Mary returned home having new ideas
In the morning, Mary came back from her grandmother. Right in front of the building, she saw Michael sleeping in his car, having the door opened. Next to the door, there were two empty bottles of whiskey. Mary passed indifferently and entered the apartment.
"Mom!"
"How's your father?"
"He is well. He works all day long and he takes care of Grandma."
"Did you make new friends there?"
"Yes, the cat, the dog, the cow." Mary said with a laughter.
"I guess you cannot wait to come back."
"Not really. But I had to come back. In three days I must go to the school again."
"Is Monday your first day at school? You have three days of vacation left."
"Yes, I want to go to a club with Susan, Dan and Tom."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Do you need money?"
"Of course. What a question!"
"I waited for Michael to return from the club to get some cash from the bank for you."
"He is in front of the building, sleeping in his car."
"How can you sit here not telling me anything about this?"
"He was already sleeping when I came home. He had two empty bottles of whiskey. I thought that you two had a fight."
"No, not at all,"said Nora, becoming suddenly pensive."Maybe he forgot the keys of the apartment."
"And he forgot to call, too? Let's think a little, stupid mother! You're an old woman accepting everything."
"Maybe, but you're now certainly a naughty child!"
"I'm going to take a shower. And don't tell me about your stupid life principles, that lead to disaster. I'm already exhausted hearing them again and again. ." "You know," said Mary laughing,"sometimes I understand Michael. He has no fault. He loved you. But you should never leave my dad. He is a great man and you are nothing, believe me!"
Mary called Susan.
"Hello, Susan, I want to know your opinion about what I can wear tonight. Dan suggested jeans and a black shirt, what do you think?" Mary told her.
"Jeans and a black shirt can work, or maybe you can choose a skirt and a tank top. But you look very pretty, so I'm sure you'll be hot in anything,"said Susan.
"I think that wearing jeans with sports shoes is a good idea."
"Why don't you choose to wear dark jeans, a cute shirt and high heels shoes?"
"You're right. I love dancing and clubbing,"said Mary.
"I'm not keen on dancing, but I will come with you," said Susan."I will wear leggings, skirts over jeans, a light cardigan and boots."
"Great. See you tonight."
They payed the entrance fee to the club and they entered the club. The women in those dancing clubs were far more uptight and all the guys were standing or sitting and waiting. They were not specifically waiting for something to happen. Some started a dance with a group, others danced near the group and a few girls were dancing by themselves. Others danced near the edge of the dance floor. The place was already crowded and noisy.
There were some guys, spending their time on the sidelines, drinking alcoholic beverages or juices. They used to cut the rug, when they wanted to dance.
"I have been looking for a jukebox. I want to pay for listening my favorite song,"said Dan.
"Well, if you want to waste you're money, go ahead. I think you feel already paralyzed, when you think of dancing,"said Mary.
"Let's dance. What do you say, Susan?" Tom said.
"I don't know how to dance,"said Susan.
" If you want to have a good time on the dance floor, you don't need any special skills. You don't need to be flexible or musically gifted,"said Dan.
"You can learn to dance by using free video dance lessons. You'll learn how to do dance turns, how to hold your partner and how to put your individual step together to create a beautiful dance. I had to do this because my mother asked me,"said Mary.
"I have no time. My mother is ill and I have to do a lot of work at home,"said Susan.
Dan and Tom bought some organic drinks in four polycarbonate cups.
"Amazing!! I love it!!!" Susan exclaimed.
"Be free, be happy, dance!" Tom said.
"I think it's good to dance. In fact, dancing is a form of exercise made for burning our excess calories," said Mary.
"It seems you enjoyed both the drink and the dance,"said Dan.
"The dance is really overwhelming because it makes you to forget all your problems for some time,"said Tom.
" My mom is against this stuff. Tom had to convince her. I was brought up in a strict religious home and my mother told me about how bad clubs were. First time when I went in a club with Tom all I did was to look around, expecting something bad to happen. But after a few drinks, eating dinner and enjoying the music, I remarked that it really wasn't a bad place at all,"said Susan.
"You seem to have a good moral compass,"said Dan.
" It isn't wrong to dance. And neither is having a drink or two. The problem is when people get drunk and do things that they wouldn't normally do,"said Tom.
"I'm pretty sure everyone looks stupid when dancing. . So just go with the flow and think you're one of the stupids! " Susan said.
"If you look stupid you can't change it. Dancing won't make you look more stupid, if you already look stupid,"said Dan.
"There are three rules for a happy life. More exactly, you can work as you work when you don't need any money, or you can love as you love without being hurt and you can dance as you dance when no one can see you,"said Mary, smiling.
"Get drunk, then who really cares? I bet you'll have fun! Take a look around. Everyone is drunk here. Would you rather worry about looking stupid and not have fun, or about having the time of your life?' Dan said.
" Remember, everyone is in the same boat with you. You must have some confidence in yourself. The most important thing is to have fun. Try not to feel uncomfortable,"said Tom.
"Turn the lights totally off, or blindfold everyone!" Susan exclaimed, smiling this time.
"Just listen to the music and feel the song,"said Mary.
"Just move your feet to the rhythm and stuff nothing too fancy and you'll be fine,"said Dan.
When they got out from the club, it was the middle of the night. They entered the car and Dan drove them home.
"My problem was that I never knew how to tell my parents that I can't
do something, they want me to do. I say yes, because I don't know how to say no,"said Susan.
"I think that we have to be honest with them every time,"said Tom.
"If I can't do what my family wants me to do, I stand up for my right to say so,"said Dan.
"It's not easy saying no to parents, especially when you fear they will get angry with you,"said Mary.
"You must stand your own ground and look out for yourself, because no one else is going to look out for you, if you don't do this,"said Dan. He kissed Mary."You're so beautiful tonight." He told her.
"I sometimes have a hard time saying no to my father. I have to recognize this,"said Tom, kissing Susan.
''Maybe we need to understand our parents in order to accept their opinions. We are so different. Sometimes we can't even understand ourselves,"said Susan.
"There is a difference of generation and there are generation conflicts, but there is not a gap in the sense, that it cannot be bridged," said Tom.
"It is a difference between the life of strength and hope at the beginning of the marriage and the period of hate and despair at the end of the marriage. I grew up, being their child. Now, I can see this difference and I simply cannot listen to their lessons, any longer. They became less credible in time,"said Dan.
"They are apparently not responsible for what I am doing, but in fact, they are very much responsible,"said Mary.
"The conflicts are not inherently negative, but these conflicts must not be violently expressed,"said Dan, paying attention to the road.
"When a child sees his father coming home being drunk and angry, screaming at his mother and he watches his mother pleasing him and placating his father's behavior, he thinks that violence gets results. Moreover, he develops his own ideas about what makes a man to be a real one,"said Susan.
"You're right. A child, growing up in a violent home, is likely to have little self-esteem,"said Dan, kissing Mary again."I love you."He said.
"Why are all these happening?They should love each other,"said Susan.
"Why? He wants to gain and maintain a total control over his woman. An abuser doesn't play fair ever,"said Dan.
"They use the intimidation to exacerbate the fear, the guilt and the shame inside their women. They want to wear them down and keep them under their thumb,"said Tom.
"Try to imagine your father being an alcoholic, beating you without any reason. After that, imagine him making an excuse for his behavior. He can say that he was drunk or he cannot remember anything. Try to imagine this," said Susan. Tom kissed Susan.
"Why are humans so twisted? The humanity has been unchanged throughout the history. The atrocities have always been specific to the human race. The religions preach about being peaceful are annihilated by the opposite. What can make the human act to be so contradictory? I really don't know,"said Dan.
"It's a big question, isn't it? Tom laughed.
When Dan stopped his car in front of Mary's house, he kissed her passionately and told her,
"See you tomorrow, my little squirrel."
She kissed him saying,
"I already miss you."
"Bye."
Mary entered the house. She wanted to enter the kitchen to drink some water.
"Where have you been? " Michael asked her.
"I think that my mom has already told you. In fact, why do you care about what I do? " Mary replied with another question.
"Because clubs close at midnight and it's three a. m." Michael told her.
"I was in a very pleasant place,"said Mary, having a conspicuous and somewhat sarcastic smile.
He sat on the couch in the living room, in total darkness. His eyes glistened and he had a very strange expression.
"Where is my mom?' Mary asked him.
"She 's upstairs. She's sleeping,"said Michael.
He came towards her and touched her back slightly. He began to play with her hair.
"Are you my very good little girl? " Michael asked her.
Mary laughed loudly.
"Do you still think I am a little girl?'
"Aren't you?''He continued to play with her hair.
She became suddenly very confused. She turned to him and said,
"I must go to sleep. I'm very tired."
He took two glasses of whiskey from the table.
"Drink it! You will sleep better."
"I drank at the club. Thank you."
Mary entered the bedroom and locked the door.
"You look beautiful this night. . Next time, when you will come home at this hour, you will find the door closed."He said, being beyond her door.
"Okay. I will talk with my mom," said Mary.
''She's like her mother,"said Michael for himself, going to bed.
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