#3
1962 Words
ANGELA
“Angela,” My grandmother knocks on the door of my bedroom before walking in. “Angel, morning,”
“Ma, is there a problem?” I sit up on the bed, rubbing my eyes.
“The stove had stopped working. May you please prepare the fire outside so that I can make porridge,” I sigh, getting up from the bed. I wear my worn-out slippers and follow my grandmother outside.
My grandmother has to take her medicine every morning, or else she will have a relapse. Now, you see how we live? My mother, the only person that is supposed to take care of her own mother can’t even wake up to make a mere breakfast. It’s not like there’s anything that she is doing anyway. She is probably with a man in her room, nursing her hangover, argh!
I wrap a mini blanket around my waist and head out of my room.
As I am making the fire outside, the door opens from my mother’s room. My mother sleeps in a hut outside the main house. A man that I have never seen before walks out, wearing only boxers and my mother’s slippers. He stares at me and I inwardly roll my eyes at him, feeling annoyed, and continue with what I am busy with. I sometimes wish it could be my father walking out from that door. I don’t understand, why wouldn’t my father want to be part of my life. Maybe if my mother could tell me why he left us, why he left her pregnant with me. Maybe if I knew the reasons behind his disappearance, I wouldn’t be asking so much about him.
Sigh.
Sigh again.
“Good morning,” The man greets, coming back from the toilet. He better greet and leave. I don’t want my mother to find us together because it never ends well.
“Hi,” I say, kneeling in front of the starting fire, blowing more air so that it can come to life. I can feel him
“I never knew that Getty has a beautiful sister like you,” A beautiful… what? “You are built up so beautifully too,” This is what makes my mother and I have a fallout, always. It upsets me so much for old men to look at my body. My face tells it all that I am still very much young, my body too is not too shabby. I am a young eighteen-year-old girl with a firm butt, perky boobs, and curves, I mean, I am from a village and I eat my veggies and meat.
After making sure that the fire is strong enough, I get on my feet.
“Excuse me, I have to prepare breakfast for my grandmother,” I try to walk away, but this man holds my hand. “What are you doing? Let me go,” My tears start forming in my eyes.
“Why are you playing hard to get? Come on don’t be uptight, I can make you feel good like your sister,” He tightens his grip on my hand, but I resist.
“What are you doing?” That is Getty’s voice. This man quickly let go of my hand. “You have started with your rubbish!” A hot-stinging slap lands on my face, making me fall to the ground. I let out a loud cry, not raising up my face.
“Why did you do that!?” The man shouts at my mother.
“Don’t ask me that! This little girl always lures the men I bring here with her body, this stupid b***h. They all want a piece of her,”
“They?” The man’s tone was in so much shock. “Are you telling me that there is more of us?” As if he was not trying to make a move on me just now.
“So much noise so early in the morning!?” My grandmother slowly walks out of the house. I quickly get up, running into the house crying. “Angela!? Getty, what did you do to her now?”
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I get in my room, shut the door, and throw myself on the bed, covering my face with the pillow, suppressing my voice. The door suddenly opens, and I feel my bed sinking a little, making a squeaky noise. It is a very old single bed.
“Calm down, baby girl.,” Hearing that it is my grandmother, I finally remove the pillow and sit upright.
“Why does she hate me; what did I do to her for her to hate me this much? I can’t be longing for my father’s love and at the same time have my mother not wanting anything to do with me. It hurts, grandma, it hurts,” She pulls me into her embrace, without saying anything and brushes my back, calming me.
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Later on, after doing my house chores, I decided to take a stroll, just to get out of my mother’s sight. We would never survive an hour together in the same room.
As I am walking, one of two of my friends that I have here in the village approaches me going in the opposite direction of where I am going. Her name is Sophie.
“Angela, hi! How are you?” We both stop in our tracks to hug each other.
“I am still breathing. How are you, miss i********:?” She gives me a smirk. She always talks about things trending on i********: and how she wants to live an i********: life.
“I am good, but not as you are right now. I can even see the glow on your face. Dating must be good to you,” She compliments. I chuckle.
“Well, what can I say. Love is beautiful when you have the right person,” She laughs. Other than anything else, Logan is my second love and I hope that he doesn’t break my heart like my first. I love what we have going, and I love him.
“Wow, I am happy for you,” She now lives in a different city for school purposes, only comes during weekends and holidays. She is doing beauty therapy and also looks part. Her hair, nails, and make-up too. Not forgetting how she is dressed. I even feel small right now.
“So, what brings you here?”
She smiles and breathes out loud. This must be interesting.
“Let’s take a walk so that we can catch up,” She suggests.
We intertwine our arms, and she turns with me going in my direction. “So friend, I heard that the prince is coming back from his honeymoon with her fiancé on Saturday, and there will be a ceremony held for him, and everyone else in the village is invited,” I don’t understand why she is so excited for the prince I mean, he got married a month ago. He is twenty-eight years old and ten-freaking-years older than us. I do not get her fascination with the prince.
“Oh? So, you are going?” I ask.
Obviously, she is going, Angela! She is crushing on the prince.
“Definitely! Maybe he might be looking for a virgin wife this time,” I laughed at her stupid thought.
“He is old, for crying out loud, Sophie!”
“Excuse me? Have you seen how young the Queen looks with the King? Don’t be a bore. Anyway, won’t you come?” I sigh, thinking about how I should never involve myself with the Williams.
My life!
“I will see. How about we chill and then you tell all about beauty therapy?” I change the topic so that we don’t dwell on why I can’t make it to the ceremony.
We sit on the big rock where Logan and I always spend our time and talk and do more talk until Logan shows up.
“Ladies,” He greets us as he wraps his arms around me. He has officially started working at the palace six months ago as the guard. At least they wear nice black suits which look so good on him, unlike having to wear those traditional attires with animal skins and whatnot.
“Hi, Logan, always good to see you. Friend, that is my queue, see you around. She takes out her expensive latest iPhone and browses through it, as she is walking away.
“Okay, bye friend,” Logan pecks my lips. “How are you?”
“I am well… I got you something,” He searches in his pockets before he brings out a medium-sized Cadbury P.S. chocolate. “Tadaa!”
I laugh at his craziness. I take the chocolate which has an 'I Love You' message.
“Thank you, my love,” It's these small things that make me love him more and more every day.
Little things matter! It is the effort that importantly counts.
“Anything for you,” He sits on the rock, and I sit next to him, quietly.
He sighs as if he has something going on in his mind.
“What is on your mind?” I ask.
“How do you know that something is on my mind?” He wraps his arm around my small waist.
“I know you well enough to know that something is bothering you,” He lets out a little chuckle.
“There will be a ceremony at the palace this Saturday,” He fills me in.
“So, I heard.” I nod.
“More hands are needed at the palace. I thought of you, well, that’s if you would like to come and be part of those hands needed. It is only for one day though, but it comes with good pay,” My face beams.
“Of course!” I exclaim.
“So, tomorrow I am off. We can both walk to the palace so you can have an interview with the Queen and the Princess.”
I frown.
“Interview? I don’t think I can do that, Logan,” I panic, shaking my head.
“Yes, you can, my love. We can practice now for your interview… right now.” He insists.
“Even so, my mother will never allow me, Logan,” Logan sighs and nods. I can see a little disappointment in him. “But, what she doesn’t know won’t kill her, right?”
“Babe, do not pressure yourself. I don’t want you and your mother sending each other to the police station for something that could have been avoided. It’s okay if you can’t,” I shake my head.
“I want this job, I need it. Thank you so much,”
“Alright, love. Let’s eat our chocolate,” He says, making me gasp, holding my chest.
“I thought you bought it for me. It is mine, Logan,”
He pouts, making puppy eyes. I also imitate him, but we both end up laughing like two fools before I opened the chocolate and shared it with him. Though, I am kind of worried about tomorrow. What if I do not get the job? I am going to be so disappointed in myself.
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- Writer
