The Perfect Daughter

The Perfect Daughter 

She knew that her days were limited. At this point, she was barely a ghost in the shadows of her family. She almost would have preferred to be a ghost. At least ghosts could occasionally strike fear into the hearts of those around them. 

Her rage increased with every step she took. It never mattered what she did or how pure her intentions were, she would always be second place to Talita, the girl she once took in as a case of misplaced charity. As her eyes lay on the face of the pure-hearted orphan, her hands started to tremble from the adrenaline she was forcing back. The sound of her breathing was increasing at a record pace and the muscles in her calves had become visibly stiff. Still, the obvious tensions coursing through her body remained hidden behind closed doors as her former best friend received a hug from the family who once loved her. 

As she peered out at the family before her, she contemplated how quickly everything had changed. Just last year, she and her freshly replaced sister had been the ultimate dynamic duo, striving to make every decision together, never leaving anyone behind. She recalled the lamentable tears that had thundered down Talita’s cheeks as the door rattled from the frantic banging that fateful, rainy night. 

“What’s going on?” The girl gasped as she laid her eyes on the individual soaked from December’s midnight rain. With a swift hand, she grabbed her friend and sent her to the bathroom to freshen up. As soon as she saw her finish, she strode forward with confidence and sat her down at the dining room table. She called up everyone in her family, having them gather around to console the special guest. She watched with empathy as her friend recalled how her legal guardians had kicked her out of their estate after exchanging an endless current of vicious words. She walked up to her father, demanding that they keep her protected in their household. Her face glowed with pride as her family gave her a surprised look and agreed to adopt her long-standing best friend. As her father got up to resolve the legalities of the matter, Talita walked forward with teardrops staining her brand new shirt. Together, the two newly bound sisters embraced each other in a tight hug, smiling at the idea of being forever connected by the same parental figures. As Talita leaned into her friend’s embrace, she let out a soft breath and whispered something into her ear. 

“Thank you so much for taking me in. I will never forget this favor.” 

Her favor hadn’t been forgotten, but her existence had been. 

The thoughts of the vanishing girl were disrupted by the sound of her sister laughing behind the doorway. As she listened more closely, she could distinguish the individual voices of her parents. They seemed to be celebrating something. As she inched forward, she felt herself collide against the gravity of the door, her full weight slamming against the recently refurbished concrete floor. 

For a brief moment, she felt everyone turn to check out the mystery behind the slamming door. The members of the room flinched in sync, as three pairs of eyes turned to take a look at the girl with the bloodied knees. For a moment, she felt herself catch eye contact with her mom, and she pictured a tint of concern running through the ever-changing browns in her irises. She imagined she was wrong to direct so much anger towards the family who no longer knew her name. However, any second of brief concern that was present in the moment was soon replaced by the ever familiar agonizing gaze of irritation. Almost immediately, she regretted letting her curiosity get the better of her. After her mother finished giving her a quick scan, she grabbed a wet towel from the coffee table and threw it at her. Once she saw her daughter catch the towel, she scowled and spat a couple of words in her direction. 

“Would you quit tripping over everything? You’re interrupting our conversation!” 

Her dad jumped up at the sound of the sudden shouting. A look of irritation ran across his face as he turned to glare at his wife. “What’s with the shouting? You can’t just let the girl be?” 

A sour taste ran through her mouth. She wasn’t even their daughter anymore. She was just a random girl who lived in the cracks of their walls. 

The man of the house proceeded, “I don’t see the point of all this pestering anyways. Shouldn’t we be celebrating the future? Talita just received the highest marks in her class. There really isn’t any point in dwelling on minor inconveniences.” 

Pain, the size of a sewing needle, waltzed through the air and pierced her heart. It started off being barely noticeable, but then slowly escalated deeper and deeper as she realized no one would be there to pull it out. Eventually, the needle that had pierced her was nowhere to be found. All that was left was another extra hole, slowly chipping further and further away. 

A question snapped her out of her trance. 

"Are you ready to go?" A voice popped out of the blue. 

The ghost looked up to the voice. "Huh?" 

Her mother ignored her. "Talita, are you ready to celebrate your victory?"

Her sister thought for a moment. "The idea sounds pretty good, maybe we can turn up the karaoke machine or something." 

The ghost’s mouth dropped in shock. "You guys are going to party?” 

When the trio nodded, she felt her vocals fold. “Talita, my first musical showcase is supposed to happen tonight, I thought you promised to help me get ready..." 

Her mom immediately burst out laughing and spoke with disdain, "Since when are you able to make music? Can you even carry a tune?" 

The daughter flinched. She opened her mouth to snap back with a few layers of bitter sarcasm, but alas, no words would come out. The edges of her eyes burned with shame as her cheeks radiated the heat of a thousand suns. Thankfully, someone else came to her rescue. 

"Hey, I'm sorry about this, I know how much your contest means to you. Tell you what, it's still early. How about we go out for a couple of hours and leave you to do some last minute preparations? Once we are home, I'll have your favorite food brought over okay?" 

At the sound of Talita's proposal, she found herself frowning. The idea didn't sound half bad. However, she knew that she lacked her sister's capabilities. There was no way she would be ready on her own. 

"Promise you'll come back to hear me rehearse once I've finished polishing my skills?" Talita gave her the widest grin. "I promise." 

And with that, the parents and their perfect daughter walked out of the building, not to be seen for half a day. 

For twelve hours, she remained in the house, properly executing her duties as the unofficial family ghost. She sat alone in her room, examining every note she had ever taken on the art of music. She was determined to make her parents proud of her. As she struck a chord, she felt goosebumps rise over her arms. When she was finally satisfied with her music, she glanced over at an album lying in the corner of the room. 

She started flipping through the photo album she had made three years before. As she scanned the variety of images throughout the pages, a small smile brewed across her lips. The memories of all the places her family had taken her washed over her as she closed her eyes.

The sound of laughter immediately filled the air. As she further processed the happiest days of her life, she found herself being transported back to the different flavors of food at the colorful restaurant behind the village where she could eat to her heart’s desire. The murky colors behind her closed eyelids slowly brightened, until they formed a vision of everyone gathered all together, getting ready to feast on the variety of dishes that had been ordered as takeout. 

She remembered that day like it was yesterday. She had just come home, tired from all the hours she had spent running around the city with Talita. Together, they explored every corner of the earth, from the giant buildings in Little Tokyo to the evergreen fields around Europe. They completed every activity there was to be done in their little 10-year-old brains, and ended their day by going home to their respective homes. 

She walked through the door of her grand house, laughing as the sound of the bells played its special song, notifying her parents of her existence. Instantly, the door opened and she found herself getting wrapped up in a warm embrace. 

Her parents separated themselves from her and gave her a tender smile. 

“Did you have fun out there?” 

She smiled in relief. “I had the best time ever! I explored the world with Talita! I’m so grateful for her, she’s the coolest person ever!” 

Her father gently smiled at her. “Well, I’m glad that you’ve found someone to be with for the rest of your life! Just remember to protect her.” 

“Of course.” 

Her father wrapped his arms around her, his voice cracking, “I’m so proud of you for learning to take care of those around you. I just know that you’re gonna grow up to be an incredible person. You’re the perfect daughter and there is nobody that I will ever love more than you. Remember that okay?” 

The little girl beamed with pride. “Thank you father. I won’t let you down.” He nodded. “I know you won’t, you must be hungry, let me go get you some food.” 

With a small sigh, she threw the photo album to the side and ran downstairs to check the whereabouts of her family.

Five minutes passed, and then ten. As the ghost stared down the clock, she glanced around with nervous anticipation praying that her family would be home on time. At the thirty minute mark, she started to believe that something had happened to them. She unlocked her phone, only for the brightly colored screen to stare blankly at her. However, she knew that she couldn’t keep waiting for their arrival. As soon as the clock struck seven, she slipped out of the house and attended her musical showcase. Everything passed in a blur of events as she repeatedly scanned the crowd for a familiar pair of comforting eyes and exited the stage with nothing but the warmth of tears to protect her from the sight of the strangers in front of her. Once she arrived home, she collapsed into the layers of her blankets and closed her eyes, replacing her memories with temporary dreams of bliss to protect her. 

The next morning, she woke up to the sound of distant laughing ringing in the kitchen. She had forgotten to eat dinner before her concert, resulting in her stomach releasing a growl that echoed throughout the house. She quickly rinsed her tear-stained face with water and ran downstairs to join her family. 

“Morning.” The table went silent as the girl announced her presence. Her eye’s met with her father’s and she spotted a flash of guilt before he tilted his head down to continue digging into his food. However, she wasn’t satisfied with that response. 

She grabbed a fork and decided to confront the people around her. “Did you forget something last night?” 

Her mother smiled nonchalantly. “Oops. We must have lost track of time, we just like to end our day on a wholesome note as often as possible.” 

“Without me?” 

Her mother shrugged. “Talita received an impressive score on her math test. She deserved to have the spotlight for the night.”  

“What about my first performance?” 

“What about your performance?” her mother snorted. “Don’t be so selfish, we hear you working on your music 24/7, we wouldn’t have heard anything new if we attended anyways.” 

She was about to pounce when the family’s favorite released a wail. “We’re sorry for spending so much time outside. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it's all my fault, just don’t fight.”

As Talita croaked out hot tears of guilt, a plate of takeout got shoved into the forgotten sister’s hand. The ghost started to walk upstairs to eat, but paused when her mother of the past raised his voice. 

“Look at what you’ve done! You just made your best friend cry! It’s not her fault that you had work to do during her big celebration. It was your idea in the first place to let her live in our house.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t have let her live here if I knew that she was going to take my life away from me!” she hoarsely snapped back. 

The table went silent as the trio tried to understand what had just happened. She hadn’t intended to say anything about her situation. Ghosts didn’t get any input or have the ability to insert their thoughts. They were only meant to loom around and observe the world before them. With that, her mother took an inconsolable Talita to ease her nerves and left the angsty parasite staring at the ground in shock, a plate of food remaining to be eaten in her hands. Her father closed his eyes, released a loud breath, and then looked his daughter in the eyes. 

“Why would you say something like that? Do you know how long it takes to build a good relationship?” 

The girl stared at him in shock. “I’m not the one who left his child behind on the most important nights of her life.” 

His face twisted in conflict. “You have to understand, Talita doesn’t have her biological family to take care of her. Your mother and I want to be more attentive to her so that she can feel at home. I thought you understood that.” 

“I can understand you wanting to take care of Talita. I used to wish for that as well. I just didn’t realize that you guys would only be able to handle one daughter at a time.” 

The memories of the past year flashed before her eyes. She couldn’t understand how she had been able to fade away so quickly. She knew early on that Talita would likely get more of her family’s attention, but she didn’t think the essence of her identity would vanish along with it. After all, her parents had promised her that this would never happen. 

She watched in silence as her father’s face showed a range of negative emotions. As he reflected on her words, a deeper sense of disdain built within him. Finally, he decided to reply to her through gritted teeth.

“I can’t believe how ungrateful you are. Don’t you remember what we talked about when you were young? You made an oath from the very beginning to protect Talita at all costs. The reason we are even helping her is because of you. I told you back then, that I would always love you the most and you swore that you would remember!” 

The girl’s eyes widened in shock. Her hand clenched around the fork and she pushed her chair away from the table before opening her mouth to reply. 

“Dad, that was close to ten years ago! I can’t believe you would use such an old argument against me! What does that even have to do with anything? If your love involves neglecting me for a different girl, then your love is worthless to me.” 

Suddenly, the man shot up from the table and growled. “If my love is so worthless to you, how about you just go? Don’t call me your father if you’re going to blindly attack me for getting your best friend off the streets.” He slammed his hand and his plate of food went flying across the table. Without a second glance, he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving her alone to clean up her mess. 

As she listened to the footsteps of everyone walking away from her, she felt the metallic taste of blood seep in from the corner of her lip. She flinched as she unknowingly licked the salty liquid. She didn't even realize she was biting her lip. 

As soon as she returned to her room, she grabbed a couple of tissues and blew her nose. She knew there was no longer any place for her in the family. As tears thundered down her cheeks, she felt the fork in her hand lose its grip against her palm, eventually falling to the ground with the platter of icy cold food. She glanced in the corner of the room and noticed the suitcase that she had previously left behind from a vacation she had taken a couple of years back. 

Without a second thought, she started pulling articles of clothing out of her closet and chucking them into the suitcase. As soon as she finished throwing all her clothing into a pile, she grabbed all her electronics and essentials. She finally topped everything together by grabbing her diary and zipping up her suitcase. 

As she stared at her empty room, she was speechless. She couldn't process how her entire life had simply been shoved away in one suitcase. After taking one final look at everything, she decided that it was time to leave this house. She stepped out the door, permanently closing the door to the contagious laughter of the daughter that had taken over her life. There was no place for her in the home she had once treasured so much. With a lamentable smile, she bought a ticket for the local bus and hopped on with no final destination in mind.