Perfect Imperfections by Unknown

watered by the sudden realization.
    She wondered about the hardships her mother had faced. The hurt that Kim had often seen in Judith’s eyes and the guilt in her father’s began to make sense to her.
    She recalled hearing her parents argue one night. She had been only fourteen and they had just moved to Dubai. “Richard, you need to realize that you have a family, two girls who depend on you,” Judith had said and that was followed by a deafening pause.
    “We cannot keep moving every few years,” she had continued. “You need to swallow your pride or ego or whatever it is that you have with your bosses and stick it out with a job. We cannot live like this anymore. Fifteen years is a long time for me to allow you to do things your way. Don’t you see we need to give these girls some stability?"
    Until then, Kim had never heard her mom speak in a loud voice. It had sounded like a stranger's voice to her. Then she had heard Richard’s protest, “Judith, you know I cannot work for such people — such unintelligent narrow-minded people who want mechanical work and have no room for imagination and cannot appreciate new ideas and innovations, even though that is exactly why they hire me. Do you know how stifling it is? Do you want me to be unhappy and work just for the money?” Richard’s voice was calm, in stark opposition to Judith’s angry one.
    “Yes! Yes Richard, I want you to work for the money for once,” Judith had replied with all her anger intact, “because that is what will buy you and your family a comfortable life. If that makes you unhappy then that is your problem to deal with. Not your little Sammy’s or Kimmy’s, who were sent back home from school because we have not paid their fees since last term. Did you not see their faces? Did it not break your heart?”
    Judith had broken down just then and there had been a momentary silence, for she had collected herself almost immediately and said, “Richard, we cannot live like this. At least, let me go look for a job till you find something that you are happy with. It will be a temporary thing.”
    Once again, there had been silence after that, which had left little Kim wondering why her mother needed her father’s permission to look for a job. It would not be until another year when she got to know that her mother was from a very affluent family in Canada and had married her much elder brother's best friend, very much against her family’s wishes. Her parents had been in love despite the fourteen-year age gap, but soon her mother had faced the hardships caused by her father’s brilliance and inability to work under people, leaving them to live a very basic life. On most days, it had been merely hand-to-mouth. When the temporary agreement of her mother working had become a permanent one, Kim could not remember.

CHAPTER 9
    Kim didn’t realize when the darkness of the night sky began to fade away and turn to light. But she knew she couldn’t stay in bed any longer. She felt the urgent need to shed the memories that had haunted her the whole night. She wanted to bury them, erase them, but experience told her that such memories never go away; they return to haunt at the oddest hours.
    The many places Kim had been fortunate to travel to, she had loved to experiment with morning beverages. The Turkish coffee, Café Cubano, Restretto, Café Bombon — these were some of her favorites, which went beyond the various versions of cappuccino and latte. Kim had mastered these tastes, and she even prepared them with some mastery as often as she could. She also enjoyed her teas, and had mastered many of them too.
    But today, she wanted her trusted latte. She knew caffeine would be the only thing that could help her get through this day.
    Judith and Sam weren’t up yet, which meant there was still some time. Kim sat by the window, looking at the quiet street and stared straight ahead as far as she could see. She noticed nothing on the roads, but was still