Getting by (A Knight's Tale)

Getting by (A Knight's Tale) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Book: Getting by (A Knight's Tale) Read Online Free PDF
Author: Claudia Y. Burgoa
proud of me, Mom?” I asked out loud, but no one answered. The room was empty.
    My sister and I were a disgrace. Not that I got along with Chloe after our parents’ deaths. “You two are sisters, best friends for life,” Mom had repeated a thousand times when we fought at a young age, but we didn’t learn much from her lectures.
    “Oh, mother, you lived in wonderland, when you left I crashed and burned so bad; I can’t stand up straight.” Mom never answered my questions, nor did she defend herself against my fury.
    Anna remained silent, the same way she’d done for the past several years. I was her artist, her “sensible soul,” she proudly told anyone that would listen. While growing up, I believed her. My aspirations ranged between being a painter and a sculptor. But the only art I did these days was to promote my clients’ products. I wrote slogans and catch phrases to accompany them. I worked with art software but never allowed myself to touch a pencil or a sketchbook. Dad would be proud of who I became.
    “Anna, stop filling her head with nonsense,” he had repeated constantly. “She needs to grow up.”
    Mom had an art degree from the University of New Haven, and a teaching degree from Stanford. She moved from the East coast to California in search of greener grass and warmer winters. My parents met at a coffee shop. It was love at first sight. They dated for a few weeks before he proposed. Truth be told, the marriage happened due to Chloe’s unsolicited presence inside Mom’s womb. Oops.
    Dad, the financial guru who played with other people’s money for a living, would shut his mouth and leave the room defeated. But not before giving me his usual two words. “Independent” and “self-reliant”.
    Mom passed on to me her artistic abilities, and I perfected them. During Chloe’s early years she only practiced finger painting and enjoyed doing silly animal pictures with her fingerprints. It was when I began to show promise that she retook her gift and taught me all the techniques she knew, initiating me at the tender age of two. Dad didn’t think much of it at the beginning and transformed the guest room into a studio—for her. Though when I became fixated with my art, he regretted giving me the space, and he had tried to take not only the studio, but my love for it away.
    He’d be happy the artsy girl had gone away and made room for a creative director. I was independent and self-reliant. No one came between me and my job. I didn’t need anyone—financially or emotionally. I grew up fast after their deaths and tried not to look back into what once was my life. My only escape from reality was writing scenes where Mom saved the day. She came out alive, the illusion that she never died.

Chapter 5
    Jake
    I CRACKED MY NECK for a second time. Five hours flying a plane and another driving, wore me out, but there was no one else to blame but my need for control. Mitch offered to drive from the airport to the small town in California. Part of me begged to accept, but my freaking controlling disorder overpowered the exhaustion. Mom and Dad flew a couple of days earlier, to meet the parents and family of the bride to be. My cousin was getting married to a tiny but loud firecracker, who pulled together most of our resources and spent our money, to create the perfect wedding in under three months. Poor bastard, he got sucked into the married life. Though my brothers and I abstained from commenting and supported him—like Mom told us.
    Mom, the general of the house hold—Queen of the Knight family, expected us to be on our best behavior and join all the wedding activities—without any complaints. The tiger Moms in the world had nothing on mine. The woman raised three boys, copyrighted the term and wrote the guidelines everyone should abide by on how to raise the perfect children. My head pounded and I disregarded Mom’s nagging. My body demanded a shower and a couple of aspirins. I pulled into the Asian
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