Curfew


Cynthia was never the type to back out of activities her friends engaged in. She never spoke up about anything really; she just sat there and observed. Every five minutes, she constantly reached her hand in her pocket for her phone to check the time. It was twelve o’clock, and she really needed to return her mother’s car before she got in trouble. As Cynthia got into the car, her phone started to vibrate. It was her mother. Her heart dropped.
Should she answer the phone or not?
“Hey Cynthia, you want to drop me off at Jewel to pick up some snacks, or do you have to go home?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I can take you right now.” She put on a fake smile to eliminate the attention that was drawn to her.
Cynthia and her friends were all outside of Gina’s house. The house was as big as a mansion with one nice little porch everyone was on. It was a lot of people, including the guy who Cynthia had a crush on. Cynthia did not want him to think she was a baby and had to go home at twelve. She wanted to stay, but she knew hell would have broken loose if she did so. She took Gina to Jewel to get some snacks. Once she got back into the car, Cynthia couldn’t take it anymore.

“Gina, I really have to go home; you know how my parents are. They keep calling me,” she said, shaking.
“Oh, okay! Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Gina said, shaking her head.
“Can I drop you off at the corner by your house since it’s like, two houses down from your house?” asked Cynthia.
After Cynthia dropped Gina off at the corner, her mom called again. Cynthia’s heart was beating so loud that the music began to grow more and more quiet. She pulled over in front of her house and looked at the windows. The lights were off, and the scenery looked really gloomy. Every house but HER house looked alive. Lights were on and people were walking around in their house. At her house, everything was still. And quiet. The wind was not blowing at all once she got out of the car. Cynthia had a mini skirt and a spaghetti strapped shirt on. Her mother had last seen her with a T-Shirt and a pair of shorts on. Without thinking twice, Cynthia ran on the side of the house towards the backyard to change her clothes. As she walked into the side door, the lights came on.
“Where have you been, Cynthia, hmm?” asked her mother, sitting at the kitchen table.
“Um… I took a walk; I needed exercise after being in the house for two hours Mom.”
Cynthia’s mother looked at her as if she was stupid. Cynthia thought that her mother was going to believe her because she always drank, and she was once under the influence, she believed everything.
The bottles of alcohol were under the bed, in between the couch cushions, and in the bathroom cabinets.
“ Why is my mother complaining so much about this damn car? What was she hiding?”
“ Mom, I’m telling the truth; I was thinking about a lot of stuff, and I needed some fresh air.” She wiped the sweat from under her arms. Cynthia’s mother looked a little worried as she was going back and forth with her.
“Cynthia, I’ve called you plenty of times. All you had to do was answer the phone or call me back to tell me you were going to be late!”
“Mom, I am sorry that I did not call you. I really am, but I was afraid to because you make everything a big deal!”
“Well, if that’s the case, you’re grounded for a week! I’m so sick of you being so sneaky, and you think you can get away with it all the time by using that excuse. I make things a big deal because I care about you. You’re my only daughter. ”She looked in her daughter’s eyes. Cynthia’s eyes were so glossy and they wouldn’t stay in one place. She seemed really nervous. She did not want her mother to look right through her and know she was lying about everything.
“Why are you looking everywhere but at me when I talk to you? What are you hiding, huh?” Cynthia asked her mother with a smirk.
The silence was scary. They were both staring into each other’s eyes. They were both hiding themselves from eachother. They both had a little secret but no one would say anything. Cynthia couldn’t take it anymore; she had to say something because the staring was really getting on her nerves.
“There’s nothing for me to hide, Mom. Are you hiding something?” She looked at her mother curiously.
Her mother wouldn’t speak at all; she walked away to her room. Cynthia was so upset. She couldn’t believe all of that just happened.
As she walked into her room, She saw a pile of mail on the floor. She picked it up and threw the letters on her bed. Everything was for her. A piece of pink paper flew under the bed. It caught her eye as she turned around. She reached under her bed to get the paper. It was a DUI ticket. It had her mother’s name all over it. She couldn’t believe what she’d read.
“ So this is why she walked away,” said Cynthia.