Status: I'm going to try this and see if it works out.
Fine
002.
Penelope goes to a school fifteen minutes away. And until this year, the ride was a pleasure.
"What classes do you have today?" I asked, watching as Penelope rolled her eyes at me.
My hands gripped the steering wheel a little bit harder, my knuckles going white from the sudden pressure.
"Is it really such a chore to tell me your class schedule?" I asked, struggling to contain my frustration with her.
"I don't want to talk!" She yelled. I immediately put my turn signal on and swerved off the road and into the parking lot of an abandoned strip mall.
I turned to face her, my expression calm, but inside, a burning pit of rage.
"I want to know what the fuck is wrong with you, Penelope. I want to know why you won't tell me anything when you used to tell me everything. But most of all, I want to help you and you keep telling me that you're fine, but that's obviously not true," I inquired, my words firm.
She didn't react. She just stared at me, her eyes void of any emotion.
After ten seconds, she was still silent. I focused on her face, looking for any sign of life. It was as though I was speaking to a stranger.
"I have to go to school," She stated, her tone steely. I shook my head.
"We're not leaving this spot until you speak to me."
Penelope crossed her arms over her chest and remained mute. And after another long bout of silence, I made the decision to do something that I had vowed I would never do as a parent.
"You have to go to school, but be prepared to continue this later on," I warned her before speeding out of the parking lot.
------------------------------------------
"Do you really think that you should be doing this?" Tré asked, restlessly. We were standing in Penelope's room, my eyes darting from object to object, wishing desperately that it didn't have to come down to this.
"Tré, what other options do I have? There is something up with her and I think she could be in danger. And if she truly is in danger, than I would rather betray her trust than sit around, unaware of what is happening in her life and being unable to help her through it," I replied before drifting over to her bedside table.
"I mean, I get why you're doing it. But what if you don't find anything?"
I shrugged as I opened the drawer of the table.
"If I can't find anything, then whatever. I'll come up with another plan. But this is the only option right now. And I don't care what Billie says, I am not waiting around for something bad to happen," I answered, as I searched in every crevice of the drawer.
I found stationary and cheap jewelry, but nothing questionable.
I stood up and scanned the rest of the room, trying to figure out where else to look.
"Help me flip the mattress," I demanded, my fingers already hooked in between the mattress and the bed frame. Tré sighed before walking to the other side of the bed. He looked guilty, like a puppy that just got reprimanded for soiling the carpet.
"I don't like being an accessory to this," He admitted. I shook my head before flipping the mattress over.
"Let's not overreact to this. I'm not asking you to help me put a body into a shallow grave. I'm asking you to flip a-"
I was interrupted by the sound of Penelope's diary hitting the floor. Tré looked up at me, waiting anxiously to see if I was going to pick it up.
I crouched down, my fingers grazing over the velvet cover.
I wanted to put it back under the mattress, leave a single shred of respect for my daughter's privacy. But when I thought about all of the possible explanations for her sudden change in personality, I realized that I had no choice.
"Are you sure about this?"
I nodded before going straight to the back of the book. I was afraid of what I might find out about Penelope and waited a few seconds to prepare myself for any surprises.
Then, I began to read.
"What classes do you have today?" I asked, watching as Penelope rolled her eyes at me.
My hands gripped the steering wheel a little bit harder, my knuckles going white from the sudden pressure.
"Is it really such a chore to tell me your class schedule?" I asked, struggling to contain my frustration with her.
"I don't want to talk!" She yelled. I immediately put my turn signal on and swerved off the road and into the parking lot of an abandoned strip mall.
I turned to face her, my expression calm, but inside, a burning pit of rage.
"I want to know what the fuck is wrong with you, Penelope. I want to know why you won't tell me anything when you used to tell me everything. But most of all, I want to help you and you keep telling me that you're fine, but that's obviously not true," I inquired, my words firm.
She didn't react. She just stared at me, her eyes void of any emotion.
After ten seconds, she was still silent. I focused on her face, looking for any sign of life. It was as though I was speaking to a stranger.
"I have to go to school," She stated, her tone steely. I shook my head.
"We're not leaving this spot until you speak to me."
Penelope crossed her arms over her chest and remained mute. And after another long bout of silence, I made the decision to do something that I had vowed I would never do as a parent.
"You have to go to school, but be prepared to continue this later on," I warned her before speeding out of the parking lot.
------------------------------------------
"Do you really think that you should be doing this?" Tré asked, restlessly. We were standing in Penelope's room, my eyes darting from object to object, wishing desperately that it didn't have to come down to this.
"Tré, what other options do I have? There is something up with her and I think she could be in danger. And if she truly is in danger, than I would rather betray her trust than sit around, unaware of what is happening in her life and being unable to help her through it," I replied before drifting over to her bedside table.
"I mean, I get why you're doing it. But what if you don't find anything?"
I shrugged as I opened the drawer of the table.
"If I can't find anything, then whatever. I'll come up with another plan. But this is the only option right now. And I don't care what Billie says, I am not waiting around for something bad to happen," I answered, as I searched in every crevice of the drawer.
I found stationary and cheap jewelry, but nothing questionable.
I stood up and scanned the rest of the room, trying to figure out where else to look.
"Help me flip the mattress," I demanded, my fingers already hooked in between the mattress and the bed frame. Tré sighed before walking to the other side of the bed. He looked guilty, like a puppy that just got reprimanded for soiling the carpet.
"I don't like being an accessory to this," He admitted. I shook my head before flipping the mattress over.
"Let's not overreact to this. I'm not asking you to help me put a body into a shallow grave. I'm asking you to flip a-"
I was interrupted by the sound of Penelope's diary hitting the floor. Tré looked up at me, waiting anxiously to see if I was going to pick it up.
I crouched down, my fingers grazing over the velvet cover.
I wanted to put it back under the mattress, leave a single shred of respect for my daughter's privacy. But when I thought about all of the possible explanations for her sudden change in personality, I realized that I had no choice.
"Are you sure about this?"
I nodded before going straight to the back of the book. I was afraid of what I might find out about Penelope and waited a few seconds to prepare myself for any surprises.
Then, I began to read.