Smile Armando!

{ARMANDO}

I walk into my bathroom and open the shower.

Staring at it for about three minutes or so I begin showering. I am very sure my mother and my father are waiting for me so we can take brunch together. I have no idea why my mother still insists on eating together, it is not like we enjoy doing that.

But in this house what mama says is what mama gets. Not that my mother is controlling, I guess is her way of ensuring we are a stable family and that is her one way of ensuring that we have a stable strong family.

I walk out of my bathroom, with my towel only.

"Mr. Armando."

I turn around and find our house manager staring at me, "why are you wetting the floor?" He asks with seriousness in his voice. I assume him and walk to my bed and sat on it. I cross my legs and shrug my shoulder.

"You are way ruder than I remember."

"Tell me more mister."

We stare at one another and when he is sure I am not going to back down, he walks to me and hugs me, "I miss you, Armando. How are you?"

"I am good, a little space please."

He chuckles and stops hugging me.

I have tried numerous times to stop him from hugging me but he doesn't get it. He is such a hugger. He bends down and takes my hands in his, "here we go." I murmur and he only smiles at me.

"Son, you know I love you and, can you stop wetting the floor. Why don't you wipe yourself from the bathroom? I thought I taught you better than that."

"Okay, can I get my hands back? And maybe change then we can talk. I am naked."

He stands and slaps my back, which makes me wince. He grins and walks to the door, before closing it he tells me, "it is nice seeing you son. Welcome home."

The way he calls me son always melts my heart, long time ago I used to wish my dad would call me like that. But now it doesn't matter if he calls me; a sadder or lazy boy or whatever. I have someone else who calls me son with emotions in his voice than what my father can call me.

My phone rings and I see it is my mother. I pick it up and hold it far away from my ear, she is screaming, "boy if you don't get yourself down here. I will…"

And the call ends like that, she doesn't need to continue, I stand up and go to my wardrobe and dress up. "Smile," I tell myself, and practice my smile before I join my parent for the brunch.

"Smile Armando, you are lucky that you are alive…" I hear the voice again and I close my eyes, it is my friend's voice. I shake it off, I don't want to hear the voice or listen to the end of that sentence. My father's sentence of me being any sadder is enough for the morning, oh sorry I mean for the day.

I walk back to my bedroom, pick up my phone and walk out.

"Finally, the king has decided to grace us with his presence."

"Arthur?"

Arthur stands up and I ready myself for the hug which is going to come, he walks to where I am looks at me up and down, and hugs me tight.

"Why don't you hug for the rest of the day?" My father asks and I can hear the anger in his voice.

"What has gotten into you?" My mother asks and before my father would answer I stop her. If it is brunch then let us eat in peace. I take my seat next to Arthur who is busy staring at me.

In case you are wondering, Arthur, is Mr. Jamie's son.

We eat in silence and then Mr. Jamie comes and whispers to my dad. They both look at me and when my dad nods, Mr. Jamie looks at his son who is still staring at me as if I am his food and walks away.

"She is here." My father says looking at me.

"She?"

"Your therapist."

Great, just great.

And here I thought they wanted me to eat with them as a happy family. My mother and father had their reason to want me out of the bed, my mother wanted me to come out and eat brunch while my father wanted me to meet my therapist.

"Mine?" I ask my father. I am not aware that I have a therapist.

"Yes, when you meet her don't be afraid, she signed a contract, as far as we are concern nothing will come out from your session." My dad explains, proud of himself.

"I thought there is patient-doctor confidentiality," Arthur said looking at my father.

"Preach Arthur, preach." My mother says and we all laugh.

Arthur turns at me and smiles, but before he can come up with another witty comment, his father calls him and I am sure he is going to scold him. He is lucky though if it were any other person my father wouldn't have let him off.

My father sees Arthur as a son, after all, he was born here and after the death of his mother, Mr. Jamie's wife, they moved into our house. After sometimes Mr. Jaime moved out to our pool house and Arthur stayed in our house, he has his room.

"Dad, why did she sign the contract?" I ask my father and he looks at me as if I have told him that the world is in a rectangle shape.

"Yes, tell us?" My mother says and we all stop to eat and stare at him.

"Some of these people forget and then they go ahead and tell others of what they heard."

"Mm." My mother and I say at the same time.

There was no need to continue with that conversation because both I and my mother knew it will do nothing. My father loves making people sign contracts, it is in his blood. He doesn't want anyone screwing him up like how he was last time he forgot to ask the person to sign up.

We finish eating and I stand up ready to escape, but my dad gets what I was trying to do. He calls, "Armando, she is in the study."

Therapy, here I come.