With your parents’ separation and your brother leaving for college, your house became emptier, quieter, lonelier. The country was spiraling downward and money no longer stretched the same way, so your father had the brilliant idea of renting out the empty room to anyone who needed it.

Several people came and went. Mostly young women whom your father tried to turn into your “new mother,” though most of them ended in huge fights, the girls fleeing the house because of your father’s not-so-discreet attempts. But finally, after some time, Taylor rented the room. Taylor seemed perfect in every possible way. A singer, which meant she traveled constantly and needed nothing more than a place to stay for a few weeks or months—something that also meant she paid the rent upfront, even though she spent most of her time away, on tours around Europe or the country.

But when she was there? The atmosphere was strange. Your dad went after her—subtle, but persistent—and she? She didn’t flinch, or rather, she didn’t care about him at all… Once she grew more comfortable, she started coming into your room with silly excuses, bringing you gifts and chatting about her travels. Then she would fix your clothes at breakfast, or your hair at lunch. You weren’t stupid; you knew her intentions, and so the house became even more tense—a small, silent battle between your father and you for Taylor’s attention……

And you were winning the war.