Once they get to the movie theatre, Mina reaches for Simone's hand and the two of them walk in with their father in the lead. Feeling her sister's soft grip, some of Simone's sadness slightly fades and she smiles.
Mina picks the movie. It's the new Jumanji film featuring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black. Seeing Kevin Hart's name Simone felt excitement as she knew he was going to make her laugh.
Buying a large popcorn and two medium sodas, the three of them walked into the auditorium. Finding their seats, Mina sat in the middle with her father and sister on either side of her. The seats around them quickly filled. There were a lot of families here. A lot of kids who were chirping and laughing.
Simone felt her mood lift instantly. Growing up, her main outing with her mother was going to the movies. Her father was rarely there, but it was always a fun time for her and her mother. Apart from school, it was the one other place where she could forget about the weird energy inside her home.
As the last of the commercials ended, the lights in the room dimmed. As the film began, Simone and Mina ate their popcorn and immersed themselves into the action unfolding on the screen.
Simone felt even more nostalgic when she heard the beating of the drums before the characters got sucked in. This newer version of Jumanji really paid homage to the master piece which had starred Robin Williams. Simone felt some tears prickle in her eyes.
As the film progressed, Simone found herself laughing as much as Mina and the other children in the room. Many of the parents laughed as well watching Jack Black pretending to be a teenage girl and teaching one of the other female characters how to flirt.
At one point Simone laughed so loud she covered her mouth from embarrassment and quickly took a sip of her cola. Mina giggled happily, munching away on the popcorn.
But Ronald was not happy. He was already getting irritated by the excessive laughter from the other kids and hearing Simone suddenly honk like an elephant got on his nerves. He turned and glared at his eldest daughter. "Act you age and stop laughing like that. This is a film for kids. You're 28!"
Simone's head snapped to her father. She was shocked by what he said and instantly felt insecure. She wanted to refute him but knew that would only lead them to arguing in front of Mina as well as disturbing the rest of the audience.
A nearby man, who was shocked by how harshly Ronald had spoken to her cleared his throat and intervened. "I don't mean to intrude but movies can be enjoyed by all ages. You don't have to a kid to laugh at a kids film."
Ronald glared at the man. He was about to insult him, but decided against it when he saw that the man's wife had also looked in his direction.
Mina was also paying attention to the exchange.
Simone held up a hand as a peace gesture. "It's alright. There's no real issue here. Thank you, but please enjoy the movie with your family."
The man and his wife looked away. Their own kid briefly made eye contact with Simone before turning to his mother.
Simone rested back in her seat feeling irked and tired. She couldn't wait for this day to be over. Though she loved spending time with Mina, she hated that her asshole father couldn't just drop her off at her apartment and only come back when it was time to go. Why did he insist of following them around when he wasn't even interesting in truly engaging apart from sending insults her way?
For the rest of the movie Simone stayed quite. She smiled each time Mina laughed and looked her way. She would affectionately feed her popcorn from time until the movie ended.
Getting up and stretching, Simone crumpled the popcorn bag and finished the last of her drink. It took a while for them to get out as there were a lot of people heading towards the exit. Finally, stepping out into main hall Simone discarded their trash and wrapped an arm around Mina's shoulder as their father led them outside.
The time was only 4pm but Ronald was ready to leave. Mina got upset and reminded him that he'd promised they'd stay till 5. Simone pointed to a Dairy Queen across the street and suggested they go get ice-cream before saying bye. Mina agreed and Ronald relented.
"Fine, but after the ice-cream we're leaving. And I'm firm about that, Mina. No more stubbornness."
"Okay, Daddy."
They entered the restaurant and Simone's nose twitched at the stale air. Ronald seated himself at a nearby table as Simone and Mina went to stand in line. They ordered a medium chocolate cone and a banana split. Taking a seat across from their father, Mina dug into her banana split and Simone bit into her cone.
There was no conversation and Ronald kept looking at his watch.
Mina excused herself to go to the washroom.
An awkward and tense atmosphere ensued as Simone made a pointed effort to not look at her father. She kept eyes on her ice-cream and licked methodically.
"Stop eating so much ice-cream. You're already so fat." He reached over and grabbed the cone from her hands, tossing it into the trashcan behind him.
Simone was so taken aback, she did not know how to respond. She simply stared at her empty hand, the trashcan and then at her father's sneering face. She clenched her hands and looked away.
His spiteful voice lashed out at her again. "I know you have sleeping problems but that no excuse to just let yourself go. You're a young lady. You used to be in shape and look good before. What happened? Why do you look like a fat, slob now?"
Simone looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, trying not to cry. She didn't know why she was acting so wimpy. She was supposed to be a strong and assertive woman. Why did she always falter in front of her father? She hated this man so much.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he growled.
Simone head snapped up at the command. Her father reached over and slapped her across the face. Then he gave her a second slap, on the same cheek.
Simone jerked back, holding her palm to her stinging cheek. Her eyes watered.
Ronald leaned back and folded his arm. "That's for the disrespect and for letting Mina get bruised."