San Juan, Puerto Rico August 2001 Vega House

Every night, Ofelia can hear them. Even though the walls of the house are not thin, her parents still talk or argue pretty loudly. So, she uses her headphones from her CD player to cover her ears. After listening for over an hour, Ofelia takes off the headphones and hear nothing.

"Dad probadly went out drinking and mom probadly heads to grandma's house....." Ofelia thought to herself. "No wonder Estela, Cesar, and Luis left home."

She looks at her alarm clock and it says 3:16am. She let out a sigh before she closes her eyes and went to sleep. She woke up around 10:30. Ofelia sat up on her bed and look around a bit. Since she have no curtains, the sunlight shine through the window and made the orange walled bedroom really bright. Ofelia then grab her prosthetics legs and put on her knees before standing up and exit her bedroom. As she heads downstairs and enter the living room, she father, Ricardo, is laying on the leather couch.

"He need to stop drinking..." Ofelia thought to herself.

The beer cans are either on the coffee table or on the gray carpet. She then heads to the kitchen and found her mom cooking some food. The kitchen is somewhat cleaner than the living room exception when Winter coem around the corner. That is when the a couple of mouses began to hang out in the kitchen.

"Morning mama." Ofelia says to her.

"Morning dear." Yoanda reply. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I am."

"Please sit down at the table."

"Okay."

Ofelia almost looks look like Yolanda. Ofelia got her slightly pale skin and light brown wavy brown hair from her mom. She got her grayish eyes from her dad.

Ofelia heads to the table and sat down. After waiting for a few minutes, Yolanda gave her daughter her plate before continue cooking. After 10 minutes of cooking, Yolanda join Ofelia at the table and ate breakfast with her. Ofelia stay quiet for a few minutes before she finally spoke up.

"Mama, when you and Dad go to work?" Ofelia ask.

"I'll be going to work within a hour or so. As for your papa, not really sure when he goes to work....." Yolanda reply before she took a bite from her saugage,

"Oh....so I can't play my instruments then."

"If you want papa start yelling at you."

"Alright."

Yolanda quickly ate her breakfast and drank most of her back coffee before heading upstairs to her bedroom. Ofelia stay at the table for 10 minutes until she, too, heads upstairs to her bedroom. She close the bedroom door behind her before walking to her lime green covers bed and sat down. She grabs her CD player and began listening to her CD. Yolanda did not bother to tell her daughter that she's leaving for work. Ofelia stay her room for 2 hours until someone is knocking on her bedroom door. She turns off her CD player and open the door. It is her father, Ricardo.

"Hi papa." Ofelia says to him.

She can still smell a faint smell of beer from his body.

"Where is your mother?" Ricardo ask.

"I think she went to work some time ago."

"Okay then. I guess I better get to work...."

Ricardo excuse himself and head to his bedroom. Ofelia exit her bedroom and heads downstairs to the living room. Soon enough, she began picking up the empty beer cans and puts them in the plastic bag. Once she finish, she takes the bag to the backyard and puts in the trash can. As she cam back inside, her dad has change into his work clothes.

"Ofelia, I want you clean the house a bit." Ricardo says to her.

"Okay, but can I play my instruments?

"Yea. Later."

As soon as Ricardo left the house, Ofelia began cleaning the house. It took her three hours to clean the house. Once she finish cleaning, she heads upstairs to her bedroom. As she close the bedroom behind her, she heads to the corner of her bedroom. She has a drum set. She has to bug her parents to buy her one. She also plays the Oboe, Trumpet, Cornet, Trumbone, Sax, Viola, and Guitar. Ofelia has been playing them between the ages of 5 to 9.

"I hope the neighbors are not going to be mad at me." Ofelia says to herself.

She heads to the drum set, sat on the stool, and soon began playing. The neighbors often told Yolanda and Ricardo that they find it weird that a girl is playing 'masculine' instruments. Yolanda somewhat agrees with her neighbors, but she wants to make her daughter happy since Ofelia's IQ is 133; Moderately gifted. Because of her IQ, Yolanda want her skip a grade, but Ricardo want Ofelia to skip two grades so she can finish school. After skipping 2 grades Ofelia is going to 11th grade at Baldwin School at Puerto Rico. Once she finish playing the drums, Ofelia decide to go out for a bit.

She heads to the closet and change out her pjs. She then put on spagetti strap knee length dark red dress Ofelia did bother to brush or comb her hair. She grabs her shoulder purse and alto sax case before exiting her bedroom and house. She walk for a couple of blocks until she's at Ocean Beach. As Ofelia heads to one of the local resturants, people began looking at her legs. Since Ofelia has been wearing prosthetics when she was 6, many people have gave her weird looks.

Once she found the resturant, she went inside. One of the waitress led her one of the empty booths. As soon as the waitress took Ofelia's order and head back to the kitchen, Ofelia look around the resturant. Many people are either talking or laughing or smoking. She doesn't mind the talking or laughing, but she hates the smoking. When the waitress brought the food and drink, Ofelia quickly began eating her food and drinking her drink. Once she finish, she pay her food and tip the waitress, she quickly exit the resturant and heads to the beaches.

Once she's finally at the beach, Ofelia place the sax case on the ground and took out the alto sax. Soon enough, she began playing the song called ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE. While she play the song, she manage to get some money from the people. It not that Ofelia is poor, it just that Ofelia like playing for people. She play for a couple of songs before grabbing all the money from her case and put it in her purse. She then puts her sax in her case before closing and locking it. Soon enough, she heads home. As soon as she enter the house, the main phone began to ring. Ofelia quickly walk towards the phone and answer it.

"Hello?" Ofelia says to the caller.

"Hi Ofelia. Its Estela. How are you?" Estela ask her sister.

"Its....okay I guess...."

"Did mom and dad argue again?"

"Last night."

"You should come with me, Salvador, and Eric."

"I know, but I want to finish school first."

"But there are good schools in New York."

"Like I said, I rather finish school before moving to the States."

"Fine."

They talk for a few minutes before they says their goodbyes and hung up. Salvador is Estela's boyfriend and Eric is their 4 year old son. Ofelia doesn't mind going with them, but there is a chance tat Estela and Salvador might be arrest for 'kidnapping'. Anyway, Ofelia heads upstairs to her bedroom and close the door behind her. Around 8pm, Yolanda came home from work and she has food with her.

"Ofelia!! I'm home! I brought some food with me." Yolanda yells as she heads to the kitchen.

As Yolanda place the bag on the table and took out the food, Ofelia enter the kitchen.

"How is work?" Ofelia ask.

"Its alright. Did you head to the kibrary today?"

"No, but I played my sax at Ocean Beach."

"You got money from it didn't you?"

"Yes...."

"How many times I told you don't do that anymore? The neighbors sometimes tells me that they saw you playing any your instruments at Ocean Beach."

"Sorry, but at least I am not selling my body."

"Anyway.....do you know which classes you are going to take?"

"Not sure....."

"I hope you taking very good classes when you enter school."

"I hope so."

Ofelia ate dinner with her mother for around 15 minutes. Once she finish, she excuse herseld and exit the kitchen. As she close the door behind her, she heads to her desk and sat down. She look over her old notes from her 7th to 10th grades. Even though she skip two grades, Ofelia never can able to make friends. Ofelia believes that because of her being smart and being two years younger than her peers. She quickly puts away her notes and heads to the bathroom to take a bath.

For the past two weeks, Yolanda took Ofelia shopping for new socks, notebooks, backpack and few other things for school. After they ate lunch, Yolanda decide to take Ofelia for a haircut. Ofelia doesn't like the idea for getting a haircut.

"Mom, I don't want to get a haircut." Ofelia says to her.

"You're simply getting the trim. Besides, your tend to get dry....."

"Like grand-dad and grandmama?"

"Yea. Sorry."

"Its okay, mama."

Yolanda took Ofelia to the nearest hair salon. It cause Yolanda around 15 dollars. Afterwards, they head to their house. As they enter, they quickly notice beer cans on the living room floor. Yolanda can hear toilet flushing in the bathroom.

"Ofelia, please go to your room." Yolanda says to her.

"Yes, mama." Ofelia reply.

Ofelia heads upstairs to her bedroom with her bags. As soon as she close the bedroom behind her, she can hear her mom talking to her dad. Soon enough, they began arguing. She place her stuff in the closet before heading to her bed. As she sat down and took off her prosthetics legs, Ofelia grab her laptop from under her bed. She puts on her headphones and listen to her music before going on her laptop. After 2 to 3 hours, her father enter her bedroom. Ofelia quickly took off her headphones

"Ofelia, you know I hate seeing you wearing without your prosthetics." Ricardo says to her.

"But My legs get sweating if I wear them the hold day." Ofelia answer.

"You need to get use of them since you're going to wear them all day when school starts."

"But dad...."

"Me and your mother are going to work. Afterwards, we're going out dancing ok?"

"Yes, dad."

Ricardo exit the bedroom and exit the house with Yolanda. Ofelia surf on her laptop for another hour so before turning it off. She lay on her bed for a few minutes before putting on her prosthetics legs and exit her bedroom. As soon as she enter the living room, she began picking up the cans. After 20 minutes, Ofelia finish picking the cans before sitting down and watching some tv. Most of the shows Ofelia find boring since it some of them are talk shows and drama shows.

Ofelia stay in the living room for a few minutes before heading to the kitchen. She made herself a sandwich and cup of milk before heading to the living room. As she watch some random movie, the main phone began to ring. She stood up from the couch and heads to the phone to answer it.

"Hello?" Ofelia says to the caller.

"Hey, Ofelia. Its Estela again." Estella reply.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I am doing alright. What about you?"

"Still doing okay."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go right ahead, Estela."

"When you graduate from your school, are you planning to attend college in Puerto Rico or in a different ccountry?"

"I am not sure really."

"For someone who have a pretty high IQ, you don't really know which college to attend."

"I would like to attend Julliard, but it going to cost mom and dad a lot of money."

"Even you can't go to Julliard, there are other good music colleges in New York City and few other countries. Besides if you do choose a school in New York City, you can live with me, Eric, and Salvador."

"But didn't you tell me that you and your family live in a two room apartment?"

"Oh, forgot about it."

"Well.....I will let you know which college that I will be attending okay?"

"Alright Ofelia. Anyway, did Cesar and Luis call home?"

"Not really."

"I guess they busy with their stuff. Anyway, talk to you later."

"Later, Estela."

Ofelia hang up the phone and heads back to the living room and began watching some tv again.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Please read and review.