugal woman entered warily but smiled brightly upon seeing her daughter. Rafaela jumped up from the bed and hugged her mother tightly, "welcome back Aela," she whispered stroking her lovely hair.
"Oh mum, I missed you," Rafaela said kissing the tan woman's cheek, "how has it been?" she asked.
"Your father has not given me any grief Aela," Mariana said sternly, "but I have wonderful news, Mesi's staying for the two weeks so it won't be the two of us." Marianna was in her early thirties and still looked in her twenties, the only thing that gave her away were the bags under her eyes and the oncoming wrinkles but the bright smile remained the same. Her hair was long and red somewhat clashing with her very tan skin.
Rafaela frowned slightly, "but isn't she supposed to stay with them?" she put extra emphasis on the last word and returned back to her bed as her mother went about straightening some things out.
"Let's just say you're having a very 'bad' influence on your sister," Marianna looked at the seventeen year old unimpressed but went back to opening the blinds.
Rafaela snickered quietly and then shrugged, "at least I'll have company," upon noticing her mother's mock hurtful expression she quickly added, "I meant more company," she smiled sheepishly and then looked at the picture on her bedside table. "So mum…did you see me on TV?"
"Yes, I mean I didn't understand a thing that was going on but I saw you and you did, good?" Marianna frowned slightly but smiled sheepishly, "sorry."
"Oh, it's alright I didn't expect you to understand but I guess you sort of cheered me on right?"
"Of course."
"Thanks mum," Rafaela smiled and then glanced at her bag. She looked up to notice her mum already out the door, "oh man…" she grumbled but set to work on unpacking – without her mother's help.
A few days well into the second week and it was Christmas, so far it just wasn't Rafaela's family that was over but also half of the small village was over to celebrate. Rafaela was found beside her sister smiling at the giant horde of people, "this hasn't happened since two Christmases ago." She said unconsciously, the laughing and smiling, the joyful music and the smell of food from the other women in the village, it brought back so many memories most of them showing her father – which in the end made her slightly angry.
"What hasn't happened?" Mesi, a small twelve year old girl asked, she looked up with big bright eyes, the same kind as Rafaela.
"These kind of parties when the whole village comes out and celebrates, they always come here because of mum's cooking." An eighteen year old boy came up to them carrying a large present, "what is he doing?" she gasped.
"Hey Rafaela Banana Manana," the boy had black hair and he smiled brightly holding out the present, "a gift for my favourite girl." Rafaela stared warily at the box, "and I didn't booby trap it or nothing."
She undid the ribbon and took the lid off the box and stared at the wooden sculpture. It was of a sculpture of her in a wonderful flowing dress, she was posing, that was one thing she noticed and the other was that she looked far more feminine than she acted. "My breasts aren't that big, I'm posing and I'm wearing a dress."
"Yea, well you should more often," the boy smiled coyly at her and then opened the lid of the box so she could place it back in, "do you like it?" he asked.
"Love it, thanks Ramiel," the grey eyed girl grasped him in a tight hug and pulled something from her pocket, "for you're childish ways I found that you might enjoy this." She handed him a little box in which held a finger toy. His stared at it confused but Rafaela just placed his index finger of his right hand in one side and the other index finger in the other. He gasped and pulled but his fingers were stuck. "You look like an idiot squirming around like that."
He glared at her and walked off mumbled, "that wasn't very nice," Mesi said but her eyes deceived her.
"Oh well, who said I was nice?" Rafaela smiled and then pulled her sister onto the dance floor and twirled her. The many people cheered and screamed out as they watched the two girls twirling happily about in time with the music, it was only early evening and the festivities were still running. Rafaela suddenly stopped in a mid spin and stared at the dark haired man that was staring at her from a distance. "Amir," she gasped, her father was there, standing tall and proud behind a crowd of villagers that seemed to dislike him.
Walking as in a trance she made her way to the dark haired man, Mesi was crying out to her, confused as to why she suddenly left. Marianna, also noticed that Rafaela had suddenly disappeared, watching her with serious eyes she saw her only daughter met up with a man – one that had hurt her and Rafaela.
"What are you doing here?" Rafaela hissed her greys eyes glinted angrily. Unconsciously her hands were balled into tight fists, "what are you doing here? Get back to your wife, it's Christmas for chirssake leave us alone!"
"Is that any way to talk to your father Aela?" the orange haired man said seriously.
"Don't you call me Aela, it's only a name reserved for friends! And you are no father of mine!" Rafaela glared at him and stood back straight, a look of utter confidence lighting up her features.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that ever again Rafaela," Amir growled.
"You're not wanted here Amir," Marianna appeared beside her daughter and stared sternly at her ex-husband.
"Yea," Rafaela added in childish.
"Rafaela leave us," Marianna snapped. Rafaela, knowing that no way would she be able to stay with her father being a strict 'bastard' (in Rafaela's words) and her mother's (all of a sudden bitchy) mood she walked off in a huff.
She watched from a safe distance and had even climbed through her bedroom window to listen at the door to the lounge. "…you saw her on the TV, acting like a fool! What do you think you were doing allowing her to go all the way to America?" Amir shouted.
"I was allowing her to live her dream!" Marianna replied, Rafaela could imagine her mother give a hard shove to her 'father'.
"And she still made herself look like a fool! I want her to come home with me."
"I will not allow you to take my daughter away from me, she hates you, and you would have no power over her!"
"I can control my daughter like I can control Mesi."
"Rafaela is soon to be eighteen and after that she can leave, you don't even care about her!" By now Rafaela was biting her lip so hard it was close to drawing blood, her grey eyes, cloudy as she thought of her mother's words and her father's words. "…or else you wouldn't have left us to go with another woman!"
"She is coming with me and that is final!"
"It is not! It isn't!" Rafaela cried standing in the doorway and glaring at her father, "you are not going to take me anywhere! I am going to Italy in a few days and I am going to compete in this tournament and no one will stop me!" Tears were falling like a river from her eyes, with a final look at her parents she ran into her room and locked her door to begin packing, "and I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm sure Josie wouldn't mind if I came early!"
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Great Christmas she's having eh? Ah well poor Rafaela, sorry for the dramatics and drama but I thought I'd do a history sort of thing you know, what's it like at Rafaela's household and such. I'm doing it for each of the characters, so you all better be looking forward to it!
Anyway sorry about the lateness but school started and year eleven sucks ass. I have no one in my homeroom and those that I do I don't talk to because their assholes of the school and everything. I have tons of homework, stupid VCE year, I'm doing all tough subjects and my physics teach is an absolute IDIOT! He doesn't teach us jack shit and argh…I'd be here all day explaining. Anyway I got holidays soon because of Commonwealth games – like anyone really cares but hey four weeks off that's alright.
