Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Elizabeth leaned on the balcony as she stared outside absentmindedly.

The sky was beginning to darken as the sun went behind the cloud. It was as if the sky and the clouds could feel her predicament, that they decided to sympathize with her by turning gloomy and dark. Dusk was far from approaching yet, but there was little light to illuminate the earth.

"God please help me," Elizabeth muttered sadly as she tried to fight back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Her chest tightened as the pain diffused all over her body.

That moment, Elizabeth preferred she had physical wounds than the pain that was passing through her heart.

She clutched the mop stick she was using to clean the mansion tight and allowed the tears to flow unbridled and unhindered. She could only sob quietly. She wouldn't dare let Karen or Ms Smith find her wailing loudly. They wouldn't care if she was already in pain but would add even more salt to her injury.

"Mother, why? Why did you leave me in this cold world? I...I feel....so lonely...I can't take...this...any...more."

"Father, please help me..."

It was the second time and also the last time she would do the cleaning for that particular day. She still had a few more days to go but she was already feeling the excruciating pain from her overworked body.

Her back was aching badly, her palms were already reddish and she was having a hard time opening them without force.

"Aaah!" She groaned in pain as she tried to stand upright. She heard footsteps approaching towards the balcony where she was. Elizabeth quickly stood erect and immediately acted like she was busy. She began to do imaginary cleaning on the floor. She thought that it was either Karen or Ms Smith that was coming towards her.

To her relief, it happened to be Mia, one of the maids.

Mia stopped in front of Elizabeth. There was evidence of pity written on her face.

" What on earth is your crime against this family, Elizabeth?" Mia asked.

Elizabeth didn't know if she expected an answer from her to the question she just asked her or was it a rhetorical question. Because even herself couldn't identify where she had gone wrong or intentionally offended the Smith's family.

"Humm, I wish I had an idea. "

" Hmmmm," Mia sighed. "How can I be of help? Let me help you with that," she said and made her collect the mop stick from Elizabeth.

"Erm, noo. It's alright. I will be okay. You shouldn't be here Mia. Don't worry about me. I'm just about to round up," Elizabeth refused.

"Hmm. Okay. If you insist. Just try as much as you can not to always get into trouble with them," Mia said and left the balcony leaving Elizabeth to her fate and cross to bear alone.

It was on the third day of Elizabeth's punishment. She was completely worn out already. Her legs and hands were begging to rest. Her body ached terribly.

She couldn't feed properly because her appetite was gone such that the smell of food does not arouse her appetite anymore.

That very day, she was done with the morning and first cleaning of the day and decided to rest her body a little as she prepared for the evening and second turn.

As she sat there calmly, her thoughts wandered. She saw herself when she was little.

"Elizabeth!"

"Yes mum," Elizabeth answered her mother, Ms Johnson and ran out of the room to see her mother.

"Come. Come sit with me," Elizabeth's mother said and motioned for her to sit on her lap. Elizabeth loved that. She didn't hesitate a bit.

"U hmm ha ha," laughed Elizabeth as her mother tickled her while she sat on her laps.

"Mum. It tickles, ha ha uh uh ha," she continued to laugh.

"You know mum loves you right?" Ms Johnson asked Elizabeth as she looked into her eyes.

Elizabeth nodded while she twisted her fingers.

"Look at me Elizabeth,"

Elizabeth turned now and faced her mother.

"I love you my daughter, don't forget that. Alright? Do you love mummy?"

Elizabeth nodded again.

"No baby, talk. I want you to say it. Do you love mummy?" she asked again.

"Yes mummy," answered Elizabeth with a big smile as she rounded her mother's neck with her hands.

Tears were now beginning to cloud her mother's eyes.

"Don't cry mum. I love you very much."

"I love you, my daughter. Oh my sweet daughter."

Mother and daughter enveloped each other in a hug. Ms Johnson was crying silently.

Little Elizabeth then couldn't understand why her mother cried that day. But it was after some years she understood why her mother cried that day.

Tears had completely filled Elizabeth's eyes. She understood why that memory in particular made her cry always. She was young then and didn't understand why her mother behaved that way that day but a week later after that day, her mother disappeared into thin air. No one saw nor heard from her. It was as if she vanished. She was thoroughly searched for but was never found.

Elizabeth remembered how her father told her stories to cover it up. She still wanted her mother then but with time, she gradually adapted and missed her less.

But she couldn't understand why the memory makes her cry now since she didn't cry then but she realized it hurts her most now, maybe because she is now an adult.

Sometimes, she dared to think if her mother hadn't left, maybe she wouldn't have ended up where she was now, maybe she would have been happy.

She loved her mother very much then but now she doesn't know if she still feels that way towards her. It had been a long time since she left and never returned. It hurts her that her own mother left her that way without considering her feelings.

She was afraid the love she had for her had been replaced by hate, betrayal and anger. She wondered if she was still alive wherever she was.

A question popped up in her head, if her mother ever comes back to her, would she forgive her?

She hated these types of questions popping up in her head, especially about her mother. She always avoids thinking about it.

What if there was a reason that made her take that decision?

"Whatever was the problem or reason she had then, she had no right to leave me and run off!" Elizabeth yelled in anger as she fought with the thoughts and questions popping up in her head. She bursted into another fresh tears.