Family Secret
Installing a security camera in the home of Liz’s elderly parents has brought the family greater peace of mind. Now the children know everything that’s going on with their parents during the day and no longer have to worry about unexpected incidents. However, it’s important to remember that the cameras record everything that’s said; otherwise, family secrets could end up being leaked by.
Illustration generated by Bing Image Creator
- “But what’s going on?” Liz was stunned to see her two older sisters chatting amiably in a confidential tone while they cooked nearly 1,000 km away. It was time for a lunch break, and, as always, she had taken a quick peek at the security camera footage to make sure everything was okay at her parents’ house.
- Usually these two Jacanas leave the affection to the males. With the other females, everything becomes a reason for arguments and threats. But today they seem to have so much love to give! – Liz rested her face in the palm of her hand, her eyes fixed on her smartphone screen. - Well, I’ll rewind the recording to this point later to find out what these two are talking about.
Ever since Liz had installed security cameras inside her parents’ house, family disputes had decreased. Now no one questioned what had been agreed upon during the meetings they held there. In the past, the sisters would play dumb and ignore the commitments they’d made regarding the care of their elderly parents. But now there was no way for them to get out of the agreement! To make the division of tasks even more official, Liz used an AI program to generate a real-time report of everything that was said, with dates and names listed next to each task! In the end, the report was shared in the family group chat on WhatsApp. It was all very modern.
Unexpected events always occurred, but nothing as striking as the scene she had just witnessed. As she poked the bottom of her lunchbox with her fork, shuffling the peas back and forth, she tried to bring some order to the whirlwind of emotions the recording had stirred up. However, since there was still a lot to do before she could go home, she made up an excuse to leave her lunch with her coworkers and went back to work.
When she finally clocked out and took the bus home, she ran into a phenomenal traffic jam. Liz watched dejectedly as that immense snake of red lights slowly devoured the few free hours remaining in her day. But speaking of phenomena, what on earth had gotten into those two? They’d always hated each other, which gave Liz the strange consolation of being just another name on the list of family grudges. Today, however, they were all smiles…
Bored by the traffic, she turned her attention to Instagram and soon came across a post that declared in bold letters that “family bears a curious resemblance to politics: affections are permanent, but alliances, it seems, depend on circumstances.”
- “Wow, it’s almost like a message from beyond! I knew something strange was going on…”
When she got home, she spent just fifteen minutes feeding the dogs, the cats, and her poor husband before hurriedly settling in front of the computer. She opened the security camera footage and searched for the exact moment when her sisters started talking.
- “After everything I did for that ungrateful girl!” Inês remarked, her voice trembling with emotion. Even though the camera was a little far from the counter where the two sisters were working side by side, Liz could have sworn she saw a tear glistening in her eye. That phony!
Marisa, who was getting ready to put the rice balls in the deep fryer, dropped everything she was doing and turned to her sister. “I never understood why you were upset with Liz.”
- I changed that girl’s diapers a lot when she was little; I was almost like a mother to her, even though I was only 14 at the time. After giving birth, Mom felt very weak and depressed; I remember that things between her and Dad weren’t going very well…
- What happened?
- They were very sociable and adored a couple of friends who often came over for dinner. Mom was smitten with Mr. Valdeci, who spent his time complimenting her clothes, her hairstyle, and her cooking. Over the slightest thing, he’d go out of his way to flatter her, and she’d blush all the way to the roots of her hair. Out of nowhere, she started getting all prim and proper and getting her nails done. She’d spend entire afternoons parading around the house in her bobs before their friends arrived for dinner.
- But what about Mrs. Jacira? Didn’t that bother her?
- Not at all. Mom would cook her favorite meal and turn on the TV so her friend could be entertained by the soap opera. The world could come crashing down, and Mrs. Jacira wouldn’t even notice her husband cheating on her. She was only interested in food and romance!
—And Dad?
—Our dad has always been a fool. The only thing he noticed was that the parrot, which until then had only cursed, started singing Roberto Carlos’s entire romantic repertoire. It took the situation becoming glaringly obvious for him to take action. All of a sudden, the dinners stopped, and our mom quit getting dressed up and going out every afternoon. Six months later, Liz was born.
- What are you trying to say with that?
Liz hit “pause” on the recording, but kept staring at the screen, her eyes brimming with tears. She was so shocked by the conversation that she hadn’t even noticed her husband, who was now standing beside her.
- What’s wrong, honey? What’s bothering you so much today? You were so flustered when you got home that you didn’t even give me my usual little kiss. Come here, let me give you a hug—shortly after, he felt his shirt getting damp at the shoulder.
(continued in the next chapter)
Translated to english by DeepL
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