Post by Katelyn De La Vega on Nov 27, 2024 17:25:55 GMT -5
Ever since the closure of multiple Red Lobster restaurants across the country due to corporate mismanagement that cost her mother, Elizabeth De La Vega, her gainful employment as a manager for the company, her parents have been living with her and Ezra in their shared apartment. Life had been a bit more difficult, but Kate was away most of the time, allowing her a reprieve from her overbearing mother.
Often she acquiesced to their needs rather than get into prolonged arguments, often find herself answering to Ezra afterwards as he wondered why she took their abuse and manipulation. Her response was always the same, “This is a temporary arrangement, they will be gone soon.”
Months passed by and soon could not come soon enough, but again, Kate’s kind nature was taken advantage of by her manipulative, gaslighting mother. Her father, Carlos De La Vega, stayed quiet for the most part and played video games in front of the TV. He had lost both of his legs and suffered severe spinal injuries due to an IED in the Gulf War and was medically discharged with benefits. Often it was sympathy for him that kept her from really putting her foot down against her mother.
Friction grew between her and Ezra as a result of this. He began spending more time away from the apartment, leaving her to often deal with the misery alone. Eventually the month of November would come along and Katelyn would find herself in the grip of election fever, staying up late, watching the votes tally up. She voted Democratic, choosing a reasonable, level-headed leader over a choice that she saw would lead to absolute tyranny.
Her father snores softly, asleep in his recliner as Kate sits on the edge of her seat, staring into the screen intensely, seeing the bar grow more red and less blue with each passing minute. She mentally begged and pleaded for Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump, remembering how difficult things were when she was still in high school when he was last president. Then the unthinkable happened, the election was called as Mr. Trump reached the necessary two hundred and seventy electoral votes. He had won.
Her heart lumped in her throat, staring in disbelief at the screen. How could this be? How could the righteous fail so hideously against someone who is clearly the antithesis of truth and justice? How could the system fail her.
“Good,” she heard a familiar voice to her left say.
Slowly she cast a pained, anguished gaze towards the source of that word, her mother, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.
“Excuse me?” Kate asked, her voice cracked from her rapidly tightening throat.
“Good, I said,” replied Elizabeth with a smirk.
“He’ll do great things for this country and do what Biden was unwilling to do.”
Kate rose from her seat, far taller than her mother, staring her directly in the eyes now. The betrayal was overwhelming. She was dismayed and hurt by this woman, asking herself so many questions all at once and she voiced them, unable to hold back any longer.
“How could you?” Kate asked, then repeated in a demanding tone, “HOW COULD YOU?!”
Elizabeth took a step back from her daughter, suddenly afraid of her for the very first time.
“I did what was right for America, for us! You’ll see when prices start dropping and jobs open up once again.”
“You ignorant, stupid, fucking bitch,” came the cold response from Katelyn.
“HOW DARE YOU! I AM YOUR MOTHER, YOU WILL RES-”
“SHUT UP!” Katelyn roars back, cutting her off, “No real mother would ever vote against the rights of her daughter. You don’t understand what you’ve done! You chose the antithesis of human rights, free will, and liberty over your own flesh and blood! You stupid, selfish, arrogant… BITCH!”
Elizabeth backs away into the kitchen, her hands held up defensively, fear in her eyes, as Kate steps forward, face tense and flushed as she trembles with a lifetime of pent up rage against someone who’d always oppressed her free will.
“Honey, sweetheart, it’s just politics! Nothing more! Why would you choose politics over family?” the mother asks her daughter through trembling lips, tears in her terrified eyes.
“It’s not a difference in politics and opinions that’ve landed us here, but a difference in morales, ‘mother’ dearest,” Kate replies through clenched teeth.
Meanwhile from the other room, she hears her father.
“What’s wrong?” he asks loudly.
“Mother voted against mine and your rights, father,” came Kate’s tense response.
“Elizabeth, you didn’t….” he replies.
“Yes I did! It’s for the good of our country! We need a strong hand to guide it!” Elizabeth tells him through Kate.
“Oh my god, he won again?! AGAIN?!” sounded his voice once more as he realizes what is on the TV.
Kate takes a deep breath, steeling herself before finally looking her mother in the eyes, bending forward slightly to directly meet her gaze.
“Get out of my house,” she demands in a cool, calm voice.
“What?” Elizabeth replies in shock.
“Gather everything you own, pack your bags and get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House. Elizabeth,” Katelyn says even more forcefully.
“But I’m your mother! I raised you!”
“My mother is dead. Leave. NOW!” Kate finally barks.
Elizabeth quickly stammers away, bursting into uncontrollable sobbing as she rushes into the bedroom. Kate goes back into the living room to see her father looking at her with tearful eyes. His shoulders slump and his head lowers.
“I’m so sorry, Katey. I didn’t know. I never thought she’d ever vote for Trump,” he says softly.
She moves over to her father and leans down to hug him.
“It’s ok, Dad,” she tells him, tears flowing freely down her face.
“All your life, I just wanted what was best for you. I failed,” he admitted painfully.
The tender moment is interrupted by Elizabeth storming into the room with a rolling suitcase in one hand and a duffle bag over her shoulder, a seething, hurt glare cast towards her daughter and husband.
“So you’re just going to let her throw me out!” the mother says in indignation.
Carlos looks at her with the saddest look in his eye, then sighs and responds, “Yes.”
“Fine! I’ll see you in court, Carlos! I want a divorce!” she says, pulling her wedding ring off and flinging it to the floor.
Kate rises from her father, remaining quiet as she watches her mother storm out of the apartment.
“The love had been gone a long time,” her father finally says, then adds, “She was a different person after I got hurt and I just disappeared into video games to cope with that.”
Kate walks over and picks up the ring, bringing it to her father. He puts his hand up and shakes his head.
“Take it to the pawn shop. You might get a couple bucks for it.”
His daughter nods her head and places it on the coffee table.
“I’m going to bed,” Kate says, emotionally exhausted.
“Goodnight,” Carlos responds, but by then, Kate has already disappeared into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed from the emotional exhaustion.
Sleep did not come easily for her, but mercifully, it would overtake her and she would dream of a better world, one far superior to the one she found herself in currently. A shame that it wasn’t her awakening from the living nightmare to a better reality, but such is life. C’est la vie.
Often she acquiesced to their needs rather than get into prolonged arguments, often find herself answering to Ezra afterwards as he wondered why she took their abuse and manipulation. Her response was always the same, “This is a temporary arrangement, they will be gone soon.”
Months passed by and soon could not come soon enough, but again, Kate’s kind nature was taken advantage of by her manipulative, gaslighting mother. Her father, Carlos De La Vega, stayed quiet for the most part and played video games in front of the TV. He had lost both of his legs and suffered severe spinal injuries due to an IED in the Gulf War and was medically discharged with benefits. Often it was sympathy for him that kept her from really putting her foot down against her mother.
Friction grew between her and Ezra as a result of this. He began spending more time away from the apartment, leaving her to often deal with the misery alone. Eventually the month of November would come along and Katelyn would find herself in the grip of election fever, staying up late, watching the votes tally up. She voted Democratic, choosing a reasonable, level-headed leader over a choice that she saw would lead to absolute tyranny.
Her father snores softly, asleep in his recliner as Kate sits on the edge of her seat, staring into the screen intensely, seeing the bar grow more red and less blue with each passing minute. She mentally begged and pleaded for Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump, remembering how difficult things were when she was still in high school when he was last president. Then the unthinkable happened, the election was called as Mr. Trump reached the necessary two hundred and seventy electoral votes. He had won.
Her heart lumped in her throat, staring in disbelief at the screen. How could this be? How could the righteous fail so hideously against someone who is clearly the antithesis of truth and justice? How could the system fail her.
“Good,” she heard a familiar voice to her left say.
Slowly she cast a pained, anguished gaze towards the source of that word, her mother, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.
“Excuse me?” Kate asked, her voice cracked from her rapidly tightening throat.
“Good, I said,” replied Elizabeth with a smirk.
“He’ll do great things for this country and do what Biden was unwilling to do.”
Kate rose from her seat, far taller than her mother, staring her directly in the eyes now. The betrayal was overwhelming. She was dismayed and hurt by this woman, asking herself so many questions all at once and she voiced them, unable to hold back any longer.
“How could you?” Kate asked, then repeated in a demanding tone, “HOW COULD YOU?!”
Elizabeth took a step back from her daughter, suddenly afraid of her for the very first time.
“I did what was right for America, for us! You’ll see when prices start dropping and jobs open up once again.”
“You ignorant, stupid, fucking bitch,” came the cold response from Katelyn.
“HOW DARE YOU! I AM YOUR MOTHER, YOU WILL RES-”
“SHUT UP!” Katelyn roars back, cutting her off, “No real mother would ever vote against the rights of her daughter. You don’t understand what you’ve done! You chose the antithesis of human rights, free will, and liberty over your own flesh and blood! You stupid, selfish, arrogant… BITCH!”
Elizabeth backs away into the kitchen, her hands held up defensively, fear in her eyes, as Kate steps forward, face tense and flushed as she trembles with a lifetime of pent up rage against someone who’d always oppressed her free will.
“Honey, sweetheart, it’s just politics! Nothing more! Why would you choose politics over family?” the mother asks her daughter through trembling lips, tears in her terrified eyes.
“It’s not a difference in politics and opinions that’ve landed us here, but a difference in morales, ‘mother’ dearest,” Kate replies through clenched teeth.
Meanwhile from the other room, she hears her father.
“What’s wrong?” he asks loudly.
“Mother voted against mine and your rights, father,” came Kate’s tense response.
“Elizabeth, you didn’t….” he replies.
“Yes I did! It’s for the good of our country! We need a strong hand to guide it!” Elizabeth tells him through Kate.
“Oh my god, he won again?! AGAIN?!” sounded his voice once more as he realizes what is on the TV.
Kate takes a deep breath, steeling herself before finally looking her mother in the eyes, bending forward slightly to directly meet her gaze.
“Get out of my house,” she demands in a cool, calm voice.
“What?” Elizabeth replies in shock.
“Gather everything you own, pack your bags and get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House. Elizabeth,” Katelyn says even more forcefully.
“But I’m your mother! I raised you!”
“My mother is dead. Leave. NOW!” Kate finally barks.
Elizabeth quickly stammers away, bursting into uncontrollable sobbing as she rushes into the bedroom. Kate goes back into the living room to see her father looking at her with tearful eyes. His shoulders slump and his head lowers.
“I’m so sorry, Katey. I didn’t know. I never thought she’d ever vote for Trump,” he says softly.
She moves over to her father and leans down to hug him.
“It’s ok, Dad,” she tells him, tears flowing freely down her face.
“All your life, I just wanted what was best for you. I failed,” he admitted painfully.
The tender moment is interrupted by Elizabeth storming into the room with a rolling suitcase in one hand and a duffle bag over her shoulder, a seething, hurt glare cast towards her daughter and husband.
“So you’re just going to let her throw me out!” the mother says in indignation.
Carlos looks at her with the saddest look in his eye, then sighs and responds, “Yes.”
“Fine! I’ll see you in court, Carlos! I want a divorce!” she says, pulling her wedding ring off and flinging it to the floor.
Kate rises from her father, remaining quiet as she watches her mother storm out of the apartment.
“The love had been gone a long time,” her father finally says, then adds, “She was a different person after I got hurt and I just disappeared into video games to cope with that.”
Kate walks over and picks up the ring, bringing it to her father. He puts his hand up and shakes his head.
“Take it to the pawn shop. You might get a couple bucks for it.”
His daughter nods her head and places it on the coffee table.
“I’m going to bed,” Kate says, emotionally exhausted.
“Goodnight,” Carlos responds, but by then, Kate has already disappeared into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed from the emotional exhaustion.
Sleep did not come easily for her, but mercifully, it would overtake her and she would dream of a better world, one far superior to the one she found herself in currently. A shame that it wasn’t her awakening from the living nightmare to a better reality, but such is life. C’est la vie.