To Have And To Hold

Chapter 1: "Get out of my sight you ungrateful wretch" Aunty Mary Jane's words, pierced through my ears to my soul. "Mom, is it me or does she stink?" Dorris pinched her nose with her fingers, staring at me like I had something weird on my face, or my whole body. "Ignore her darling" Mary Jane hissed and walked away "My mom is just trying to help you" Dorris stood up and walked closer to me, still with obvious irritation on her face "Sign the damn papers and make your life easy" Her audacity was intriguing, little Dorris, trying to advise me. I kept a straight look on my face, I didn't say a word to her mother despite her tantrums, and I wasn't going to say anything to her, I just prayed the bus hadn't left yet. "I don't know why my mom still bothers with you" I lifted my eyes to meet hers and she rolled her pupils at me "I detest you" Dorris made the same hissing sound her mother made, and trust her to be extra. She roughly brushed my shoulder as she walked past me, I nearly lost balance. I waited. I waited until I couldn't hear her footsteps or their voices. I stacked two apples and four bananas in my bag and dashed out of the house. I was late for work already. At the café. "Nora back up a little bit" Asher closed the door behind him "So you mean to tell me that your so-called" He made air quotes as he said "So-called" and laughed "Your so-called aunty slapped you again!" He began over exaggerating his voice "Still refused to give you food" he stretched out his index finger itemizing all he was saying "I usually eat at night" I added defensively "Girl, please! That doesn't count" There was a rising anger in his voice now "I can't believe your aunty. And all for what?" he began pacing the tiny expanse of the changing room "Just because you won't sign some damn papers she wouldn't even let you read" Asher stopped. I could feel his breathing increase, I could tell he was angry, even more than I was "I wish she could just let me read the papers, what if she's trying to sell me off, or marry me....." "Shhhh" Asher interrupted "She wouldn't dare. Look, Nora, I strongly advise you leave, it's not getting better" The anger in Asher's eyes slowly turned to pity "Where else can I run to, she's my only surviving family member" "She can't possibly be don't you have....." The door violently swung open with a bang "Alright love birds, breaks over, time for work!" Mira announced quite loudly, I know she wanted the manager to hear her "Come on now" she gestured for us to leave the locker room "And please" We paused "Don't spit into the customer's orders, because I know you aren't going to stop talking" "please shut up" Asher slammed the door to her face and we walked back to the counter to finish our shift. We still had three hours before clocking out, and throughout those three hours, I couldn't stop thinking. Asher's words got to me, I was most likely going to drop dead in another month if I remained with Aunty Mary Jane. I thought so hard, but I could barely remember any other family member. Before my parents died, it was just us, no extended families or too many friends. The only reason I knew aunty Mary Jane was because she lived with us for one year after her college, before she got her job. My parents never really spoke about their families, never. But now I had to leave, I had to run away, life just kept getting worse and worse. Every day I think it's going to be better but it only gets worse. My shift finished faster than I expected, probably because my mind was absent so time quickly passed. "I have to head home now, Serena would need help with the baby" Asher tried to fix his buttons as he spoke. "Okay say hi to your sister and the baby for me" "Call me if you need anything, a bat, a knife, a shovel" he lowered his voice "A grave" I laughed a bit "Okay" He smiled and waved goodbye. I took a deep breath, sometimes I wished work didn't end, because I hated going back to that house, but that was my routine the depressing loop my life was stuck in. At Aunty Mary Jane's house. "You're forty minutes late" Aunty Mary Jane said in a low voice without looking away from the papers she was reading "I missed...... I couldn't..... The train wasn't......" why was I stammering for heaven's sake? "Come here" Aunty Mary Jane ordered, still in a calm voice. I slowly shrugged my feet towards the dining table where she sat. "Sit" she ordered again. She took off her glasses, gently placed them on the table and violently grabbed my jaw in the next second. "You know you're an ungrateful little brat right?" I didn't answer. I knew it was better not to "Ever since your foolish parents left the surface of this beautiful earth, I've cared for you, I've catered for you, I've given you all you've ever wanted in life, everything!" she screamed In that moment I wondered what everything meant. Controlling my life, physically and emotionally abusing me, getting me a job at a cafe completely disregarding my first class in financial accounting, and now putting me through torture, I guess that was 'everything'. "But you refuse to give me the only one thing I ask" Her grip on me became even tighter "Aunty Mj, if only you let me read the papers, I will sign them Immed.........." A resounding slap landed across my face. That was her go-to reaction wherever I did, or said anything that didn't go her way. I would receive a slap, or even a punch, mostly depending on her mood. "How dare you!" she thundered, delivering another slap to my left cheek. I found myself on the floor, I was trying to recalculate and get myself together when she yanked my face up again. The third slap hit my eye and the fourth slap mostly covered my ear, the fifth slap was as perfect as the first one, and blood followed the seventh slap. My tears meant nothing, so I learnt to brace myself, my eyes were tightly shut in anticipation of the eight slap, that's if my counting is still accurate, but I heard uncle Will's voice "That's enough babe!" he thundered Today and every day before today Uncle Will arrived late, but early enough to prevent my death. "Leave my presence you fool!" My aunt yelled, her voice laced with anger. She was fed up with me and I was fed up with her. I ran upstairs solely with one mission in mind, I had to leave her house as soon as possible, and by soon I meant tomorrow. I jumped and stretched until my hands finally grabbed the handle of my box. That was where all my important papers were, but the box was unzipped and the content of the box met the floor before the box itself. My vision was blurry, I knelt and tried to get everything back in the box, I picked up my certificates and some laminated awards I had, and underneath those papers, I saw I card. I picked it up and wiped my eyes to read the cards content properly. "Julissa George" boldly inscribed on the card, I read through the remaining content of the card in confusion for another minute. And then it hit me, Jullisa was my mother's step sister.