Break Me

Ultimatums

Emilia woke up to loud talking. Moving slowly to her door, she listened to her father yelling at her mother. "It makes no sense! She should be glad!" Emilia winced now knowing her father was talking about her. Which was correct, Ernesto had accepted his daughter needing an extra day to decide what college courses she wanted to do from home. But it had been a week now, and she still hadn't picked anything. When he approached Pamela he expected his wife to add the natural motherly push to pick classes. But Pamela hadn't done so.

Instead she helped her daughter stall and was now paying the price. Under her husband's angry gaze she didn't let herself wilt even though she wanted to. "I don't think this is a good thing for her! Keeping her locked in this house! And obviously she doesn't either!" Ernesto scoffed, "This is bullshit! She doesn't get a say! Her future is to go to classes online, and when she stops pouting Javier is waiting for her." Emilia slowly made her way down the stairs and found her father scowling down at her small mother.

When Ernesto noticed Emilia walking into the room, he didn't bother to mince words for his youngest. "Listen here missy, you're on a good path! I won't let you ruin it when you're at the most critical part of your life! You will be picking your classes!" Ernesto slapped the same pamphlets he had given her on the table. He glared at his daughter and with a demanding tone commanded, "NOW!" Emilia looked at the pamphlets. She thought of the future she'd really be signing up for.

She'd be stuck forever if she did this.

Her entire college experience would be online classes and Saturday night binge watch feast with her mother. Envying her brothers as she discreetly heard them boasting about their lives. Whether it was f*****g some girl or going to someone's party for years or even hearing their own parents fondly talking about the mischief they had gotten into.

Julian, their eldest, had been f*****g his teacher. She was his age, a child prodigy and from what her father had boasted about, it had been a hot steamy couple of f***s. They met in secret and after he played football he'd go into her classroom to celebrate. Or on the rare occasion mourn a loss on the field. After a tongue lashing from his father he needed comfort where he could get it...

Roberto was a different story he was an artist and liked to put his art everywhere. At first he was anonymous but people sort of knew him now. He was tagged as the Phoenix, his art on every social website clung to it, after a glittery red and orange painted on a seven foot building had five hundred million likes on **, and Seven Million on f******k in one hour. It broke history and sparked a protest to have his work labeled as art not vandalism.

Ernesto didn't support his son's art, "I work my ass off for you to go to college and you waste it f*****g with paint." Roberto took a lot of s**t from his father. A lack of support, a lack of love, hell a lack of everything.

But Ernesto ended up being right about right thing, his art would land him in trouble.

And Emilia envied that. The room to breathe. To grow. To make mistakes.

Hell Ricardo has made the most. With his DUI, two month jail stent, having both matters expunged just so he could apply to law school. Having s*x with a girl no one can confirm was underage or not. Ricardo was the baddest. He had good looks and the money and lived a heart racing life.

Emilia wished to be apart of it. Any of it.

But no. Not her.

She'd be stuck in the house, raising Javier's children. She'd slave all day cleaning, ironing, and cooking. She'd then welcome the kids home from school and help with homework. Kiss Javier when he came home, serve dinner, and then clean up again. Bathe and put the kids to bed, before having one round s*x with Javier. Strictly missionary.

And that'd be it, her life from that moment on.

Emilia felt cold dread sweep through her. She'd lived her life in a bubble, for 18 years. She couldn't handle living like this any longer. "No." The world stopped at the word from the young adults mouth.

Pamela's jaw dropped as Ernesto jerked back in shock. "What did you say to me?"

Emilia shook her head, "I applied to colleges, Ivy League. I got in. I'm good enough to better than a house wife, some 50's cliche. I'm going." Ernesto looked at her in disgust, "NO! You will do these online classes and-." Emilia laughed bitterly, "And what? Marry Javier? I don't love him!" Ernesto scoffed, "Love? Love is what leaves people living in squalor, he is becoming a doctor. You'll be living a posh life without having to lift a finger."

Emilia sniffled, "I have lived in this house feeling like my soul is being sucked out every minute of every day. I don't have friends, or know anyone outside of this family and Javier. You've kept me isolated and coddled to the point where I don't have a life outside the front door. I want more out of life papa. More than the life you think I'm okay with settling for. I want to experience life just like you, momma, my brother's and everyone else had the chance to."

Ernesto stared at his daughter not even recognizing her. Emilia nodded in heavy acceptance. "Even if you won't accept it."

Emilia ran away upstairs and slammed her room door. Locking it, Emilia let out a ragged breath. Rushing into her bathroom, Emilia clumsily lifted the basin and grabbed her razors. Grabbing the first one she touched Emilia made two hasty slices on her arm.

Gasping and shuddering in panic, Emilia slowly started to think straight and made another line on her other arm. When her brain finally slowed down from it's erratic state, Emilia huffed and cleaned the razor, her fresh cuts, and bandaged herself up.

Cleaning up her mess, Emilia went into her room and laid down. The house was a still and silent place for days, Ernesto had tried to compromise with the local community college. But Emilia knew that wasn't enough. It was settling for better than nothing. She was done settling.

So she told him of the college in Ireland. She loved the Trinity College in Dublin, it was beautiful and she had a full academic ride for four years. Including a dorm on campus. Ernesto had blew a fuse.

"You pushing it girl! You're already talking nonsense and now you expect me to let you go halfway across the world?" Ernesto made a noise of disgust, "No you're going to stay close to home so me and Javier can protect you."

Emilia shook her head, "No, I'm going to Ireland. I wasn't asking you papa. This is my first decision not as your little girl but as young adult. I'm going, and you're not stopping me."

Silence.

Ernesto stood up and stormed up the stairs before slamming his door close. Roberto turned to his little sister, "Why would you do this sis? You know how he is over you!" Julian nodded, "Yeah sis, besides I don't think it's best for you to go that far away either. We won't be there to protect you, look after you." Emilia scowled, "Exactly. I want to learn how to do that for myself. I don't need to go through life depending on all of you to do everything for me!"

Ricardo c****d an eyebrow, "Javier?" Emilia looked down, "He knows how I feel." Which he did now. After basically explaining that she didn't like him or care for him in anyway, he had promptly hung up. Which caused another fight with her father.

Pamela nervously wrung her hands when her son's looked at her, "What do you think momma?" Roberto said seriously. Reminding her so much of his father...

"Sweetie...you're really upsetting your father with this. Maybe you shouldn't-." Emilia snorted, "You think I care about his little tantrum? I can have one too." Emilia shot up and sneered, "Although mines is better." Emilia stormed loudly upstairs and slammed her bedroom door even harder rattling the picture frames.

The four left at the table exchanged looks and could feel the crack in their family.

When breakfast rolled around the next morning, Emilia walked into the kitchen and saw her father. She started to turn right back around but he called to her. "Sit child." Emilia sighed and sat across from him. "Yes?" Papa looked her over, "So you want to be an adult huh? Fine. Go to the damn school over in never never land, go do the dumb s**t you think is so important." Emilia c****d an eyebrow as he scowled at her, "But if you do this, I won't be supporting you. If you get knocked up or strung out you're on your own up there. You better hope you come back home in time before Javier gets snatched up. He's a catch you dumbly let go."

Emilia fought to not roll her eyes. Javier was a heartbreaking womanizer. He was just a resident and soon to be a doctor. Emilia had him pegged to being a sleaze with a trophy wife while banging the entire nursing staff. "Yeah well, it's my life you've been driving papa. I want it back now."

Ernesto watched his little girl stand up and stalk off. He tried to believe she'd come crawling back. Out of all his children she was the one who had needed and depended on him most. There was no way she'd make it out there on her own.

Can she?