To Have And To Hold

I must leave!

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.