Burst/Drabble/Short Story | The Solution to Estrella's Problem

By Eddlynn Jennifer Mangaoang

Please do not repost or copy to another site. Thank you. Enjoy reading.

Trigger Warning! <Domestic Violence, Implied/Mentioned Domestic Violence, Harm, Implied/Mentioned Attempted Rape>

Solution #1

    Go over the frozen section of the grocery store you work at and rummage for queso de bola and ham expiring in five days. Ask your manager if you can buy it for half the price. The manager will probably look at you weirdly and laugh at you, while your co-workers will talk about how shameless you are for the next three years, and by then, you'll quit format this shitty jot that has a low salary and nasty people. 

   Solution #2

    Look for a third part-time job that will fit your schedule. You do have time since you dropped out of college last semester. Lilia, the second oldest, can take care of the household chores with Tony and Mari, while Susan can look after Miguel. Lilia works at the 7-Eleven right at the corner of Waterman and Baseline with a graveyard shift of eleven pm to seven am, by then, the kids are all cowering inside the storage room; Tony tries to shush Miguel's whimpers and Marie presses her ears on the thin wall, and your papa comes back from his work albeit drunk and clatters along his way to his room. He wakes up at five before the morning light climbs the window sill and boils water using a kettle to make his first cup of coffee. He cooks three slices of bacon and two eggs and heats the leftover rice over the fire. All for him.

    Solution #3

    Put a thick foundation over your swollen face and wear long sleeves and jeans before going to McDonald's. Don't forget to reapply the foundation because you are manning the fries and the heat that comes from the sizzling cooking oil melts your make-up. Your co-worker, Jane, already noticed the black-and-blue patch on your left shoulder when you're changing in the locker room. You don't want confrontation.

Solution #4

    Lash out. He's drunk so you can break his legs with the bat you stole from the neighbor who plays baseball in his high school team. Don't expect him to pay the bills after that.

Solution #5

    Go to the local public library and use their free-for-all computers and an internet connection to look up your mom in her Facebook account. When you find her, you look over her timeline and see that she's married to another man and already pregnant with his child. According to the sonogram she posted and the caption, it says it's a boy. Yay! Congratulations to them. She only gave birth to Miguel eleven months and thirteen days ago. Leave her a message in Messenger to wish her a happy life full of constant laughter, then send her new husband a rare family photo you're keeping in your wallet, folded and old, and Marie, and Susan, and Miguel missing. Wipe your tears and sign out. 

Solution #6

    Call 911 and report abuse and attempted rape after your father drags Marie to the couch and begins tearing her shirt and calling her slut like her mother. Eight-year-old Susan bawls her eyes and shakes with fear, Lilia tries to cover her eyes from the debauchery, while Tony tries to pull his father away from his little sister. Miguel's choking cries erupt from the noise. Mrs. Gomez and several others come out from their closed doors and gossip from the open apartment door. Afterward, haul your father away from Marie and kick him in the balls. While he's on his knees, grip his head on both sides and bash his head with yours. Tell Lilia and Tony to pack everything important- clothes, money, blankets any food left in the pantry, and Miguel's teddy bear, secondhand stroller, and milk bottles. With baby Miguel in your arms, carry everything out to the street and wait for the police car. You give your statement while they secure your father with handcuffs and drag him to the police car.

Solution #6.5

    You ask for a good social worker and tell her about how your mom is still alive and married to a wealthy man. Tell her that you, Lilia, and Tony, who'll turn eighteen on Christmas Eve, can take care of yourselves, but the minors shall live with their mom. Your step-father talks to you about adopting the other kids, and while you feel bad about leaving them with someone who left them, you agree in the condition that he provides them with love and other needs. Promise Marie and Susan that their older siblings will visit them thrice a week and celebrate their birthdays and special days with them. Give baby Miguel a kiss on his cheek. When he asks where you are staying and what what you'll do next, tell him that you and your other two siblings will go back into that dirty apartment, this time you'll make it a proper home, and that you will enroll the three of you for the next semester. When he offers to pay for the tuition fee, turn him down and tell him that you'll rely on FAFSA instead, and if he insists that he wants to help, maybe ask him to pay for the monthly bills and rent instead. He notices how good you are at bargaining and priorities and decides to give you a job once you graduate and enrolls you in an Ivy League university where you pass your Master's in Business Administration with Latin honors.