One morning, while Irene was busily packing her things to go to college, suddenly her father, Willis knocked on the door of her room.
"Irene. Can I come in?" He asked.
"You can come in now dad." Said Irene cheerful while her hand made her bed quickly to invite her father to sit down.
For the past few days she has been quite happy because her father is always at home 24 hours a day. So, she, in a few days was not affected by the anger and beatings of her stepmother like she has always been. But, she also feels sorry for her father that almost everyday fight with her stepmother because he still cannot find a new work even trying here and there.
"Sit here dad." Irene patted her mattress while inviting after she can see her father's face that enter her room. Willis just followed.
"Are you going to college now?" Willis asked after he sat down. Irene looked at the clock on her wall. Still early.
"Not yet. But I deliberately packed up so that nothing would be left behind later. You know your daughter, she can be forgetful sometimes." She complains her own self.
Willis nodded, understanding. "I came to give you this. I borrowed yesterday, but forgot to tell you."
He gives her a pink pen drive that belongs to her. Irene blinked at him. As far as she remember, she had just put the pen drive in her pencil box earlier.
"It's got your assignment inside so this is yours." Seeing his daughter seem confused, Willis told her what he saw inside there when he is using it.
"Oh." With that Irene just took it without much question and just threw it inside her backpack. Lazy to take out back her pencil box.
"Do you always using your pen drive?" Willis suddenly asking.
Irene tiled her head a little feeling weird by the question, but she just answers it.
"My boss... ah... My college director gave me hard drive a few days before, so I've been using it ever since. This pen drive is just backup if anything, as it not really convenient as the space is not large for me to keep all my assignment inside. Moreover now we can save everything on the internet. It's much easier." Irene explaning.
"Why? Do you want it? I can give it to you if you want." She offered.
"No, no." I just asking as I saw that the file inside seem old in date.
"Ah, the old assignment that is. I'm too busy to delete it and just left it like that. But, if you really need it just say so. I can give it to you. For free of course."
Willis breathed a sigh of relief because he had actually unconsciously deleted Irene's file while using it.
"Are you going out again today?" Irene asks when she looks at her father that looks neat then.
"Yeah. Or your mother will never stop nagging me. I need to find a new job quickly." He sighs heavily.
Since his business collapsed, there has never been the slightest bit of a good relationship between him and his wife even for a day. There are only things that will make them frown. His wife, on the other hand, was always unhappy with him.
But, he still wants to defend the marriage. His first marriage was ruined because he didn't have time for family, so, this second marriage he wanted to try better but other problems arose. Sometimes he felt there was nothing good that his wife saw in him. Always mocked him as if he was worthless.
As if knowing what was nestled in her father's mind at the time, Irene held her father's hand and smiled. As if trying to give him strength. She didn't say anything as she also didn't have any conclusion on how to make their family better.
Little that she knows, that touch is all her father needs. It's already made his day.
After a moment, Willis pulled the envelope out of his pants pocket. Then handed it to Irene.
"Take this. Buy new clothes, eat good food and use it to pay for your college. I think this is more than enough."
Irene's eyes widened slightly at the rather thick envelope of money.
"I'm a fine dad. You know I'm also working part time to pay for college." Irene refused. Even she is in scholarship but there are lots of other side things to be pay by her own money too. But, how could she take it when her father also seemed to be in a difficult situation now.
Willis actually knew for a long time that his second wife had never liked Irene, but, he was just pretending to be blind about that. Even though his wife was acting good toward Irene when he was at home, and Irene pretended to be okay all the time, he still knew. He is a father after all.
Therefore his heart always feel guilty about his daughter. Who, had to bear the hatred for so long. So, although not always he has done this, he wants to help a little bit of his daughter's life. So it's not so difficult much after this. Hoping its not too late.
"Just take it. I save this for you. Don't worry. I have my own saving for me and your mother. About Ivan, I also have the same for him. I wanted to do something for my kids too anyway."
Listening to the utterance, Irene still hesitated to take it. Uncomfortable. But she still take it because she didn't want to hurt her father feeling.
"Good. Okay, now I need to go before your mother saw me here. Or I'm going crazy with her nagging again." Willis said and hurried out of there. Actually, he felt a bit embarrassed after all that.
Irene just waved her hand to her dad while he went away with various feelings starting to appear in her heart.
But, just a few minutes after her father left, her stepmother continued to rush into her room with a fierce face. As always.
She really forgot about her stepmother's temperament. If there's anything new that her father gave her it would surely be confiscated.
Before, her father used to buy new clothes for her, but her stepmother took them in force even though they were different sizes. Her stepmother is a little chubby but still wanted to posses her things.
Next, her father bought her a gold bracelet, but her stepmother took it and sold it for money. There are more stories like this that happen before and this time also, she knows. The circle will never ever stop.
Seeing Irene didn't want to tell her, Olivia searched the wardrobe that was there. Making a mess here and there inside the room.
Not yet satisfied because she still can't get what she want. She searched Irene's body. To find out if the girl is hiding new jewelry or other small things.
"Stop it! there's nothing here." Irene is now feeling overwhelmed by the situation.
"Just give it to me! You probably think I'm scared of your father because I only let you for a few days, huh? That's not it. I just don't want the wound on your head to get worse, making my husband run out of money just to take you to the doctor. So, if you don't want to get more sick, you better give up quickly." Olivia began to threaten.
"Whatever it is, its mine!" Irene tried to fight back.
Slap! Olivia now no longer has sympathy for Irene. She slaps her hard, vented her anger. Then she pushed Irene onto the bed. With that, her eyes now began to look towards the table beside the bed.
"Oh, he gave you money? How dare he gave it to you when I'm his wife struggling to make the ends meet."
Irene glared bravely at her stepmother.
"What are you staring? Of course I'm not satisfied. He didn't share a penny with me. With you he is very generous. Just look at this thick envelope of money. Don't you think he is too much?"
"Lie. He gave you every day. I saw it with my eyes." Irene tries to uphold justice for her father.
Indeed, his father never forgot to give money to her stepmother, only she was never satisfied. She got a high taste for everything actually. Making its never enough.
Olivia, that was still hot-tempered using Irene's book that she can find on the table and then hit her. This time she didn't care if it even hit Irene wound in the head. And it actually hit right at that wound, though Irene tries hard to dodge.
"I have already warned you before, but you didn't listen. Now you feel the consequences."
After that, without further talking she came out of the room, leaving Irene, who was now dizzy there. Irene held the stitched part of her head. Although it has been a long time, but still the area is still fragile. She could feel a little blood coming out of there. Maybe her scalp torn a little.
Sigh.
Silently she got up. Cleaning her messy room made by Olivia and rushed to go to the college. While pretending to be okay that it. Nothing can change Olivia's mind anyway. No matter how hard she begs. So, she just leave it at that. Like she always does.