Anti-chalet

So I finally wake up around 10:30pm after Mary's tenth visit (sent by my mom) to my room to wake me up (I slept at 4:00pm). I check my cell to find exactly 27 missed calls from mom, and sissy. Thank God, it was on silent mode! I change it back to general mode. I try to call mom back but I'm outta' credit, and outta' battery charge, apparently. Try to hook it up to the battery charger, but it doesn't charge. Wiggle the wire a bit, still doesn't charge. I give up, and go to shower. As soon as I leave my room, Mary pops up and sticks our house phone in front of me. "Mama", she informs me. "Inzen, shukran". Mother tells me that they're all at the chalet and that I have to go too, but I just woke up, and I'm really not in the mood to go to the chalet.



"Mama, my things are all in boxes 'cuz I'm reorganizing my room. I can't just leave them. Plus, it's too much of a hassle to get my stuff out of the boxes all just so I could go to the chalet."


"Leave them in the boxes. Just get what you need."


"Mama, I just woke up. I'm really not in the mood to go."



"We sent the driver back to get you."


"It's almost 11 o'clock and with the way he drives I'll be there by 1 o'clock."


"Mary will come with you."




"That's not what I meant. Mama, please I don't wanna' go"




"You are not staying home alone."




"Rex is loose in the yard! Nothing is going to happen!"



"Dana."



"Where are my brothers?"




"Home."




"Ok, I'll stay with them."




"No, they are coming too, only later on. You can come with your younger brother if you want."




"I don't wanna go!"




"You will."




"Fine. I'll leave in an hour."



So, I call up my younger bro.



"Hey"



"Hey"



"You finally woke up."



"Yeah"



"When are you going to the chalet."



"Not going."



"Mom says you are."



"I'm not. Are you going?"



"Yeah, but not to our chalet. I'm going with my friends."



"Cool. Can I play Halo 3 when you go."



"Sure. Listen I've got my friends here so I gotta go."



"K', bye."



"Bye."



An hour later...




"Mama, I'm not coming."




"You are not staying home alone."




"I don't wanna go to the chalet."




"Fine. Don't come. Goodbye."




"Bye."



Later on...



The phone rings and from the ringtone, I can tell that someone's at the gate. My dinner is here. I go outside to pay the dude, and get my dinner only to find that Mary, under my mother's instructions, has locked the front door, that leads to the outside. After a couple of minutes of playing hide-and-seek, I finally found Mary and handed her the money to go pay the guy and get my dinner. Just outta' curiousity I check the indoor kitchen's door (which also happens to lead to the outside) only to find that it's unlocked :/



I call up my younger brother to see if he's gone to the chalet, yet. He doesn't pick up, but a few minutes later, he shows up, in the downstairs living room.



"Mary locked the door! Mom told her to! Can you believe that?"



"I know. She locked me out. I had to come in through the kitchen."



"What is mom's deal?"



"She's just worried about you."



"I know but I'm in my own home. Plus, Rex mahdood. Mala da3y lockdown."



"You've been watching OZ..."



"Yeah, it's really, really cool!"



"I'm downloading season 5 right now."



"Right on! Inzen, when are you going to the chalet. Yalla, I wanna play Halo!"



"I'm not going. Mom told me to stay at home cuz you're staying at home, and she doesn't want you to be all alone, in the house."



"Mary is here!"



*shrugs*



"Oh. My. God! What does she think is going to happen?"



"Ask her."



"Inzen, whatev, I wanna play Halo."



"Not now. I'm watching a movie, then I'm gonna' play Halo."



"But when you're done, you're gonna' sleep! I wanna play!"



"I was supposed to be with my friends in the chalet. I'm not. So, I wanna play Halo."



"And when you're done?"



"I'll call you."



"Ok, thanks!"



"That doesn't mean you keep on calling me every 5 minutes asking me if I'm done."



"Alright, alright."



+++





While I'm watching OZ on the pc in upstairs living room, Mary shows up again with a foam mattress in tow.



"Dana...", she begins with an embarrassed grin on her face.



"Shino Mary?", I no longer have any patience.



"Mama gool ana noom intay daar.", she says apologetically.



*sigh*



Ever since we bought that fuckin' chalet I've been forced to go, every other week just because everyone else is going, and it's not "right" to leave me alone at home. Nevermind, that I'm 2 months shy of being 23 years old. Not to mention that Rex (our German Shepherd) is let loose in the yard (inside the gates) at night, every night. I can take care of myself.... which isn't even relevent because I'm at home! Nothing can or will happen to me, so long as I'm home. I mean, our neighborhood alone is uber-safe!

It's so frustrating. I don't know if my parents want to lock me in because they're actually afraid that someone might sneak in, or I might sneak out. Not that I've ever snuck out before or anything. I'm a good kid... Kid? What the fuck am I saying. I'm not even a kid anymore. Haven't been a kid in a long, long time. I'm a grown woman. I've practiced good judgement time, and time again, but unfortunately I can't tell my parents. The shit that goes down at college? Freakin' unbelievable, but I never, not even once, got involved.

I try to live my life without crossing the social limitations that have been set up by my society (even if I don't believe in them). Why? So people don't talk. If they talked about me. I'd be like"Yeah, well screw 'em.", and I'd just shrug it off. Unfortunately, if I happened to do anything beyond, such as stay out 'till a certain hour, people would not just talk about me. It would reflect back on my parents, and my family. Unfair, no? So I try to do good, mostly for my parents. In return I ask only that they trust me with some responsibility. Apparently, it's just too much to ask.

I can't sleep over at a friend's house. Even though, I've known the girl for ages, and she's only my bestfriend, and she's slept over a million times before. Nevermind, right?

I'm not allowed to leave the country with my bestfriend for a week-long vacay. Nevermind, right?

I am forbidden from setting foot anywhere near The Palms. No prob.

I have a 10:00pm curfew (occasionally yo-yo's between 9:30-10:30 depending on my behavior). Big problem. Huuuuuge. If I have a 10:00 curfew, does it really matter if I'm 10 minutes late? YES! My curfew changes to 9:30! It's not like I'm staying out 'till midnight :/ Y'know what? It ain't even my parents who ground me. It's my younger brother. My parents are old now, and very tired. Apparently, I'm too much trouble, so my younger brother (the more sensible one of the two of us, even I'll admit to that) is responsible for me. Get this, if I wanna go out, I have to ask his permission. No, seriously. Tell him where, with whom, and when I'll be back. I can't just open the door and leave. Even if I'm just going out for a drive, or to the co-op.

Ok, I was somewhat problematic way back in the day (teenage years) but I'm older now. Wiser. Way more mature. I shouldn't even have a curfew. For fuck's sake I'm 23 years old! It aint right. This not-being-able-to-stay-home-alone thing is also not acceptable. I understand the doors needing to be locked but forcing my brother to stay behind with me, and telling Mary to sleep in my room. There's something very wrong with that. Either my own mother thinks I'm going to do something terrible, or she's really afraid for me. Either way, it's uncalled for, and it's driving me into a corner. If our chalet was closer, fine. I'd make the hour-long trek but it's in Kiss-Om-ill-Dinya (translation: very, very far). I'm not always up for it. I get carsick and stuff. Like I said, I feel like I'm being cornered. No clue what to do.