Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

I freeze when I feel the hands, on my waist tightening. I know he is here to make fun of me. They have a bet with my dad and he keeps telling me that he will marry me if dad loses the bet.

Who does that? Anyway, life sucks.

Well, I do not know the truth behind that bet because dad wouldn’t tell me a thing. He has been behaving funnily lately. I thought it was something related to uncle’s death but clearly there is more to it than meets the eye.

I scan the surroundings and look at him in pure disgust. This guy has been on my case for the longest time I can remember. He claims that he loves me but I don’t love him. He claims that I am beautiful but I can’t say the same about him. He stinks of sweat and to me, that’s some sort of turn off.

He is the biggest jerk ever.

He has always wanted to marry me but hey, I have better plans for myself. I want to pursue my career, first of all, I want to get married to someone of my choice and not just anyone who thinks they can have me because dad owes them or something like that.

No bets at all.

Growing up in a humble background is both fun and sometimes no fun. It actually comes with different challenges but the biggest of them all is money issues.

Dad is languishing and wallowing in debts that he may never manage to pay at the end of the day, that’s the reason Liam here has always wanted to marry me. I hate to say this but dad is putting me through a very hard situation.

Liam too. He thinks he can exchange me for some money that dad owes him. I swear he is a fool!

‘’What are you doing here Liam?’’ I ask angrily and a smirk, an evil one forms on his lips. This dude here feels really great when he is intimidating people but he will not manage the same with me. I am going to teach him a lesson of his lifetime, it may never come today but I am sure that at the end of the day, I will manage to do it.

‘’And what do you think I want?’’ I hold his arm and throw it away with all my strength. He is strong but that doesn’t mean I am losing without trying.

Trying to me is something that I have to do.

It is necessary.

‘’I don’t care what you are doing Liam, I don’t care what you want. What I really do care about is you holding me inappropriately. Don’t ever do that or I will …’’

‘’Do what Clara? What will you do that has never been done?’’

‘’Nothing much, because you have been done to everything or almost everything. But don’t try me.’’

‘’WOW! I am scared. Someone is really scaring me.’’ He says dramatically making me feel disgusted.

‘’I have no time for you, Liam. You are making me angry and I am already sad. I am out of here already.’’ I say already on my heels o walk away.

‘’Aww! Little princess is sad, or should I say scared?’’ he says sarcastically. This guy disgusts me but as it is, I prefer not talking about the disgusting part because I am not supposed to disrespect anyone. I stop walking but don’t turn to look at him.

I keep checking the direction that the bus took, hoping that my beautiful cousin will change her mind and come back.

‘’What’s up princess?’’ he asks again and I turn to look at him, honestly speaking, this guy makes me sick. I feel like I am going to throw up any moments from now. ‘’Should I ask your cousin to come back?’’

He is asking me something very important but I am not willing to talk to him about anything. Not especially when this anything is about my cousin and best friend.

I walk away without saying another word and I am glad when he doesn’t make an effort to follow me. ‘’You will be begging me after that confused father of yours loses the bet,’’ he shouts uncouthly and I swear that hurts right inside my heart. I don’t say anything though, I walk away and head home without speaking much.

My godmother is seated on a bench in her compound. She looks so sad and disturbed. I walk very slowly. I have a lot going on in my mind. First, my dad turned wild when I asked to leave for the city. My intentions weren’t bad but he made me think otherwise. Second, Tabby leaves for the city. Leaving me with no one at all. She has been in the city, I know, but at this point and time, I really needed someone to be with me. Not that I am a baby who needs someone to babysit her, not really and three, that evil man, Liam who is trying to really frustrate my life.

He will pay for all these!

‘’I swear!’’ I say loudly and she turns to look at me.

‘’Why are you swearing young girl?’’ that’s how she calls me. I am confused and I don’t know what to tell her because I do not wanna worry her.

I smile sheepishly before responding innocently to her. Um … I … I was just thinking aloud godmother. Don’t worry about me. Okay?’’

‘’I will let that go, but just so you know I have known you for way too long and I know when you are not being honest. Whatever is troubling you isn’t just something that I as a parent should take for granted.’’

‘’I am fine, godmother, you know I don’t and can never hide anything from you, right?’’ she nods uncertainly. ‘’I miss her already.’’ She turns her head to look away and I know I just touched on her wound.

She loves her daughter so much. Sometimes I envy her and how much she is loved. Some of us are not so lucky when it comes to that.

I know that mum loves me so much. In her own way but she tends to make things a bit complicated when she tells dad everything I do. Sometimes, I just want us to do things as mum and daughter, dad doesn’t have to know. But maybe that’s her way of making things look like they have been solved. I feel like I can never trust her with a secret because then it means, dad will already know.

I remember the day I came home and told mum how a certain boy said I was beautiful, she listened to the story but the next thing I knew was dad calling me after supper to tell me that I shouldn’t trust a boy who is trying to flirt around.

Well, I thought mums are supposed to side with their daughters. She loves me and I am not complaining but I know she can do better if she didn’t go around talking to dad about all the things we talk about with her.

‘’Hey, young girl!’’ she waves her hands to my face startling me. ‘’Why would you be so lost in thoughts? I have been talking to you for a few minutes only to realize that I was actually speaking to myself. Are you really okay?’’

‘’Yes,’’ I lie innocently.

‘’Well, if you are, that’s good. I miss Tabby too but she had to go either way. Look, I don’t have anyone in the house anymore except you. Just don’t be sad because that’s really breaking me.’’

I smile at her before speaking. ‘’I am not sad godmother, all shall be well. I know that because I have you around.’’

‘’Good girl.’’

‘’I really do hope that my dad comes around and lets me go to the city.’’

‘’He will. Trust me, it is just a matter of time and he will let you go, okay?’’

‘’Sure,’’ I respond jovially. ‘’Umm … godmother,’’ she turns again to look at me when I call her.

‘’Yes my daughter, what can I do for you?’’

‘’I want to ask you what mum and dad are hiding from me. Why would dad threaten mum that he will tell me? Or rather what would he wanna tell me that I don’t know?’’

Somehow, her eyes widen and I wonder what is going on. She seems to be hiding something from me. Well, as she said, we have known each other all our lives and when she seems to be hiding something, I would know and she would too.

‘’Can you not think too much about that? Maybe your dad meant something else and not really what you think.’’ I already had a faint idea of what she would tell me and it pains me that she thinks I am a kid.

Anyway, it’s not her fault though. Maybe I should just trust what she is saying and continue believing that all shall be well.

‘’Thank you godmother, I am going home, I will be back in the evening to check on you,’’ I tell her and I stand up on my feet to leave.

Her eyes have something in them. She must be really sad but the expression she has I cannot really decipher. I hope nothing is really wrong.

My other siblings are doing their normal chores as I walk into the compound. Dad is seated and in an argument or in a deep story with mum. I don’t bother walking in their direction since I am still angry at how he manhandled me when he saw Luke hug me earlier.

‘’Where do you think you are going?’’ dad calls startling me. ‘’Come back here and tell me where you are coming from.’’ He shouts and without thinking twice.

I walk to where they are seated. I swear mum looks really sad but there is nothing I can do about it.

‘’Where were you Clara?’’ that’s my mum. I am sure dad has made her explain things she herself doesn’t understand.

‘’I was with my godmother. Why would you ask that?’’

She shrugs casually. ‘’because I wanna know.’’ I spot a fat tear rolling down her cheek making me wonder what the issue is.

All these years, our family has been cool and quiet. I have never seen problems like what I am seeing today.

Could this be because I asked to go to the city? What else, or rather how else can I explain this to myself? How do I justify the fact that dad just turned wild?

I wonder what my siblings feel about this.

I walk to the house when I feel the tension tense and I don’t know what to say next. I know mum is sad because of the tear I just saw but what can I do?

‘’Dad is behaving very differently.’’ Clare, my little sister comments when we’re preparing to go to bed. She and I share a small bed.

She is kinda my personal person and I love her a lot.

‘’Why would you say that?’’ I ask pretending that I do not know what exactly she is talking about.

‘’I saw the way he hit you earlier Clara. Don’t play damn with me because I don’t like it.’’

‘’He is our dad you know and he can do whatever he wants. I don’t give a damn!’’

‘’So he is allowed to hit you just because he is our dad?’’ she sneers slightly when asking that.

I shrug. ‘’I don’t really care what he does. After all, he sets the rules in his house and can punish anyone who doesn’t follow them.’’

‘’Did you break any rules by saying you wanted to go to the city?’’ she asks with a raised eyebrow making me shake my head. ‘’He is not allowed to hit you or anyone for that matter.’’

‘’That’s my strong sister,’’ I tell her teasingly making her chuckle. Clare has always been strong and firm in her decisions. No offense but if it was her who wanted to go to the city then dad’s opinion wouldn’t have mattered at all.

She would have left.

‘’Sweetheart, it’s time to sleep. Forget he did that and let’s have our sleep in peace.’’ I am so happy right now that we are sharing one bedroom with her because we can always have our little chit-chat in peace.

We talk about so many things. Clare is happy that I actually wanna go to the city. She says that maybe that will open my mind for better things to come.

I put off the lamp and we both drift into a sweet night's sleep.