Blooming Against the Stream

Chapter Four

Mom left.

Dad went out searching for several days, and one early morning, he returned looking utterly defeated. As soon as he got home, he started drinking, one bottle after another, until he finally passed out drunk on the sofa.

Dad worked as a supervisor at the textile factory. He was a bit reserved in character and not very talkative. Although he had a slight limp in one leg, I liked him the most. He used to play games with me and would carry me on his shoulders, kissing my cheeks.

The next day he woke up and started drinking again.

Brother William tried to stop him, but ended up getting slapped by him.

Dad didn't say anything, but the news about our family had already spread throughout the neighborhood.

"Elena ran off with another man."

"I heard Bella is actually their illegitimate child."

"Oh my god! How many years has he been wearing that green hat? I always knew she wasn't a decent woman."

"I heard that man rented a place to keep her, and when Stockard went to confront them, he got beaten up by the doorman."

The women talked openly and boldly, as if they didn't notice me standing right there, or perhaps they were deliberately saying it for me to hear.

The kids at school found out too, and they were as excited as if Napoleon had discovered the New World.

"Hey! I heard your mom became a whore."

The first boy who said that to me got punched in the face by me, but then he beat me up badly. By the time the teacher came to separate us, I was already bruised and swollen.

Later, they cursed even more viciously. They said a w***e's child is also a w***e. They stopped calling me by my name and instead laughingly called me "dirty whore."

What hurt me the most was that Lilian didn't condemn them at all. She still joked and played with them, being their friend.

I cried over and over, hiding under the covers at night, soaking my pillow with tears. I didn't know what I had done wrong, why they were treating me like this. I was already so pitiful, yet they still bullied me.

Until one day, when I was passing by the big bridge outside Milton, I saw Sister Jolene.

It was nearly evening, and many heavily made-up women were loitering near the bridge. Men gathered around like dark swarms of insects, and men and women flirted with each other, exchanging ambiguous laughter.

Jolene wore a half-slipped dress, a man was grabbing her face saying something, she nodded expressionlessly and led the man into the low house nearby. About ten minutes later, the man left, and Sister Jolene came out. Shortly after, she brought another man inside.

I didn't know what a w***e was before, but now I vaguely understand - a w***e is a woman who exchanges her body for food and shelter.

Besides this, a w***e is Sister Jolene, a woman who gets bullied by everyone and can't fight back. The weaker she is, the more others bully her.

I realized that crying is useless. One can only rely on oneself. When you're down and out, it's already good enough if others don't take advantage to bully you - there's no way they'll extend a helping hand.

From that day on, I poured all my energy into studying, as if this could distract me and make me forget the troubles in reality. At the same time, whenever someone insulted me to my face, I'd fight back with all my might. Although I always ended up being the one beaten badly, over time, no one dared to call me a dirty w***e to my face anymore.

Dad got drunk every day. He stopped going to work, and soon our family ran out of money.

One evening, Dad called me over and threw something at me.

"Go to the bar, use this to pay off our debt and buy a bottle of liquor back."

It was Mom's gold necklace - a thin twisted chain with an angel pendant. I really liked it and often secretly wore it with Bella.

So, did she leave in such a hurry that she didn't even take this?

Jonathan's Bar was large and grandly decorated, with electric lights installed inside. Electric lights were different from gas lamps - they didn't produce smoke or strange smells. When turned on, the entire room became as bright as daytime.

The place was bustling with only adult men. I was somewhat scared and watched for a long time until my feet went numb before finally stepping inside.

It was like entering another world - a novel yet bewildering place filled with various noisy sounds. The high bar counter near the entrance was packed with drinkers loudly talking, laughing heartily, and cursing loudly. Glittering glasses were filled with beer, and men tilted their heads back to drink it all in one go. A bartender stood behind the counter, refilling everyone's glasses with a leather hose. Further in were several rows of low tables surrounded by red leather sofas. Two blonde girls carried trays, smiling as they served drinks and food to customers.

I noticed a group of men gathered in the corner at the far end of the bar.

It was a single room with a beaded curtain hanging in the doorway. Through the beads, I could vaguely see a man kneeling by a table, pleading and crying.

Two young men were sitting on the sofa.

I knew them. Although I had only stolen glances from afar a few times, their faces were firmly etched in my memory. They were Bill and Heine's older brothers, the heads of the Jonas family.

Mrs. Jonas was named Jenny, and she had five sons. The eldest was Conrad, the second was Hagar, the third was Hanson, and then the twins Bill and Heine.

Mr. Jonas had died ten years ago. The "Mr. Jonas" who now struck fear into people's hearts referred to the eldest, Conrad, and the second son, Hagar.

They were young, handsome, and strongly built, wearing fine shirts and vests with golden pocket watch chains dangling from the vest pockets—as respectable as men from fashion magazines.

At that moment, they lounged casually on the sofa, leisurely smoking and chatting as if completely unaware of the weeping, begging man at their feet.

I walked to the bar, stood on my tiptoes, and grabbed the edge of the counter that was too high for me.

"Hello, sir," I said softly.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The bartender was a soft-spoken middle-aged man.

"My father sent me to pay off his debt. His name is Stockard Narcisse."

I took out the gold necklace and held it out for the bartender to see.

The bartender's fingers were long and pale, but they closed over it like a net. Suddenly, I realized that once he took the necklace, I would have nothing left of my mother. Dad had thrown away everything related to her. Instinctively, I pulled my hand back.

The bartender leaned down, his eyes level with mine. "Miss, do you want to pay the debt or not? Where is your father? Why did he send you?"

Dad hadn't left the house for a long time; I knew he was ashamed.

I clutched the necklace, my palm sweating. But I knew no matter how tightly I held on, I couldn't keep it—just like when Mom left, I couldn't hold onto the hem of her clothes.

I offered the necklace again. The bartender weighed it, then casually tossed it into a box under the counter. He had me sign a paper and handed me a bottle of liquor, saying it was already on the tab.

As I walked out carrying the liquor bottle, a young girl was shoved inside.

It was ugly Hannah.

Sister Hannah was the ugliest girl around. She was dark and thin, with prominent cheekbones, a flat nose, and one eye that was slightly crooked.

The man kneeling inside turned out to be Hannah's sister's father, who was dragged out and brought before Hannah's sister.

Mike, an enforcer for the Jonas family, was smoking at the bar and mockingly said, "Others who can't repay their debts can send their daughters to the brothel, but you? Your daughter probably couldn't even get a man to sleep with her even if she spread her legs for free."

Laughter erupted throughout the tavern.

Amid the laughter, Hannah's sister hugged her arms and cried like a helpless child, but her tears didn't evoke any pity. Instead, someone laughed and cursed, "Look at her, she's probably an idiot."

"I know you need money. How about this: the tavern's been lacking atmosphere lately. Have your daughter stand on the bar and imitate a dog or a cow. If she performs for 20 minutes, I'll waive this month's interest. You can repay next month. What do you say?" Mike said with a smile.

"Please don't, I beg you..." Hannah's father wept bitterly.

But Mike suddenly dropped his joking demeanor and said grimly, "Don't be ungrateful. Do you know how much your monthly interest is? It's what a man earns carrying sacks at the factory for a month! Your daughter can earn it in just twenty minutes without even spreading her legs. So, what do you say? Hurry up and agree."

In the end, Hannah's sister climbed onto the bar amid the crowd's jeers. She made two sounds, then couldn't produce any more, finally crouching on the bar and sobbing.

Mike laughed, "Darling, that won't do. You have to keep it up for 20 minutes."

The tavern was bustling with noise, and a drunken man shouted, "Go on, b***h, make more noise!"

I don't know where I found the courage, but I walked straight up to Mike.

At first, my voice was very soft, and Mike didn't hear me. He leaned down and asked, "What did you say, little thing?"

"I can also stand up there and bark like a dog! When I'm done, can you give me back my mother's necklace?"

I shouted so loudly that the tavern fell silent for a moment, but then even louder laughter erupted: "Hey, this is a pretty good business—people are fighting to do it now."

Mike frowned, looking at me with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Get lost, little thing. This has nothing to do with you."

"I can stand up there and bark for two hours, all night! Please, give me back my mother's necklace!" I shouted again.

This time, no one laughed, because a tall man approached from the back. People made way for him as he walked behind the bar and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

It was Hagar Jonas, the second son of the Jonas family.

The bartender whispered a few words and took out my mother's necklace to show him.

Hagar took the necklace, his deep blue eyes looking at me as he smiled and said, "Alright, little girl, stand up there and bark like a dog for four hours, and this necklace is yours."

I quickly climbed onto the bar counter and started barking, "Woof woof woof!"

Perhaps there's nothing particularly unusual about a child barking like a dog, so people laughed for a while and then stopped paying attention to me.

I secretly said to Sister Hannah, "You bark too. Once you're done, you can go home with your dad. Don't be afraid, I'm here with you."

Sister Hannah looked at me in disbelief, and after a while she started barking softly with me, but people no longer had much interest in mocking her.

Twenty minutes later, she helped her father leave the tavern.