Back In time

Thirty-Four

"I thought I heard a little sniffling. Turns out it was just you." Again, the sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.

"What are you doing here when you should be with your daughter?"

"Happy endings are not really my cup of tea. Although, I do believe that we now share the same ideals." She gently sat down on the swing beside mine. I couldn't help but wonder why she would always have an aura of hostility towards me.

Have I done something wrong?

That cannot be. After all, it hasn't been a month since we first met. Still, there must be an explanation to her antagonistic treatment. "Have I done something to offend you?" I shot.

"Goodness gracious, no. I hardly even know you."

"Then, why do you always put me down?"

"Hmmm," she contemplated, "would you like to hear a story, Miss Wellesley?"

"Sure." In truth, I was anything but in the mood for a story right now, but given the condition that I was in, I doubt that whatever hate she had would further hurt me.

"Excellent!" She smiled widely while clasping both palms together, "There was once a jovial girl who was raised in a family with loving parents. To her, family is the jewel in which she held close to her heart. In fact, the person she loved the most was her older brother. He was someone that she could always count on to protect her from whatever harms that swept her way. One day, she received terrible news that her family was killed in an accident. Nobody knew why, except for the fact that their bodies were strewn with stabs and blood. It daunted her that it seems like it was only yesterday when she was having the time of her life. But now, what was left of them were three lifeless bodies. Though she hungered for justice, there were no leads nor evidences of who the killer was. With the wounds inflicted on her heart, she despaired. Nonetheless, she knew that she still had to survive, to be a proud daughter to her parents and sister to her brother. Just when she was at her lowest, a bright light broke through. A kind couple reached out and adopted her as their second daughter. With two foster parents and an older sister, life seemed peaceful. And that all changed for the better when she fell in love. He was one of a kind. Handsome, an intellect, and like her brother, always there to comfort and brighten her day. So, they promised each other that they would one day, embark on a new journey together. You see, Miss Wellesley, the funny thing about life, is how fickle happiness can be. At precisely that point in time when she thought that her life was perfect, her foster parents decided to marry her in place of their own daughter to a count. Might I add that the count was in his late fifties, while she has yet to reach her twenties. As much as she rejected, the bargain was set. A marriage where both families could get what they want from each other. And so, three days before her wedding, with every intent of running away to a place where she would not be found, she sought the one she loved. But what she got back in return, was nothing but betrayal. Little did she knew that he too, would go great lengths for power and prestige. Her heart died that night. You may think that that was the end of her suffering. Her real suffering came when the count she married, turned out to be a drunk and abusive being. A man that had ruined every single woman he could get his hands on before he grew tired of them. There was not a day where she could smile the way she used to. The cruelest part of the story was when she was forced to bear a child against her will while hearing that the man she loved and still loves was to be wedded to her foster sister. And just like that, her world grew dimmer and darker with no way of escape but only through her thoughts that she could one day be free from this nightmare."

I continued to listen intently to her story and couldn't help but feel pity for that girl who seemed to have lost everything that she adored. "Finally, that day came, where her husband had finally divorced her, leaving her with nothing but a baby girl in her arms. To ensure that her child was fed, she took up several jobs, working relentlessly just to get through their daily living expenses. Now here comes the interesting part."