Searching for Love, Found Wealth

Many famous celebrities like China Anne McClain and Swass King supported it. I thought of making a group to compliment my page but decided against it.

Someone accepted my request. “That was fast” I smiled. His name was Alex Soto. I thought of starting a chat with him since he could possibly be online but then a notification came that my request to join “Black Lives Matter” has been approved. I exhaled, I tapped on the notification and it led me to the group.

Their posts weren’t all that fun, I concluded, after twenty minutes of surfing through it. Well, you don’t expect people being bullied for their skin color to be fun, right?

Alex Soto sent a message “hi, do I know you?” I ignored it. Like how do you get friends if you don’t first talk to strangers? He sent another, “by the way, nice to meet you!”.

Another notification came, “Your invitation to join ‘Teenagers Hangouts’ has been approved…”. I tapped on it too. The group was fun. The admin was a girl, Lydia Mark. I guess she was a black girl so I sent her a message, “hi”.

I also sent Alex Soto, “hello, too. Nice to meet you. How are you?” I thought of adding other things but someone else accepted my request so I left to check it.

I guess she was a Filipina, Hanna Cula. It was a cool name. Facebook seemed time consuming. I’ve already spent almost thirty minutes. I surfed my news feed and all the pictures I saw were about food.

Naturally I would be excited, but food weren’t my reason for opening a Facebook account, fighting racism was.

“I’m fine. My name is Alex” Alex texted. I wanted to ignore but then I realized that I haven’t updated my profile picture yet.

I didn’t have much pictures of myself. I quickly texted, “I’m Kiera” and left to check my gallery. My mom yelled my name so I switched off my data and ran to the kitchen.

“I just joined Facebook” I announced to her. She didn’t look happy. She was hiding something behind her.

“Um… I think we have a problem” she said. I cocked my eyebrows at her “which is..?”. She stared blankly into space. That’s my mom looking for the best way to break a sad news.

Fear began enveloping me. She slowly stretched out her hand and made a picture on the phone visible to me. It was a little girl. I was a bit confused on her skin color. She was the type you could call “American-African”. She wasn’t dark but wasn’t a white either.

“And who is that?” I questioned. My mom looked at the picture then at me. I looked at the picture again.

I didn’t notice it before but they was a man beside her. My dad! “Wait that’s my half-sister!” It sounded more like a question.

“Mom, I have a half-sister?” I asked her. She nodded and scrolled left on her phone. More pictures of the little girl came on.

She was sure treated like a Princess. Same way I was till Dad left. “Exactly the same age as you when your dad left” my mom mumbled.

She was seven or almost seven. Knowing I have a half-sister didn’t excite me so much like it should. My dad left me for her.

And it seemed my dad was trying to leave her for me. I didn’t want that to happen to her. I didn’t need my dad so she could have him. He could even be a curse to her.

“Oh goody, I have such a pretty half-sister” I sang as I went back to the parlor.

“She’d be visiting!”.

I stopped in my tracks. “Say what, mom?” I yelled. I heard her right. My half-sister was visiting. Aish… I wasn’t in the mood for big sister games.

“And how do you know mom?” I yelled again. My mom was now behind me.

“So you heard me the first time.” She smiled. I smiled back.

“Lucky you, you have a pretty little girl you can spoil. I have two”.

My mom seemed happy and what did she mean by she has two? Would she mother the girl too? Would I share a mom and a dad with her too?

“Meaning what? Don’t she have a mom? Must she share everything with me?” I queried. I didn’t expect my mom’s answer as I switched on my data and went on Facebook.

“Her mom is an abuser. She’s a white lady your dad married. But she didn’t really like your half-sister so she’ll be staying here”.

I felt a small spark in my head. White lady? Dad married a white lady?

“No wonder his life turned out that way, whites are trouble” I muttered but my mom didn’t hear me. I shook the thought off my head. Not all whites are trouble.

“She said she wants to be a lesbian and had to divorce your dad” mom continued. I faced her, “who wants to be lesbian? My half sister or her white mother?”. My mom said the latter.

I was still in shock that I accidentally opened Alex Soto’s message. I looked at my phone and then at mom.

“So a woman would abandon her daughter?”. I felt pity for the girl. Not only did her mom reject her but her mom would remarry. I don’t know how I’ll feel if my mom turns gay and leaves me.

“Mom, why do people become gay?” I asked. She tilted her heart to the left and then to the right.

“What can I say. It’s said to be natural. Falling in love with the same-sex is okay with them”.

I gasped then sent a “yes” to Alex Soto’s “stay safe, okay?”. I wanted to add “you too” but I just switched off my data again and grabbed my mom’s phone.

Maybe my little sister should come after all. I’d try to cheer her up in any way I can. She could find a new identity here. We are related by blood so it won’t be too weird. I hope.

Note: The gay reference is adopted by “true feelings of a writer” and not done to offend anyone. All are literary pieces of art.