Chapter 1: Family dinner

My name is Jennifer Martin and this is my story.

It is said that the happiest days in the life of a person are the day of his marriage and the birth of their first child. If they had asked me then, I would have affirmed with absolute certainty that nothing could make me happier than how I was atthat midsummer day. I was so euphoric that I jumped nimbly out of the convertible car of my friend Rose in the same instant when the car stopped. My long black hair were moved by a light breeze and the last rays of the sun (that was setting) hit my fair skin. I greeted my friend who was parking her BMW and I ran towards my house which was located in two blocks away.

I could not believe I got the part, I could not believe that my life was about to change forever. Instead of running straight at home, I took several detours to train since that day I skipped my morning run. I was the captain of the women’s soccer team at my school and I could not afford to be out of shape at the beginning of the senior year. An athletic body and a beautiful face made me definitely an attractive girl, but I never considered myself beautiful as a model, unlike my mother that even then that she was forty years old, was a stunning beauty with her beautiful red hair that unfortunately I had not inherited, taking instead the most common black hair of my father.

I paused for a moment with tears in my eyes, thinking about how my father would have been proud to hear that I had gotten such an important part. Cinema had been his great passion and everyone still say that Robert Martin would become one of the most important directors in the history if only he had a little more time. But a tragic accident in the mountains had taken away the promising director, had taken away my father when I was just thirteen. I tried to remove from my mind that fateful day of five years earlier, and I resumed my run.

I saw that it was nearly seven and I ran to my house, where it was waiting for me a very interesting dinner and my mother had told me that there would be even Aunt Emma, which is a rare thing since the two sisters were not very united, probably because of the great competition that there had been between them in the past, a competition similar to the one that existed between me and my “beloved” cousin Kaley, who fortunately would have not been present at the dinner, definitely too angry to be finished second and not having obtained the part. While I smiled triumphantly thinking back to the defeat of my cousin, I turned the corner and I went crashing into a boy with tousled hair.

- Be careful where you go - I shouted to the boy who wore glasses with thick lenses and braces on his teeth

- I’m sorry - he stammered even though it was not his fault, and he stooped to pick up his books that had fallen on the ground.

With a kick I threw a book in the middle of the road and it was almost hit by a passing car. I resumed my run without giving a further look at that miserable nerd.

When I got home I found my mother waiting for me in the living room and when she saw me come in, she ran to hug me and congratulated with me. I drank a fresh lemonade and I went to take a shower to wash away all the sweat and to relax my muscles. Like any girl I spent so much time in the bathroom that when I came back downstairs, dinner was ready and Aunt Emma had arrived. My aunt was almost identical to my mother, and perhaps she looked even better than her sister. Her long red hair was brighter than ever, and her green eyes were wonderful. Once again I could not help but regret not having taken the genetic heritage of my mother and of my aunt.

- Here she is our great actress - my mother said to my aunt when she saw me, careless that I had got the part at the expense of my cousin Kaley.

My aunt, however, seemed not to notice the little dig of her sister and hugged me warmly. Her scent was intoxicating, and I was a little sorry to separate from her, breaking the embrace. Aunt Emma was very elegant, and I could not but adore her white dress that fell to the height of the knees and her black stockings on her perfect legs. At her feet she was wearing expensive black high heels of a famous Italian brand. I was almost paralyzed, looking at her shoes for almost a minute, then my mother call my name and she brought me back to reality

- Jennifer, take a seat at the table -

Aunt Emma sat down next to me and I saw her crossing her legs elegantly and I could not help but peek back down at her feet

- Jennifer, tell us what those of the production told to you, why they chose you - said my mother that apparently wanted to rage on my aunt, making me say why they chose me for that important part and not her daughter.

- They did not say much, or maybe I was too excited and I did not understand much. It is a fact that I got the part and I’m very happy about this - I said, trying not to look at my aunt’s face.

- She is just like her mother. I still remember when I got my first part. It was in the movie “A scandal at the Casino”, do you remember it, Emma? - said my mother that she had got the part instead of her sister.

- I remember well - Aunt Emma said with a broad smile on her face that made her look even more beautiful - I also remember that it was one of the biggest flop of Donald Stein, he has not directed many films after that failure -

- Well, you can not always be successful - replied my mother, who had suffered the blow of her sister.

To prevent that the two sisters continued to throw barbs each others or began to discuss seriously, I tried to think of something interesting to say that might distract them.

- You have really beautiful shoes, Aunt - I said without thinking but still reaching my goal and distracting the two women.

- I’m glad you like them, I bought them last week. I must confess that I have spent a small fortune for them but it seems that it was worth it given that they attract so many glances at my feet -

I do not know why but her words made me blush intensely and I began to eat the disgusting soup that my mother had prepared. Usually she did not cook but Mary, our maid, was out of town for a few days.