Homecoming story part 4
The Sharp Dressed Man
Telling Mom anything was like reaching that boss battle you know you were going to get annihilated on. Items were low, equipment was insufficient, and there was no going back before that last save point.
At this point, I had to do what needed to be done. I needed an outfit and I didn't have the money.
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"Mama." I went into the living room where she was sitting and enjoying one of her Mexican Novelas on TV. Pebbles decided to sit down and pretend she was watching it with her when she was actually just being nosey.
I knew better than to interrupt the novelas, so I just sat there and watched it with them until there was a commercial break.
Finally, my mom had shifted her attention from the TV to me. She always had a serious look on her face that would even make the devil confess to her. "Que quieres, Mijo?" (What do you want, son?)
Mom's English was very broken as it was not her first language. At home, we would mostly speak Spanish or Spanglish. That's a mix of both English and Spanish. You would be speaking Spanish and randomly throw in some English words, then all of a sudden you are speaking English and throwing in random Spanish words, and the cycle continues.
It was like someone messing around and randomly pressing the SAP button on the remote during a show.
(For the sake of telling this part, I'll tell it in Spanglish)
Before I was able to say anything, my sister abruptly said it out loud. "Mom. Did you know Alfie is going to homecoming?"
My mom whipped her head toward my sister and then back to me. "What do you mean homecoming?
I was nodding nervously. "You know. Homecoming. It's a school dance."
Mom sucked her teeth. To many Latinos, making that iconic sound was a way of saying "Bullshit".
"With a chavala?(Bratty Girl)You don't have time to be chasing around Chavalitas (little bratty girls) with your grades."
I rolled my eyes." Ay Mom. It's not like that. She's just a friend."
"And do I know this friend?" She sat up on the sofa. Whenever she sits like that, she gets very serious. "What's her name?"
I was starting to feel the heat from her glaring. If I made direct eye contact, I would most likely become petrified or spontaneously combust.
"No, you don't know her. Her name's Lilly?"
"LILLY!?" My mom was thrown back. "Is she a guerita (little white/blonde girl)?"
I nodded."Yeah."
Mom stiffened her lips tightly. I could tell she didn't like it.
You see, my mom grew up in a time when blacks and Latinos were heavily discriminated against by white people. She never had a good experience with them and has a traumatic and emotional scar from it.
Mom crossed her legs and arms. "Ok. And what is it you want?"
"I just need an outfit." I started making gestures at the clothes I was wearing. "A nice shirt and tie. Maybe something Formal."
"And you think I'm made out of money?" Mom let out a small single giggle.
I knew she had already made up her mind and won this battle, no matter what I said.
"Well, no."
"Then you can't go." She quickly responded without hesitation.
Out of desperation, I raised my voice to her. "BUT I ALREADY BOUGHT THE TICKETS!"
My sister's jaw dropped and stared at me in disbelief.
Did I seriously just raise my voice AND lie to my mom's face?
"Then ask your dad this weekend. Eh. I don't have money for you to be wasting it on some chavalita(little bratty girl)." She was shaking and there was some low growling. She was in disagreement with the whole thing.
My fists clenched tightly, but I remained quiet and did not speak another word. I hate it when Mom gets like this. My only escape was to go straight to my room and shut the door. At least here, I can avoid saying something I'll regret while getting some progress on Final Fantasy 7.
I don't know if it was all the bitterness built up from the divorce with my dad or something else, but I felt my mom seemed extra adamant about keeping me away from being involved with anyone. It was like she was trying to keep me away from some kind of danger. I felt smothered and locked up in some cage.
I didn't need this level of overprotection.
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That weekend
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Because of the Divorce agreement, my dad would get my little brother and me for the weekend. When he left our house, he moved back in with my grandparents at the house he grew up in. Whenever I went to visit there, it was really to see my grandparents—not my dad. I looked up to my grandpa so much.
Their house was tiny, but cozy, with so many memories that were made there.
In the living room, they had these rustic couches from the early 80s that had earthy tones of brown and orange with floral designs. Their velvety texture made them extremely comfortable to lounge around, which is where I would usually be.
One thing that stuck out there—literally— was the big screen TV. This thing was massive and was my grandpa's pride and joy. It took 4 of us to move it around and place it where it needed to be. In order to properly have it in the living room without taking up so much space, my uncle cut a hole in the wall big enough to set it in.
This TV was literally in 2 rooms. Plugging anything into it—like my PlayStation— was a chore. I had to go into the spare room just to access the TV's AV ports.
When I had broken the news to my dad about homecoming with Lilly, it was the complete opposite reaction from what my mom had. He was so proud and was making it like I was on my way to becoming a man. Very Machismo.
Ugh. Why do parents have to be so damn weird?
My dad took me to a department store that had all kinds of clothes from casual to formal. I was definitely bound to find something there. The last time I actually wore anything remotely formal was during my sister's quinceñera. I've grown a bit since then and needed new slacks as well.
Looking through the endless racks to find my size was exhausting. Sizes for the big boys weren't as widely available and were limited. What I did manage to find was a white button-up shirt to start with. There just needed to be more than a white shirt and black slacks. That would look very basic and bland. I wanted to wear something to coordinate and complement what Lilly would be wearing, like a coat or a blazer with the same colors as hers.
The more I searched, the more it became overwhelming. There was nothing I could find like that.
*Sigh* I guess I have to settle for a boring tie.
While strolling around and skimming the accessories section, I found something that could work. A vest of a deep red, the color of wine, with a matching tie in a clear plastic box. It was the only one there, and it was just my size. Call it a moment of fate, but I wasted no time in grabbing it. It would have been stupid not to.
I took my findings to the fitting room to see how the outfit would come together. After trying on the ensemble together, I didn't realize how sharp and confident I looked until I was standing before that triple mirror. I never owned a vest before, but this was really working with me. It was slimming too. Something I was always self-conscious about.
"Aver, Mijo." (let me see, son) My dad called into the fitting rooms.
I stepped out with a big smile on my face.
My dad nodded. "Is that the one?"
"Yeah. I like it a lot." I kept looking at myself from every angle.
Would I have ever picked something like this on my own without a reason? Probably not. But it is definitely making me start to reconsider more outfits like this. It was showing me how much confidence an outfit can give.
Wardrobe.... Check!