Bride Of The Century

I.

CHAPTER ONE

GABRIELA was only twenty-one, but it felt like she already had enough in life. It was almost 7 pm. It was drizzling outside. It was another dull day at work, and in a while, she’d be at a house that never felt like home.

It had been a year since she began working at a twenty-four-seven convenience store as a cashier. While she did finish a two-year program in college, it was not enough to find herself a decent job. She lacked the degree and the connection.

She glanced at the two female college students sitting by the glass wall. They were watching a video on a smartphone while sharing earphones. They were giggling and mumbling the whole time. She wondered if these two realized how lucky they were.

Gabriela sighed when Abel appeared from the locker room, fixing his uniform while holding something wrapped in brown paper. He was still in senior high school. He was working from night till dawn to help his family and save up for college. He was a smart kid, but life was not fair. Unlike her, Abel was very optimistic about the future. And she genuinely wished for his success.

“I thought I would be late,” he said as he joined her at the counter.

“You should have waited for the rain to stop. You might catch the flu. You’re preparing for the exams, aren’t you?”

Abel smiled. “I like to use the raincoat that you bought me. Besides, you’ve been working overtime because of me.”

Gabriela shrugged. “That was nothing. I’m not in a hurry to go home, anyway.”

“I know you haven’t had dinner yet. Mom prepared her special fried rice just for you.”

She stared as Abel handed her the still-hot paper wrapper to her. For the first time that day, she smiled.

“Your mom was the sweetest. Thank you.”

If her mother had been alive, surviving in a cruel world she lived in would have been bearable. But her mother died even before graduating high school in a road accident. Her father, who owned a small junk shop and a drunkard, became worse over the years.

He would sometimes take her money to buy more booze. He would hit her if she fought back. The only reason that she could not leave him was that their house was the only thing left of her that reminded her of her mother. And she promised that whatever happened, they would always be a family. Her mother was a martyr, and Gabriela loved her. That was the only reason she was still hanging on to her f****d-up family.

“See you, Gab,” Abel said when Gabriela finally left the locker room after changing her uniform. He was holding his reviewer.

“See you. Good luck on your exams.”

Abel smiled and gave a salute.

GABRIELA took a deep breath as she mounted her old bike. She picked it up from her father’s junkshop. She thought she could use it, so she bought it using her own money and replaced some old parts with new ones.

She had been saving her money for the past year. She wanted to go back to school. As much as she wanted to upgrade her bike or her phone, she had her priorities.

She put the hood of her jacket on as the rain had not yet stopped. She kicked the pedal and drove a little faster. She could not wait to eat the fried rice that Abel’s mother had made her. Her good-for-nothing father should probably be home right now, drinking until he falls asleep.

Gabriela left her bike outside their small house and entered. She looked around their tiny living room, and she could not find her father, which was a little surprising. But she heard a suspicious noise coming from her own room.

She rushed to her door, her heart pounding in her chest. And there she found Gary, digging through her stuff and throwing it across the room in frustration. He reeked with alcohol, and he had not showered in days.

“Pa, what are you doing?” she demanded. Her room looked like a complete mess.

Gary stood up from ransacking her drawer and walked up to her.

“Where is it?” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you’ve got money. Where is it? Give it to me quick before I get mad at you.”

“I’m not giving you anything I worked hard for!” she spat. “I already had enough!” Gabriela squealed as she felt Gary’s hard slap on her cheek. She dropped to the floor, and the back of her head hit the door.

Gabriela felt dizzy, and for a moment, she could not move. She heard the rain roaring on their rusty roof as tears rolled down her face. She felt the side of her lip. It was bleeding. She really had enough.

Her father should have died instead of her mother. He could not remember the time Gary had ever been a father figure to her.

“That’s what you get for talking back, you ungrateful bitch.” Gary smirked as he walked out of her room.

Gabriela was trembling with fury. None of this would have happened if he was not her father. What did she ever do to deserve this hell on earth? It was just too much.

She stood up and pulled her bag under her bed. That was it. She was not going to let him lay a hand on her anymore. Gabriela put anything that she could inside her bag. She had no idea where to go, but she needed to get away from that place as soon as possible.

She would live on the streets, in the park, or under a bridge – anywhere but here. Either she would die or lose her mind if she stayed longer.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gary asked as she exited her room. He was sitting on the wooden couch in the living room, a half-empty bottle of booze in his hand.

“Why do you care?”

He stood up, his steps barely straight.

“Do you think you can survive out there? Do you think you can live on your own? You’ll end up as miserable as me wherever you go!”

“I won’t because I’m not like you!” Gabriela roared as she swung her bag on his head. Gary dropped to the floor with a loud groan, the bottle smashing to pieces.

Gabriela ran to the door before Gary could stand up. She dragged her bike to the road in the middle of heavy rain and sped off.