The bride of Atlanta

I walked down the long corridors of our big house looking for my mother in anticipation .Being away whilst attending boarding school had changed me a lot but alas l was the only one who could see the difference. My family never cared ,mother was a housewife who had only time for everyone else and to forget she had a first born daughter. She only could recall my younger chubby brother and as l grew l became accustomed to always being in his shadow. “Ciara!” she roared ,and l snapped back to reality. I ran to her only to receive the shock of my life. I followed her voice and found her in my room ,searching through my clothes."l have only just arrived from school and this woman has begun her drama”l thought to myself and smiled sheepishly then quietly entered the room." Mother?” I said in a low voice.”Whose is this?” She said as she held up a purple lunchbox. “Ohhh s**t!” I swore in a low voice as my eyes widened . “Young woman,have you started stealing at that so called boarding school and hiding it in my house ,and what is this inside” she said shaking the container. “Im so dead ,please don’t open it” l thought to myself cursing why l had agreed to help a friend so that he wouldn’t get expelled . She tilted it and it snapped right open to fill the room with a stench l had known all my boarding life and which my mother only knew when grandfather visited us. Her eyes flew open and she looked at me “Ciara ,these ......don’t .....Jesus what have l done to be here ?” “Yes mom those are in-fact drugs,” l said in my mind and continued staring at her as she went on and on . “Andrew ,you b****y bastard ,now look the type of scandal you have planted me into and that too on the first day ,wait till l get my hands on you”l said to myself “You pathetic excuse of a child !” She said as she slapped me numerous times across the face. My face really hurt from all the slaps she had given me and whilst l was still being beaten l let my locked away tears flow and l cried silently as l received my punishment. Was it a crime to help a friend ,maybe so because l could see the results now me lying in a corner being beaten on my first day from school”. “I want you to clean all the rooms in the house your father is coming home tomorrow ,l want everything to be spotless” she said and spat on me whilst she walked away. I cried myself in the corner for a while then rose to find some cleaning equipments and l got started to what my mother had said to me. “25rooms ,all waiting for your touch” l said to myself and began to work immediately . It was not until l reached the fifteenth than l felt exhausted my back was sore and my knees really felt pain. Frustrated l began to cry quietly until my grandmother came into the room . “Whats the matter ,love?”she asked maintaining a distance between us. I explained everything to her and she promised to make my mother understand . I rose up and got back to work with the excitement that l had found my guardian angle but who knew?. I waited and waited patiently but no one came . My heart was crushed and under my teary eyes l finally eased on the floor and slept . This long filled dream was short lasted as Andrew came into the room and yelled for mother. My eyes flew open and l jumped off the bed. “You are so ungrateful, you could have been kicked out of school” l said enraged. “But l didn’t now did l?” My younger brother looked me up and down then he threw a rag at me ,”Get back to work, its only midnight too early for your bed time. Once he had closed the door l dropped down letting my tears drop in anxiety and rage . “Is , this my family or was l adopted” . The next l opened my eyes it was my mother yanking me ,”Wake up your father is here get ready” I immediately went for a shower and looking myself in the mirror could see the bags that had started to form from anxiety ,l brushed that thought away as l patted myself dry from the cold shower. Once l finished dressing l walked out of the guest room and followed the sounds of laughter from the lounge area. As soon as l entered everyone’s smiles died down except for my fathers’ . He walked over and hugged me but l just patted his back forcing a flashing smile at him then went to sit on a different sofa as the others . “Father,”l said as l nodded my head to him in approval of his visit . “To what shall we make of this surprisingly early visit” l said unfazed of the looks my grandmother shot me . “I missed my family , Mi amor” . I crooked at his response and looked ahead ,” Well you found them , lm leaving”. I said as l got up. “Ciara, behave!” My mother snapped at me. I did behave last night and where did that get me, alone and cold in a room wondering if he is my real father or am l just bluffing!” I said cooly and continued to raise from the sofa. “Mi....”he said rising as well and l caught him off guard “ Don’t Mi amor me father if l was your daughter , your love as you always say l wouldn' suffer under my own roof and forget about suffering l can live with that.