A misunderstanding
Melina woke up the next morning to Lara banging on her door. She rubbed her face already knowing what this was about. Paula had said something to her mother about how she handled Andrew and how she called her sister a whore. It didn't matter what Melina wanted Andrew was Lara's pick. Melina didn't want to date a guy who only agreed because her sister asked him too. To Melina everyone was doing a lot of arranging for her to dismiss people. She didn't want to date anyone . Micheal and Matt was the only ones she chose to date and she saw how well that turned out. She didn't want to be with anyone. She wanted to be left alone and she didn't understand how making her date friends of her sisters did anything other than make her look like a charity project. She was still supervised. She couldn't drive alone, she had to date who her family picked out. This was not being normal. This was oppression. Her mother wanted her to be a nun and her sisters wanted her to have experience. It was like an oxymoron example she was given. All her aunt had to do was let her stay with her as this was horrible the way her family treated her. Landon understood her objections why couldn't Paula and her mother accept it.
Melina opened the door as her mother threatened to remove the door if she didn't unlock the door. Her mother was always pushing her power around . Melina remembered when Paula lost her door and she didn't care if everyone in this house didn't see it as an open door policy when your door was missing. Melina opened the door
" what!" She said knowing that her mother was ready to fight so the pleasantries could be spared as it was a waste of effort to be nice to Lara.
" Don't you what me little girl!" Lara said with her four foot stance as Melina was now five foot . She got in Melina's face an entire foot shorter than her as she tried to remind Melina she was a little girl.
" I'm taller than you. I'm not little anymore. What do you want?" Melina said as she didn't have time for this nonsense as she had to be at work in a few hours. " Don't talk back to me.
" Lara snapped as Melina was tired of her over extended bravado and beating around the bush tactics. She wish she would just get to the point as she loathed small pointless conversations.
" What do you want?" Melina asked again as she need to use the restroom and start to get ready. " Why did you talk to Andrew that way. How the hell are you supposed to find someone is your always acting like a bitch." Lara said as Melina started to brush her teeth.
" Technically I didn't say it to him. I said it to Landon and I was on speaker phone . Everyone knows I'm not speaker phone friendly. Second who said I wanted to find anyone. That is your dream mother not mine. I'm fine living the rest of my existence alone. I didn't want to go out with him you and Paula set it up without asking my opinion about it." Melina said as she brushed her teeth hoping her mother would leave it alone. But that wouldn't be Lara's style .
" He was a nice boy and you shit on him. You will give him another chance." Demanded Lara as melina's rinsed her mouth.
" I will not give him another chance because I don't like sharing my experiences with my sister as my comparison. If you like him so much you date him." Melina said as she felt the hard slap of her mother's hand as then she wrapped her hands around her neck as the fight broke out as the two exchanged blows as David came in trying to break up the two from fighting. Melina was tired of her mother imposing her agenda on her. Melina didn't want to be anything like her mother and dating was the same.
She didn't like Andrew and she wasn't going to date a guy she didn't want to no matter what her mother or sister said. The two slapped and punched and fought as David pulled Lara off of Melina as Melina was too invested in the fight and jumped on her as Lara had a bloody mouth as David put Melina back as he put Lara behind him.
" Move David. This is between me and my mother." Melina said as she wasn't going to let her mother dictate her love life.
" No it's not . You can't hit your mother like that no matter what she did. " He said as Lara held her mouth .
" She hit me first. I was just finishing it." Melina said as David still wouldn't move.
" You need to respect your parents." He said as Melina began to laugh.
" Your not my real father you can't tell me what to do. Mother get your husband because he thinks he is my father." Melina said as David looked like he was going to hit her.
" I'm glad I'm not your father as he is a pedophile who touches his own kids." Said David as he was looking to hurt Melina like she hurt him. If it had been Paula and Mia that turn around would have triggered them talking about their beloved father. But not Melina.
Melina had no love for her father either. He was like a cancer to her soul.
" That doesn't work on me. I wouldn't care if he lived or died. The fucker can burn for all I care. " Melina spatted as Lara eyes flared at the words Melina said against the man she clearly still loved as she grabbed Melina's hair yanking it .
David realized he messed up as Melina didn't care to have a father . To Melina davis was just a place setter as her mother didn't stay with men for long and she would have another man trying to be her father so there was no use getting attached to them anyways.
Melina had had six potential dads in her time and none of them earned the name they wanted or the respect they demanded. They were all temporary to her and did nothing for her but keep her mother occupied for a moment.
When they realized how much trouble her daughters were they left and she had another boyfriend weeks later.
He uncurled Lara's hand out of Melina's hair as he took Lara to the room with him. He knew there was no reasoning with Melina as she had her mind set on raising herself. This was a normal conversation between Lara and her daughters.
The fight was inevitable with the Mcnally's. Even holidays someone always brawled . It was the luck of the draw who it would be . The Mcnally's didn't like others picking on them but would be the first to jump on there own. A perfect dysfunctional family made in hell.
Melina went to work with bruise on her neck and a red mark on her face. Her boss Matt usually stayed out of things as this was a normal for Melina showing up with a scratch here and there but she was on time and a good worker. He looked at her as he opened his mouth to ask then stopped . He could tell Melina was going through a few things at home.
" How about we train you in the prep area and you help cici the cook today ." He suggested as the rest of the coworkers recognized the busted lip and swollen jaw line.
" Okay. That's fine." Said Melina as she went to wash up and get to the prep area. Melina recognized the sympathy he tried to show but sympathy looked like feeling sorry to her and she didn't like anyone sorry for her as she wrote it off as it would look bad for business to be taking orders looking like an abuse victim.
" Also when you get some time today I need to see you about something." Matt said as he rarely needed to talk to the crew as they all worked well together. Melina nodded as she worked in the back hiding her appearance. When the shift was almost over Matt sat in his chair at his desk in his office as he had a tape paused.
The store often had cameras so Melina was confused what was going on. Melina sat down ready to embrace the worst case scenario.
" You need to fire Alicia ." He said calmly. Melina was confused. Alicia was a girl who she went to school with as she had failed tenth grade lie three times and when she needed a job she went with Alicia to job hunt. Then she asked her to vouch for her at chick fil-a and Melina didn't think nothing of it as she had worked there a year now and Matt thought she had good judge of character.
" Why do I need to fire her. I'm not a manager?" Said Melina as Alicia and her were sorta in a love and hate friendship. Alicia was older than Melina and she had a reputation for violence . That and her bragging about her screwing her best friends boyfriend. Which Melina wrote off as prideful bluffing . Girls sharing tall stories .Even if it was true she didn't consider Alicia a friend they rode to school together sometimes .
But she kept her at arms length for good reason.
" You vouched for her. You told me she was a good fit. You insisted I hire her even though I didn't think she would work out. I went on your words." He explained as it clicked in her head this was her fault and he was just teaching her a lesson to not put your name behind anyone as it effected your job as well.
" I understand. What did she do to get terminated? I know I not supposed to ask but I need to know why I need to fire her." Melina said as she knew he didn't have to offer Melina an explanation but Melina wanted to know if it really was her problem to draw a line between Alicia and her job.
Matt pressed play on the paused video as Melina watched in horror as Alicia was seen on her knees giving oral sex to another employee as she didn't bother to close the damn door. Melina felt ashamed this was what her vouch did. The other employee was a minor as Alicia was already eighteen and he was fifteen. Melina Understood why Matt was upset and wanted her gone.
" What the fuck. That's disgusting. Did the other guy get fired too. You know what that's none of my business what happened to him. That is fucked up like gross . Couldn't they wait till they left. Nevermind scratch that thought ." Said Melina as she was disgusted at what she saw.
"Yes it is. I'm sorry I had to show that to you and it was inappropriate for me to do so but I don't want this to become a legal issue with it happening on the business property. " He said as Melina understood.
" Okay just hand me the pink slip. I will sign it and explain it to her when she comes in next time. " Melina said knowing Alicia forced her hand in this manner with her actions. "
She comes in the morning. I have you two scheduled together. I need this handled before she starts her shift. " He said as Melina understood what she had to do.