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What my father wanted
When I was young I didn’t know how important it was to get materials. An empty lot, with wires, concrete and trenches that made a small maze. When I was young I didn’t know what that lot was going to become. He took us to that same lot all the time and slowly it started to grow. The concrete and the wires moved to their spot without me knowing how they moved. It was always late and my brother and me hated going to that empty lot. Today, it’s full of life. The water runs hot, the fridge is always full, a light is always on, and the TV wont shut up. It wasn’t always like that. It grew, like our family did. Empty rooms, empty garage, without a fridge. Our family was small and we didn’t need much, but my father wanted more. Before long, more rooms where added, a small backyard, and two small trees. Today the rooms are full of stuff, couches, drawers, toys, boxes, and the TV that won’t shut up. In the morning, there is a strong smell of breakfast, even if I’m not there I can taste it. In the afternoon, the chatting is so loud I feel like part of the conversation, even if I’m in another room. Its hard to feel scared late at night cause even if you have to go to the bathroom there is probably someone there brushing their teeth or the TV wont shut up. It grew one story, the two trees are now huge, and the backyard got bigger. Parties, get-togethers, mass, quinceaneras, Christmas, Halloween, a movie was filmed and it still it didn’t fall apart. Made out of cold concrete and I feel like its alive. He knows every corner about it, he built it, he planned it, and he knew what he wanted. He left filling the rooms up to us, and the decorating to my mother, but the TV was untouched. Right in the middle the TV shines late at night, and he sits there, now I know why, because he is waiting for us to sleep in the rooms he made for us, because he can see the whole house filled with the stuff he gave us, because he’s proud of his house. Now I know why it was important to carry the materials late at night to that empty lot.
