Hermosa's Regret

"Get in here, you little filth, and say a prayer to whatever thing you hold sacred to help you get through this alive." The deep voice of a man growled ruthlessly. Without any hesitation, a young woman somewhere in her thirties but who'd been made to look older than her age, thanks to the many scars on her face and her scattered black hair which was slowly losing its color to graying from stress and the many physical assaults that was dealt her, entered through the door. She was dressed in a tight black gown which in the past would've shown off a mouthwatering figure but was left to a frail, petite frame. "Hey..." She greeted him in a feeble tone and retraced her steps as he made a few calculated steps towards her with only one intent; to hurt her. He halted and stared at her with bloodshot eyes. He carried a pungent smell of strong alcohol and even though his feet were steady on the floor, there was no saying that his brain wasn't. "Stand still." He ordered and slowly took out his belt off his waist from the pair of trousers he wore. "Where is she?" He thundered and folded the belt in half but in what seemed like an afterthought, undid it and swung it at her. "I said, stay." He barked when she managed to get out of the way at the very last second. She sniffled and quickly went down on her knees to beg for forgiveness from him; an unwarranted and undeserved gesture but one which she was willing to commit to, if it could offer her a whiff of a chance to be spared. She already knew it wouldn't though. "I said, where is she?" He scowled and whipped her on the back, so hard that it earned a loud scream from her just as much as a fresh wound which was destined to someday add to her collection of scars. "I don't know." She replied amidst sobbing and made an effort to smother the pain, but winced when he put a firm grip on her arm and made sure to dig his nails through her, causing her to bleed. "You're hurting me." She cried. His fury grew with each passing second. "Are you okay? You're talking back at me now, eh?" He snapped and raised his belt again, but just as he was about to lash at her, he heard a tiny voice. Her voice. "Leave her alone." He turned around with a little smile on his face. "Little devil." He said in a low whisper and let go of the woman whom he'd inflicted so much pain on in a heightened state of physical abuse and assault. "Where have you been?" He continued in a whisper but the expression in his eyes unchanged. "Why do you keep beating my mom?" She asked him with a cracked tone. "I'm going to have my revenge someday." She said defiantly. "Hermosa, go away." The woman cried and tried to go meet her but couldn't. "Don't talk to him that way. He is your stepfather. You have to respect him. I know he is a bit difficult to understand sometimes, but he loves you more than you know and think." She cautioned, out of her own defense rather than facts. "Yes, you heard the woman. Your mother knows. This is tough love, as they say, but it is still love. Now, come over here and get her all cleaned up." He chuckled and staggered away but stopped halfway and turned to look over his shoulder. "My boys are coming over in about an hour's time. Get some food ready and you better not f**k it up else I swear to God, I'll get you so f****d in more ways than your b***h ass mom ever has." He cussed and went on his way. She clicked her tongue at him stubbornly and hoped he'd hear, but was quickly restrained by her mother who tried to pull herself up. "Hey, hey, easy mom. You have hurt yourself really badly. I'm sorry, ma. I was out with a couple of my friends. We went over to check on Mrs. Avery. You know, she twisted an ankle or something a few days ago and..." "Sshhh, it's okay. You don't have to always give an explanation for everything, or anything at all. I trust you and you know that. It is fine. None of this is your fault. It's all my fault. Things wouldn't be this way if your father was still here." She cut in and faded into a muffler sob but quickly checked herself for her daughter's sake. "His friends would soon be here. I had better get to the kitchen already and start fixing his meal before they arrive. I wouldn't want them coming to meet an empty table and, you know, they all have a healthy appetite." Hermosa put an arm around her mother. "Mom, when will this end? Will it ever end?" She asked and looked her straight into the eyes to read the truth in them. "Does he even give you money to buy anything? Look at your clothes, take a look at my hair. We are trying hard to live, but we are barely surviving. I understand that you are scared, but we have to stand up to him. We can't be all too submissive to him and let him treat us as his slaves. Someone has to stand up. I will, mom. Join me please." She said confidently, which earned a warm smile from her mother. "What? You don't believe I can do it? You think I'm all talk and no action?" She asked. Her mother shook her head. "No dear, not at all. Far be it from me. I believe you and I admire you. I'm proud of you. I used to be like you when I was much younger, but growing up, I threw all of that away. I really wish I could be the person you want me to be, but it's gone. I have no strength left in me again to rebel. All I can do now is to submit and be his slave. All I want is the best for you though. I'm not really bothered about anything he does to me again. As long as you are good and safe, I can take it all." She said and ruffled her hair fondly. "You know, I believe that you'll be his downfall. I don't know how it will happen and when it will happen, but I have this strong faith that you will not turn out to be me because you are far greater and stronger than I am. I love you." She felt a bead of tear well up in the corner of her eyes and thought to blink it away but instead, allowed herself to feel it all. She gave in and sobbed as a long string of tears rolled down on both of her cheeks. "I love you too, mom. I am proud of you, no matter what happens. You are my superhero. My first and my only." She said genuinely and held her in a tight embrace which was soon separated by the loud scowl of her stepfather asking why they were yet to begin work ahead of his friends' visit. "You don't talk to us that way. You want something, you'd better ask respectfully." She said, but he had his headset on and so, couldn't hear her, which was a huge relief to her mother, who was already so scared of what was going to happen. "Lets start living mom." She whispered to her mother and both of them smiled. "You're good?" She asked her as she got back to her feet. "I'm fine. I'm no stranger to his hits." She replied with a smile, but pains were deeply embedded in her eyes. "Let's get to work, baby." ***** "Hermosa!" She was startled by a shock and looked up to meet her teacher's stern gaze, along with her classmates giggling. She'd zoned out and rightly so because all of her thoughts and attention was on her mother whom she'd left all alone at home. There was never a day she went home to calm and tranquility. It was a life of a recurring cycle of what could best be described with the word- bullshit. "Yes ma'am?" She asked and stood up. "I'm sorry I didn't hear the question." Her teacher, left unimpressed by the whole thing, lashed at her with her tongue and promised to deal with her later. While those were supposed to be hurtful words, they did nothing to her, not even with the giggles from her classmates, as her mind was back to where it'd stopped before the teacher's call. Her stepfather had problems with her going to school, and she wondered why. She had overheard him telling his friends during their usual baseless conversations that her going to school was nothing but a waste of the family's little resources, and he was considering putting an end to it- resources, of which he never contributed anything to. "Are you okay?" Her teacher lashed out again at her to bring her back from her wandering thoughts. "How old are you?" She hesitated for a brief moment before giving a soft reply. "I'll be thirteen in five months' time." Her teacher nodded. "Good. At least you are old enough to be punished. Meet me at my office during break and I have had enough of your problems. I'm taking you to see the principal today after school. We need to have a meeting with your parents." She said and walked out of the class. "Lord, not again!" She muttered under her breath as another teacher walked in through the door. As soon as the bell for break rang, she found her way to the teacher's office and was glad to find her not on seat. She hesitated for a full minute, which she calculated by counting down from sixty, and left for her class as soon as she got to zero. She knew she was going to face a heavier punishment, especially. After school, she took her bag and quickly zoomed off, but none of it mattered to her. The only thing on her mind and which had been on her mind the whole day was the welfare and safety of her mother. Unlike other days, she was deeply disturbed in her spirit as though something bad had happened. She felt a bit of relief when she arrived home, but her head went into overdrive when she opened the door to find her mom hanging down from the ceiling with a rope tied around her neck and with a short note on the table which she quickly picked up to read. "I'm sorry, baby. I love you!" She screamed at the top of her voice and quickly ran to get the home telephone. She dialed the emergency line, but bad network posed an interference. Without any hesitation, she ran to the next compound and asked to use their phone. They asked what was going on and were all shocked when she told them what'd happened. They all rushed back to her house with her while dialing the emergency line. A call for the paramedics was made and within minutes, the loud wail of an ambulance siren was heard. A team of white uniformed men and women rushed and first and foremost took her down before proceeding to examine her. "What's going on? How's my mom?" She cried and tugged on the clothes of one of them when she noticed a look of despair on their faces. "Is my mom dead?" "I'm sorry, dear. Where is your father? We have to speak with him." One of them said and ordered his people to take the body away. "She is gone, sweetheart.