Chapter 11: Ten
I was so happy to make up with my best friend that I invited her to my home. It is true that Kat is the only friend who hasn't been to my home.
What she doesn't know is that I invited her with hopes that she'd invite me to her home down the line.
It just kept on bothering me what Jadine Turner said. About me not knowing anything of minority life. As much as I hate to admit it, Jadine's got a point. I'm not a minority because I'm caucasian so I'm considered part of the majority.
Personally though, I think Jadine has a tendency to be more than a little dramatic.
There was an instance in middle school when Maybelline called her a nigger. However, Kat and I set that to rights. Which is how Maybelline's hands got super glued to her desk. To this day, there was no evidence of who did that to her. One of our masterpieces.
Anyway, Jadine's dramatics makes me think she doesn't know me well enough. I know there's a wealth gap and pay inequality. I'm not an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand like Jadine made it out to be.
So yes, I'm determined to see Kat's life outside of school for myself. I just don't want to come off as too eager and then Kat just shuts herself down and doesn't want me to visit her home.
I got her to say yes to stop by my home on Friday. She and her cousin Hernando are coming with me on the late bus that day.
Right now, it's the day before Friday and I'm having dinner with my parents. We reached a lull in the conversation and we've all been eating quietly our meal. It was prepared by a Chef dad hired while we vacationed in Italy two winter's ago. His name is Felix and he has a mustache and resembles Luigi from the Mario Brothers.
The food we're all eating tonight is Fettuccine Alfredo and I've already spilt some of the Alfredo on my pants despite the dinner napkin in my lap. "Uhmmm. Ma? Dad?"
Both of them look up at me as I don't make it a habit to form their parental titles into a question. "Yes?" asks Mom as she puts her fork down and gives me her undivided attention. While Dad is looking at me, but still eating his Fettuccine.
"I'd like to invite my best friend Kat tomorrow if that's okay?"
Mom takes a sip of her wine as she says, "Kat is real? I thought she was an imaginary animal friend of yours; since I stopped hearing you mention Kat when you entered middle school."
"What? Seriously Ma?"
While she shrugged and continued to have her wine, dad dropped his fork. "Wait a minute...was Kat that little Hispanic girl who begged me to go easy on you after you got into a fight?"
I nodded and dad chuckled. "She's your best friend huh? I never heard you refer to Rhett that way."
"Rhett's my friend too Dad, but Kat has been my best friend since kindergarten." I glanced at my mom as I added, "And she's not imaginary. I never invited her here till now because she's the only friend I have that's a girl. I didn't want you getting the wrong idea Ma."
Mom laughed a bit longer than her sober self. "Too late. I've already gotten the wrong idea. There's a girl you've been keeping away from us for ten years. She sounds more than a best friend to me." Dad walks to my mom's side of the table and sips what's left of her wine.
"Shoog, I'm cuttin' you off." Then he looks at me as he says with a smile, "Of course you can invite her tomorrow. I'd like to meet my son's best friend."
I take a deep breath. "Ok, awesome. Oh, and she's bringing her cousin Hernando as well."
"So, she's Mexican," replies mom as she starts to eat again. "None of her family is illegal are they?"
"Of course not, Ma. Kat told me herself and her mom's from Colombia so...she's Colombian-American not Mexican-American." I see my mom's snort of derision before I hear it.
"Right, Kitrick. Because most girls are honest with their boyfriend's. I wasn't completely upfront with your father when we got engaged and you know what? Neither was he." Dad openly frowns at my mom's drunken truth. What he's frowning for I have no idea. My dad is the most honest man I know.
Dad gets up from his seat again and gently pulls mom up from her seat. "I think it would be good for you to retire, shoog. You're not making sense right now."
Mom gets out of dad's reach to hobble a few steps away from the table. "You're right. After what I discovered today I have been drinking too much for comfort." She waves at me and mumbles, "Good night, Kitrick."
By the time I say, "Good night, Ma" she's already out of sight. "Dad?"
"Yes, Kitrick?" he asks me in his stern voice. He uses that voice only when I'm in trouble. Still, I proceed with my question.
"What did Ma discover, Dad?"
Dad looks down at his plate as he says, "I have no idea what she's talking about right now, Kitrick. However, the moment I find out, your mom and I will sit you down and speak about it if the situation is serious enough. Okay?" It scares me that my dad doesn't know the issue because he usually knows more than even me.
Still, I can't help but smile. Despite the abrupt and awkward end to our family dinner, my parents said it was okay for Kat to come. I can't wait to cream Hernando at Tennis. It's the one sport aside from badminton that my hand eye coordination is strongest.
Why did I take so long to ask them when I could've told them on Monday? Well, I was too chicken shit till now to do it.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone