Marie Matías (Apt. 10C)

Marie woke up in a fog. Her thoughts were muddled and her heart raced a hundred beats a minute. All she wished for was some clarity in her life be it her purpose, her future, her family situation, and after Lochte’s speech from yesterday she finally came to the realization that she needed to make a decision about her father and that was to either end their relationship or to keep him in her life because it was her father after all. The two hadn’t gained much ground in their relationship. It was stagnant, consisting of small talk about the weather and food, yet they avoided talking about Marie’s mother. Marie felt as if no one understood how it felt to have someone ripped away from you in an instant and that someone was the person she was closest to in the world. In the back of Marie’s mind she knew her mother’s murder was at the merciless hands of one of her father’s enemies. Marie also knew that a conversation about her father’s doings in Colombia and his connection to her mother’s d...

Marie’s father had overextended his visit and he was now telling Marie that he wanted to stay even longer to “make sure his little girl was okay.” The two decided to go on a walk to the local bodega because they were just now able to leave the apartment. The remnants from the storm were cleared from the streets, and the sun was starting to poke out from the thick grey clouds that seemed to have wrapped the town in an eerie blanket for days. On their way to the grocery store Mr. Matías noticed a commotion at the library. “Marie look at all those people,” he exclaimed as he glanced through the huge glass library pane windows. “It’s probably nothing dad, just one of the boring speakers the town is always promoting. Come on we need to go the store before they close,” Marie sighed, slightly annoyed and on edge, as usual. However, Mr. Matías loved the excitement and buzz or energy that crowds often entailed so he pulled Marie into the library as he rambled on about how he wasn’t...

It was three days after the storm, and Marie still had not left her apartment. She was trapped inside with her Dad and Atlas, all of them slowly going crazy. Cabin fever they call it, when one starts to become irritable, and restless resulting from isolation in a confined place. Their food supply was dwindling; a few cans of chicken noodle soup, a handful of evian water bottles, and a few cups left of dog food. Marie wasn’t sure when she would be able to go to the grocery story or even leave her apartment because the destruction was simply devastating and all of the grocery stores within walkable distances were closed. All of the power lines were down and there was no electricity so Marie sparingly checked the news on her phone which provided only more bad news. The news broadcasted that it would be another couple of days until everything was up and running. Another couple of days until Marie could escape her Dad who was a stranger. For hours on end, Marie sat in her overstuffed, ...

Marie's dad has been living in the guest bedroom for a few days now. Marie's father keeps begging her to come home and she simply replies with, "I can't." She didn't know how to explain to her father that she wanted to cut all ties with him and Colombia. She couldn't find a way to break loose from his iron grip. He seemed to control every meticulous aspect of her life and everyone connected to Marie seemed to be on her dad's payroll in one way or another. Her dad constantly rambled about Colombia and how everyone was doing there yet somehow he failed to mention Marie's mother and avoided the tragedy as if it didn’t happen. It was driving Marie to insanity and she knew she needed to escape at least for a few hours or so. She yelled to her dad on the way out that she was going on a run and he called out mumbling something about the weather being bad. She went to Yelsnag park and starts smoking a cigarette to take the edge off. She looked up to se...

It was early Saturday morning, and Marie paced around her apartment complex holding a steaming mug of milk with sugar, a treat her mother always made for her when she was young. Five steps to the left, five steps to the right, back and forth anxiously biting her freshly manicured nails. She decided she needed to leave her suffocating apartment because she could not stop thinking about her father. Marie’s father, Nicolás, booked a plane ticket immediately to come see her after receiving the news of Mr. Evan’s death. After all, he was paying Mr. Evans to look out for his daughter while he was in Colombia. Marie’s nervousness surrounding her dad’s visit began to overwhelm her. She knew George would listen to her because they spoke often during in the early mornings while Marie walked Atlas. George was standing by the doorway with a smiling face. Marie approached George, “Hey Georgie. How are you today? Do you have a minute?” George replied, “I woke up today and was able to g...

The blaring 5:30 a.m. alarm startled Marie from her sleep, but she looked forward to the sounds as it provided her relief from restless sleep. She heard of people feeling refreshed when they awoke, but she knew that would never be her. Marie walked to her kitchen through her small but stylish apartment with all white marble counters, Colombian artwork lining the walls, and white fur rugs covering the scratched old maple wood floors. She sipped her steaming cup of black coffee, ate her banana and slice of grain toast while checking her social media and emails. Her simple but daily routine was the only way she could remain sane. Atlas, a 120 pound Siberian Husky who was a pity present from her father following her mother’s death, was just beginning to stir. Her father has been giving her pity presents since she was 18 because of the guilt he felt in playing a role in his wife’s murder. Marie accepted the gifts anyways and found great companionship in Atlas while living alone the past 4 ...