Liana continued as she looked at Miguel again.

“You can’t even qualify to join a college. You are such an embarrassment to the family. Do you even have a lifestyle or this shop of yours is the only thing you have?” Liana said with a cruel smile on her face.

Miguel was angry, but it was mixed with the shame he felt. He couldn’t answer her aunt. All his life, he was a good kid, a kid who would listen to his parents, do his studies, make friends, he did have an aim. But as time passed, Miguel found himself disconnecting with everything. His contact with his friends was left behind. His studies, he found he couldn’t concentrate anymore. Sometimes terrible anxiety would assault him from time to time, he had been through many therapists but still he had not gotten any better. The only he did learn was fake that everything was ok, while certain things gobbled him from inside. If only someone helped him, now, he would be fine.

“Who did you think you are to talk to my son like that. Talk, talk, talk only thing you have done till now is f… freaking talk. Do you think you are great or did you think your son was great as if there wasn’t anyone like him in this world?” Miguel looked at his mom in surprise. He would have expected anyone but her to talk like that. Mom had a vicious expression on her face, her eyes were shooting daggers toward her aunt. But she wasn’t stopping. Not anymore.

“How many times, I can’t count it anymore. I had to listen to all your chirping about you and your son's greatness. Do you even know anything else. Look at yourself before saying anything to my son. Nobody, I dare say nobody but me has the right to say anything about him. Did you think just because you are rich, just because you are my husband’s sister, I will listen quietly as you foul-mouthed my son. You BITCH!” His mom spat it with such hatred that Miguel felt like he was dreaming at this moment. She hadn’t hesitated at all while saying the curse to his aunt.

Everybody had stopped. His dad had stopped looking at the papers, at first he was surprised, but slowly a smile crept on his face. His aunt was stunned on the spot in a stupor. No one had said anything like that to her before. For a moment her mouth just hung in the air, as she tried to speak. But it was as if her mouth stopped her from saying any word. Realizing that her mouth was open, she quickly closed it. The way in which she now sat was not her elegant self anymore. It was something new, her position as if a mouse were trapped in front of a cat.

Sharla had just been sitting there with no interest on her face. But when she heard her aunt saying bad things about her brother, she felt like punching her. She wanted to say something, a pure anger on her face. No one can disrespect her brother except her, and her mom. But her mom had always made her sure of one thing, not to say between the talks of the elders, so she had been holding herself. But as she heard more and more bad words for her brother, she couldn’t contain herself anymore. She had been almost sure that she was going to say something to her aunt, even if it procured her mom’s wrath, she felt it was worth it. But before she could say anything she heard her mom, her own mom. Was she imagining things? Surely not.

Whatever was the case Sharla couldn’t contain her excitement, she almost felt like whistling to her mom. Then at last Sharla couldn’t help but close her mouth with her hands. Not just in surprise, but because she knew that if she let them open, she would definitely start laughing.

“You!” His aunt was trembling at the moment looking at his uncle for support.

“Shut your mouth.” His uncle yelled at her. His Aunt stopped speaking.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“Have you looked at the papers?” Karl asked Miguel’s dad. His dad had finished skimming through the papers and looked between Miguel and his wife.

“What is this about?,” Miguel’s mom asked with concern. Her face was red with exhaustion from speaking so much. Sweat trickled down her face, but it didn’t affect her in any way.

His dad was going to speak when uncle started speaking. “I should say it.”

“A big company has set sights on the land on which the game-shop is located. They are giving good compensation for the small piece of land.” Uncle said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Miguel's thoughts were complex for that matter. Selling the game shop to a company, because it was giving good compensation for the land. Why grandfather’s shop? His grandfather had only given him the shop to manage because he had to return back to the village. So why was his uncle discussing with him about it?

“You should ask grandfather about it, he has only given me the shop to manage. I am not the shop owner.” Miguel said, shaking his head.

“You don’t know?” His uncle looked surprised which left Miguel perplexed.

“Your grandfather has not only given you the game shop to manage, but also the ownership of the shop.” His Dad said. Miguel’s family was surprised. Why didn’t they know that?

“You never told us?” his mom asked.

“I also never knew it, I read it right now.” His dad said pointing at the papers.

What had his grandfather given the ownership of the shop to him? Why no one else? But it wasn’t time to think about it. His uncle continued.

“I would suggest you take on the offer, the money they are offering is not small. I don’t even know what those people had seen in this land. They say that the land is in the populated zone, but it is still true that such an amount is unheard of, rich people and their motives.Guess we will never know.” His uncle sighed.

He continued, “They had contacted me for the matter. The only thing you need to do is to make the decision. Think about it yourself, I have run some reports on the game-shops. I know you are barely making anything from the shop. It would be wise to sell it.” His uncle sat calmly on the sofa and drank the water.

Miguel returned to the room. He hadn’t waited long, after the talk about selling the gaming shop.

So many thoughts were swirling through his brain. So many things had happened in just a small amount of time. He had seen her aunt losing her cool for the first time, he had seen his mom swear too, she was so cool, and even his uncle when he talked about the thing related to the grandfather’s shop, which as they said was now his shop and it was now his responsibility altogether.

His uncle had warned him specially that he had to think twice before making any decision. He had especially said that the big companies can even resort to dirty measures if things didn’t go their way. Miguel had thought that his dad would tell him what to do about the shop. But he just said ‘it’s your shop now, you make your decision.’ Miguel couldn’t help but get pissed when he heard that. What kind of response was that? He had expected his dad to talk about stuff, about how it would be good to sell the shop when he wasn’t able to run it properly. But no, now the whole thing was his responsibility. Just thinking about it increased his anxiety.

Despite the anger of his aunt, she had to sit and had to take dinner with them. Because the journey home wasn’t a small one, and his uncle was specially fixed on that. So grudgingly she had eaten some of the food, though not in great amounts. The atmosphere was strange, his mom had cursed his aunt and was sitting quietly as she served them food. They all ate quietly and then his dad bid them farewell.

Miguel had not eaten much unlike his sister Sharla, who wasn’t minding the silent atmosphere at all. After all, even Miguel knew it was her favorite dish, and being a carefree child, she didn’t mind much about the others as she took each bite with great relish.

He didn’t have much space in his stomach, not when he was told to make the decision.

The room was dimmed out. The normal lights were switched off and its place were replaced with green lights that gave a certain atmosphere to the room. Miguel plugged his headphones and played the slow tunes, it gave him the relief from all the crowding thoughts.

In the slowing tunes of the music, that seemed to grow distant and distant with each second, Miguel finally fell asleep.