Won’t Settle For Less

Meliza's POV

Memories From Five Years Ago

"Meliza, I already informed Ruby that you are coming with her to Adriana's farm." My mom said as I washed the dishes, and I stopped what I was doing and faced her.

"Mom, I am not going back to Adriana's farm," I firmly said.

"Sweetheart, you are going whether you like it or not. I already asked for a cash advance." She replied.

"What? How could you do that, Mom? You didn't even ask me first." I complained as I turned around and continued washing the plates.

" You had been working there every summer since you were fourteen." She stated.

"Yeah, but I don't like to go back there. I have plans, Mom. I will be eighteen this month, and I want to celebrate my birthday here with you and Jessa." I replied.

"Your sister is coming with you." She replied, and I almost dropped the plate on the sink.

"Okay, Mom, you win. I will return to San Fernando, but Jessa is not coming with me. I will render overtime every day if I have to; just don't let my sister work at the farm. She can have her part-time job in a cafe not far away from here." I responded.

"That's my girl, and I know you will do everything for your sister." She replied, and I had to close my eyes to control myself. I don't want to talk back and have another argument with my mother.

"Mom, Jessa is still young; she needed to stay here and do things like normal teenagers do. I want her to enjoy her teenage days." I declared.

"You started working there when you were her age." She said.

"Mom, it was your duty to work and provide for us since you are our mother," I said as I veered around and looked at her. I could see the tears in her eyes as her shoulders shook.

"I worked hard to raise you both. I did my best to provide for you, and your father left us for another woman when you were just five years old. It wasn't easy to be your mother and father at the same time, Meliza." She declared with a trembling voice.

"You don't have the right to complain and say those words in my face because I did my best to be the best parent that I could be for the past years without your father." Mom added.

"I was looking for a job, Meliza, but you can't blame me if those establishments don't hire me since they were looking for younger girls and not an old woman like me." She said before she turned around and left me standing speechless.

It wasn't true, and my mom still looked young and beautiful. But I knew because of her attitude, she always got fired. She had a temper she couldn't control, and she blamed it on my father for leaving us. Or worse, the wife of the owner found out she was having an affair with her boss.

I took off the apron after I washed the dishes and walked towards the living room. I hadn't seen my mother on the sofa, and I knew she was angry with me and she was hiding in her room. I will apologize later when I am no longer upset with her.

I am almost an adult, and I believe I have all the right to say no to my mother's decision, but since she was dragging Jessa, I couldn't say no. I have to protect my sister from those girls on the farm. I knew Jessa would be affected if she heard those rumors about me. My sister was looking up to me, and she was always proud of me.

I don't want to ruin my image in her innocent mind even if I didn't do anything wrong.

My sister was watching her favorite TV show. I said hi to Jessa and ruffled her hair before I went straight to my room and prepared my things.

I sighed as I started putting some of my clothes into my suitcase. I loved Adriana's farm, but I'm not particularly eager to go back there after what happened between Vince and me last summer.

"Are you leaving?" Jessa asked as she sat on my bed. I was so busy arranging my things that I didn't hear her footsteps as she got inside my room.

"I will not be long," I replied.

"You will be gone for two months again, and I will be alone here most of the time." She mumbled, and I sat beside her on the edge of my small bed.

We were renting a unit in a run-down apartment in the suburbs, and I wanted to earn more money to look for a decent place to stay, but my mother would always ask for money from me, and my savings always ran out.

"I will be back before you know it," I said.

"You don't need to work so hard, Iza. I am now helping you with my part-time jobs to make ends meet." She responded, and my heart melted.

"I want you to continue your voice and dance lesson, Jess. You don't need to work." I replied.

"No, I don't need any more lessons, Iza. I want to help you and mom. I am a big girl now." My sister declared, and I could feel the pang in my chest as I looked at my sister and cupped her face.

"Thank you, Jessa. You are indeed a big girl now, and since you are big enough, I guess you will understand why I have to do this," I softly said.

"Yeah, you must work harder to pay mom's debt." She said, and I nodded my head.

"We need to help her, Jess; she is the only parent we have," I replied.

"Well, if she would only stop looking for a boyfriend, we would not suffer like this; she kept changing boyfriends and always ended up with the wrong person," Jessa stated, and I agreed with her.

My mom's dream of finding someone wealthy resulted in disaster. She got involved with a man with so many vices, and mom ended up having so much debt to support his boyfriend's gambling, whom she thought was loaded at first but found out later he was unemployed and homeless.

"Thank you for helping, Jess. Don't worry, things will get better for us, and I will do everything I can to send you to college." I said.

"You don't need to do that, Iza. I will apply for a scholarship so we can both graduate college, and we will have a good life together, and we will eat good food, live in a luxurious house, and drive fancy cars." She responded, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, but I am your elder sister, and I felt responsible for you, Jessa. Don't worry when you are in your first year of college. I am sure I already have a job, and I can support you by that time." I replied, feeling hopeful.

My sister's positive energy made me feel better, and her smile took away the heaviness of my heart.

"Be careful always, Meliza. I will be working early tomorrow, and I can't send you to the train station." She said.

"That would be okay, you too. Be careful always, and don't go out with any boy yet," I responded, and she giggled.

"You don't even have a boyfriend. Don't worry, I am not yet ready to date," she replied.

"That's good," I declared, beaming at my sister.

I found it hard to sleep since I felt excited and worried about going back to Adriana's farm. I couldn't believe my mother already contacted the farm and asked for a cash advance.

I woke up early, and my mom was already up and she was cooking breakfast. It must be her peace offering.

"You must eat now, Iza. In any minute, Ruby's dad would be here," she said as I sat on the dining chair. My best friend's father would drive us to the train station whenever we left for our part-time job.

I eat my food in silence without looking at my mom. She cleared her throat and sat across from me.

"Meliza, I knew my shortcomings as a mother to you and Jessa. I am sorry for everything. I know how you feel, and you don't need to go if you don't want to. I promise to find a job and be a good mother to you and your sister." My mother said in a low voice.

I slowly raised my head and looked at her worried face. I smiled as I took her hand over the table.

"Mom, I should be the one who should apologize to you. It was out of line. You are a great mother to us, and I am thankful for all your sacrifices for us." I responded.

"I couldn't imagine what you had been through after Dad left us. You were young and so alone back then, but you were able to raise us into good children," I added.

"I am sorry if I complained. I don't have any right to say those words to you. I am grateful to have you as our mom." I continued.

"I will work hard for us," I said.

"Just always remember to use your beauty and brain, my dear. Don't be like me, who only listened to my foolish heart. I could have given you a bright future if I chose Klint. He came from a wealthy, but instead, I go for your dad." She stated, and I shook my head.

"Mom, if you didn't marry Dad, you couldn't have us as your children," I said.

"Of course, I don't have regrets for having you, and you two are the biggest blessings I have ever received in my entire life. I will never trade you for anything." She replied as she squeezed my hand.

"Don't forget my advice; don't entertain boys with no money," Mom said, and I laughed.

Ever since I became a teenager, my mother always reminded me not to have a boyfriend unless I turned eighteen. I didn't mind since I didn't have the time to date. I am busy with my left and right part-time jobs, and boys are the last of my priorities.

Ruby would always tease me that the reason I hadn't a boyfriend yet was because I hadn't met the right person, and how could I find the right one when my mom warned me never to date someone from a low-income family like us?

She told me to date someone from a wealthy family so I wouldn't need to pay for anything every time we went out on a date, and she wanted me to ride a fancy car.

I only laughed at her reminders, but every time I think about our situation, especially during the due date of our rental and utility bills, I realize my mother was right: if I want to have a better life in the future, I won't settle for less, I need to find someone who can provide for me, not like our irresponsible father.