Fate

chapter 12

It looks like my eyes are deceive me. What am I seeing? No! It is not true. My heart skipped a beat when I saw mom laid still,on the ground,with a cloth draped around her.
Her skin pale and her eyes dilated. The women who were with my mom burst into tears immediately they saw me.

"Oh Bessie, we are so sorry."

"We didn't know what happened."

"She just shouted and held her chest and that was it."

"Bess baby, we love your ma very much."

"We are there for you."

The women kept on wailing and crying and talking but I heard none of it. My mom isn't breathing. The woman who loved me. The one who sung for me,prayed for me and taught me everything I need to know.
My mom who was a string woman until she started to weak as the years went by. No! No! No! No! No! No!  No! No! No! No!
My mom can't be dead. "M-mom?" I called,hoping she will wake up and say she was pranking me,but she didn't move. I shouted and fell close to my mom,hugging her lifeless body and crying my hearts out. I cried and cried and called my mom to wake up for my sake.
The women tried to take me away but I refused. I cried the more when I wasn't seeing her move. Oh God! No!

I got up,run past the sea of black skinned, not even bothering to notice two whites in their mist and got outside.
It was cloudy and sure enough,it stared to rain,I fell on my knees,crying and praying to God above to give my mom her life back, and promising to do anything.
I cried,I didn't even know what I was saying anymore. I just wanted my mom to get up.

"Please someone should take her in,she might fall sick."

I heard someone say,bit I didn't care. I felt an arm around me and I struggled to break free.

"Bessie, please come down."

I froze, it was Sir Daniel's voice.

"Please come down."

He said again,gently. He tried lifting me up and that was when I felt my head spin and I blacked out.

Daniel's POV
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Seeing Bessie run after that small boy made me panic. I started to chase her and so did Vera.

I followed her till we reached the negroes neighborhood where we saw her enter a house. We followed and then we saw people crying and wailing.
When the men outside the house saw me and Vera the started to talk in whispers. Others gave way for me as if I was a parasite but I did not care.
I was about to enter and I heard a shout followed by loud crying. I rushed inside and I saw Bessie hugging a woman on the ground and shouting ,"mama,mama."
The woman looked pale and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed she's very still.
I stood motionless,looking at Bessie crying so sorrowfully.
He cries reminded me of when I hurt her.
I quickly stopped thinking about it. So her mom is dead. I was about to go to her when she suddenly got up,pushed past I and Vera and headed outside.
I got alarmed and followed, calling her name but the voices of the blacks drowned mine. I went outside and I saw Bessie crying in the rain,with her clothe and body dirty with mud.
I walked to her and placed my arm around her. She tried to pry my hands away but she got still when I told her to calm down.
I tried lifting her up when I felt her go limp,passing out.

"Oh no."

Vera whispered when she came to join me. I had Bessie in my arms.

"Somebody get me an alcohol."
I shouted,pushing past people who had blocked the door.

"Please,anybody."

I pleaded, alarmed, as I lay her gently on the couch far from her mother's body.

"Please, who knows where she keeps her clothes she can fall sick from the cold."

I asked,looking at the sea of faces which were murmuring words that I didn't seem to care. Thankfully, someone came with an alcohol.
I had nothing to pour it in so I took off my shirt,drained the water from the shirt and poured an amount if alcohol in it.
I held Bessie's head close to my chest and brought it to her nose. After a few seconds, she stirred and opened her eyes.
When she looked at her surroundings and it dawned in her the reason why she was there,she started crying and tried to get up.
"Bess,calm down,you are already soaking wet,you might fall sick."

"No, mom,no,mom"

She kept on repeating and was trying to get up.

"Bess-"

"My-my-my mom, she was still,she..she wasn't breathing. I tried to wake her up,to tell her that I am here. But she didn't even stir."

I tried talking when Bessie cut in,crying in her palms. I tried opening my mouth again when she started praying in her cries,

"Oh God, wake my mom please. She has done nothing wrong. Take me instead."

The rustling of clothes and the shuffling of feet told me they were taking the body away,the doctor they had called came to confirm she is indeed gone.

"Where are you taking mama?"

Bessie got up,her voice strained with pain.

"Leave my mom alone,please, I want to be with her."

She tried getting close to the body.

"Bessie please." I pleaded, almost in tears. I didn't know why I was begging but I can't stand seeing Bessie like this. It breaks my heart. I don't know why I feel that way towards her but I can't stop it either.

"No, leave me, let me go,please. Mom,mom they're taking you away,please wake up. No! Please come back, don't take her away please."

She shouted, cried and pled  but I held her strongly in my arm whiles they took the body away.

"Mom, no, please save my mom."

She turned towards me.

"Please save my mom, do not let her go. Don't let them take her away, I will do anything, anything please."

She cried in my arm. It was still raining and I was bare chested. I can tell her mom was her happiness. It pained to watch her go.
Vera followed the people who were taking the body. Bessie just sat there,in my arms,crying.