"Mom? Is this real? Are you really here with me?"
Maureen excitedly shout when she saw her mom sitting beside her in her bed. She got up immediately and hugged her mother. She missed her so much.
"I missed you so much Mom, where have you been? Why did you left me all of a sudden? Don't you want me anymore?". She sobs while asking these questions to her mother. She saw her mom smiling at her and stroking her hair.. "My sweet pretty angel, mommy loves you so much, what makes you think that mommy doesn't want you anymore? Of mommy misses you too." Her mom replied.
"I don't believe you! If you missed me, why did you left us? Don't you want daddy to marry another woman right?". Maureen cried hard while asking her mother. She recalled that her dad was planning to marry another woman and she strongly disapproved it even if she dies. She doesn't want anyone to replace her mother's place. For her, her mother is always there.
"Sweety, don't cry. Mommy is here. She won't leave you anymore okay?"
"Really? Your gonna come back to us?" She excitedly ask and cuddle with her mother even more. Her mother planted small kisses on her head and said.
"Dear, you have to learn how to stand on your own. Do not let anyone to look down on you, but I'm not telling you to be rude. Still be respectful and don't let others feel down, okay?". Her mom told her. She did not know what to say or how to response. She just feel and sabor the moment while she's with her mom. She hugged her waist tightly and closes her eyes while saying.. "Mom, don't ever leave me again. I feel sick when you're not arround. I don't want this kind of feeling, please." Her mom smiled and she slowly fell asleep but before she could, she felt that her mom is slowly walking away.
She opened her eyes and called her mom loudly.
"Mommmmm??? Don't keave pleaseee."
Maureen started crying in despair. But her mom just smiled at her and slowly fading. She screamed so loud that made her wake up in reality.
"Mommmm-..."
"Maureen! Wake up!"
Moureen open her eyes wide and saw her dad. She's breathing pantly and immidiately rolling her eyes when she saw her step-mom was coming inside.
"What are you two doing here?"
She asked impolitely.
"We heard you screaming outside, so we came here." Her dad replies.
Maureen felt disgusted every time she saw her dad and the so-called 'wife'.
"Here, drink some water." Her step-mom gave her a glass of water.
Upon seeing it, she felt even more disgusting and screw her hand with a glass of water away.
The glass fell on the floor and breaks, while the water splash on her step-mother's body. Gregory, her father couldn't stand it so he scold Maureen harshly.
"How rude you are! Is that how your mother educate you on how to respect elders? Don't go too far Maureen!" Her dad shout in anger.
"It's okay honey, it's just an accident. Please be easy on her. She's your daughter." Helen comforted him.
Maureen felt it like a needle piercing her heart and it peetrate her little by little. The anger she was holding so hard eventually came out.
"Rude? Am I rude? How about you? How many years you have endured just to wait for my mother's death to marry that bitch behind you huh?" She is now out of control.
Gregory cannot stand it and raise his hand to slap him but Helen quicky grab his arm and prevent it.
"Maureen, please have some respect to your dad. He is still your father. I don't mind if you don't like to respect me, just to your father only."
Helen beg Maureen trying to suppress the intense situation and temperature between the father and daughter.
"Don't dare to teach me how to respect both of you Helen! You knew to yourself how disrespectful you are to covit someone whose already married and had a daughter."
Maureen suspected that Helen and her dad already had a relationship before her mother died. She blamed Helen for the death of her mother. She knew how misserable her mother is when she was still alive. And her father is not there to comfort her mother. So she hated them both and blamed them for everything that her mother had gone through.
"ENOUGH!" Gregory was in his extreme emotions so he cannot tolerate it anymore. He knows that Maureen hated him so much after he married Helen. He understand it and even respect her, but he cannot withstand her daughter addressing his new wife a mistress.
"You're being unreasonable. Thise things happened in the past and Felly was already dead now." Gregiry exclaimed.
"Don't you dare to mention my mother's name. You have no right to call her by name. Remember that you are the jerk that I hated the most! Get the hell out of here now. Go ou-"
*Pak*
A crisp sound of slap landed in her small and delicate face. Gregory just slapped her hard and she feels deaf because of it.
Gregory cannot hold his control anymore and quickly go out. He did not know what he just jad done. He did not mean it.
Helen couldn't believe it but quickly follwed the latter.
She saw him heading into the bar corner area of their house. She knew that he was feeling guilty and agitated after doing it. She come to him and pour him a glass of liqour.
Gregory cannot understand what he were going to do with his daughter. He blamed himself for what he had done to her.
"I shouldn't do it. I shouldn't slap her..."
"I know, I know. You're just carried away by your feelings." Helen comforted him.
While Maureen inher room left with a tears falling in her eyes. She don't even know how her tears falling without her knowledge. After a minute of realizing it, the pain started to spread all over her face. Surely her face is swollen up. The hatred and anger in her heart grews deeper and deeper. She lay down in her bed again and silently crying.
She thought to herself how unlucky she was. For an instance, she wished that she just have to die too than suffering everyday..
"Mom, I wish your here right now.." she murmurs before falling asleep.
