Danitza POV
After the call with Sanika and Dacari, I started packing up my things to carry with me to Evercrest. My mother wasn't a fan of the idea of me dorming, but after explaining that it would be cheaper for me to dorm than to keep making the constant transportation, she agreed.
"Marie, have you seen my laptop? I don't know where I left it." I asked my mother. I didn't call her "mother," "mommy," or "mum." I know it might be weird because she is my real mother, but I remember when I was little and trying to get in the habit of calling her mommy, and she sternly told me that 'mommy' is not on her birth certificate. Funny, right? So, from that day onward, I called her by her name. Don't get me wrong, the respect is still there.
"The last time I saw it, it was on the kitchen table. Check there." Marie answered. "Okay, thank you." I can't believe that I am leaving my home. I guess we all have to do it at some point in our lives, I just didn't expect to move out so early. I'm just 19, after all, and I am so going to miss Marie's cooking.
"Dani, sweetie, are you positive you want to go to the dorm? I mean, I am still not comfortable just letting my baby girl go and live on her own, you know, and there are so many things you don't know how to do for yourself. You won't be able to survive a week." Well, that didn't hurt at all, but that's Marie for you, a brutal force with her words.
Marie is a really beautiful woman, and no, I am not just saying that because she is my mother. She is barely even 5'3, with her curvy figure and jet-black hair just above her shoulders. She is darker than I am, a real melanin individual. Marie is 50 years old, and let me tell you, at first glance, you would believe she is in her late 30s.
"Marie, I am going to be fine. I am going to call you guys every night before bed and keep you up to date. Plus, if there is anything I can't do, I can ask Sanika or learn to do it. You just need to have a little faith in me, okay?" I said to Marie as she continued to look at me with worry very evident in her eyes.
Tomorrow is the day that I will be leaving for Evercrest and starting another chapter in my life. I hope it will be fun and a little educational, you know. I need to finish packing up so that I can go to bed.
I head to my room as Marie is finishing up dinner, it will be my last meal at my home. I sat on the small bed that I had since I was about 10; it never changed, and because I am basically a midget, my parents didn't see the need to change it.
I looked around my now-empty room and saw the suitcase and boxes on the floor, and the realization started hinting at me really hard. I let out a sigh. I don't know if it was for relief, frustration, or nervousness.
I am very happy that I was even accepted into a university, but I would be lying if I said I was excited. I didn't want to have to go to university because I am slightly unsure of what I want to do or even become. I chose hospitality and tourism because I love to eat, and I was basically forced into the kitchen from a very early age. I just really didn't want to be a disappointment like my brother and sister. I felt like my parents' last hope, I felt responsible for making them sacrifice so much, and I wanted to at least make them proud.
As I was getting lost in thought, my phone started ringing. My family might be poor, but I have an iPhone 13. I know it's not the latest model, but it works for me. I checked the caller ID, and it's Jadira's call. Finally.
"Hey, you okay, J?' I answered my phone. "I'm okay, Danitza. Sorry, I missed your call earlier. I was a bit busy."
"Oh, we were just talking about University and all. Did you get into Evercrest?" I ask. I'm not gonna lie, I was quite curious. Jadira has a plan for her life; it's something I've always admired and envied. She knows exactly what she wants to do and become.
"I didn't apply for any." She said casually.
Excuse me, what? I can't believe my ears. The silence stretched across the line for a good minute.
"Jadira. Are you joking right now? Tell me so that I can laugh, please. You can't just say that without an explanation!" I cannot believe she just said that, so casually, at that! I am beyond shocked.
"Dani, I just didn't want to go through with the uni thing anymore. If I am being honest, it wasn't my plan; it was my dad's, and he was just peer pressuring me into something that I didn't want to do. So I didn't apply to any universities to piss him off." Jadira vented out. Iknew that she and her father didn't have the best father-daughter relationship, but damn.
"Okay, J, I understand, but may I ask what you are going to do now? Are you planning on working?" I asked sincerely because she can't just stay home and do nothing.
"Yeah, I will be doing an internship at my mother's company. She said that I could for the meantime until I figure out what I wanted to do."
"Well, that sounds like a solid plan, so, you know what that means, right?" I asked with a little chuckle.
"What?" Jadira asked, confused. I laughed, "You, my pretty little butterfly, can be sugar mommy!" I said to Jadira while laughing my ass off.
After about 30 minutes on the phone with Jadira, we finally hung up and said our goodbyes. I must say I am proud of Jadira for knowing and standing up for what she really wants.
"DANIIII!" Marie shouted. "Your food is getting cold, and your father is home."
"Okay." I sat up in my bed and went into the kitchen.
"Goodnight, Anthony." I greeted my father, yes, I called him by his name as well. He just glanced up and nodded. Let's just say I am not my father's favorite person. Why? I have no Idea.
"Anthony, will you be able to carry me to Evercrest tomorrow, please?" I asked my father, hoping he's in a good enough mood to say yes.
"Can't you call an Uber? I'm not a taxi." He whispered. Yeah, but you are a father, my father.
"I have a lot of luggage, I just thought it would be easier, you know." I tried convincing him. I really didn't want to call an Uber because more than likely I would have to pay, and I am saving money.
"Luggage? Are you moving out or something?" Anthony asked me. Should I really answer that question? I am pretty sure that I talked to him about me dorming at Evercrest.
"Umm, Anthony, I am dorming at Evercrest, remember?" "Ohhh, yeah, I remember. So, you want me to ship you off? Why didn't you lead with that? Sure, I will drop you off! How long will you be there for?"
That's my father for you. He made it very obvious he didn't like me; my mother always said that when she was pregnant with me, Anthony wanted a boy, and for some reason, the sonographer said that I was a boy. So you can only imagine the disappointment when I popped out of my mother's vagina, and I, myself, have a vagina. Anthony did have a boy child with Marie. Anthony isn't my brother's father, so he always wanted his own son, but sadly, he has two girls.
I didn't even bother to answer Anthony; I just kept eating my mashed potatoes with BBQ wings. I don't think his mind can comprehend that he is hurting my feelings.
Dinner went by in silence. Anthony, Marie, and I finished our food, and I was tasked with doing the dishes. I don't mind, I actually enjoy doing the dishes for some odd reason. If you are wondering where my brother and sister are, well, my brother is a part of some wannabe rock band, and my sister moved out when she was 16 to live with her boyfriend, Scott.
I finished up with the dishes and headed to my room. Once in my room, I stripped out of my clothes, gathered my bathing apparatus, and headed to the bathroom in my Elsa towel. Don't judge me, I'm a Frozen fan. We only have one bathroom in the house, so sharing is required, and we can't leave our bathing products in there for obvious reasons.
I am a cold water girl; I don't like bathing in hot water. I hung my Elsa towel on the rack, I stepped straight into the shower, and instantly relaxed under the cold water. I let the water pelt my body before reaching for my Dove body wash. I showered away all of my stress, anxiety, and worry.
As I am finishing up my shower, a thought came to me. What if I am not successful? And I just amount to a failure... Then I will definitely become a criminal.