My mother wanted me to get a simple retail job, and the thought ofmyself doing that was mortifying. It would be completely against my character. I am an intellectual whois destined for greatness. I would never perform a low-class service job.My father told me that I could work for his friend Karl Champley for a few weeks, to help him build astaircase in his new house. I knew Karl quite well, for he used to come over to father’s for dinneroccasionally. Karl was just finishing up building his new house in Woodland Hills, just a few minutesaway from father’s house, and he offered to hire me to help with the staircase.I agreed to take this job. Sure, construction work was lowly and laborious, but this was different. Thiswas more like assisting a friend, and it would be in a private environment. It was the perfect temporaryjob opportunity, and it would most definitely get my mother off my back. I still wasn’t able to drive, so Irode my bicycle there from mother’s house every morning. The trip on the bicycle took 30 minutes. Itwas grueling to ride a bicycle up that steep winding road every day, but it provided good exercise, whichI was in need of. I worked with Karl every weekday for about three weeks. It turned out to be quite apleasant experience. Karl was very friendly and I enjoyed working with him. When we finished thestaircase, which was a spiral staircase that led up to his roof-deck, we took a moment to admire thework we did.On my last day working for Karl, I decided to stop by at father’s house to have a drink. I was quiteparched from the bicycle ride. I entered the house without knocking because I believed I had the rightto. As the eldest son, the house should be my house after my father. Soumaya was surprised to see me,and she got angry that I didn’t knock. To teach me a lesson, she ordered me to go back outside andknock. I refused, telling her that she has no right to order me around anymore. I then helped myself to aglass of water. Soumaya knocked the glass of water out of my hand and it shattered on the floor. Fatherclamored angrily up the stairs from his office demanding to know what was going on. The three of ushad a heated argument, and of course father took Soumaya’s side. They both kicked me out of thehouse, telling me that I’m not to return. I felt betrayed and humiliated as I furiously made my way backto mother’s house. At that very moment, I hated both of them, and I wouldn’t see either of them formany months. For those months, my father was dead to me. My mother was all I had left in this bleak
