HAPPINESS POV
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!" Happy screamed to herself as she strolled home.
She shouldn't have told him her real name. Now he must be suspicious.
But if she had lied about her name then someone else would tell him. If someone else told him then he would know she was a liar and couldn't be trusted and also she had played him many years ago then fire her.
The right thing for her to do is to confess. He's going to find out on his own if she doesn't. After all, that's the least she could do after everything she had done, right?
But what if he gets angry at her then fires her and felt that wasn't even and makes her life miserable?
But what if he has already forgotten everything and forgave her. After all they were just kids, right?
All those options and thoughts filled Happy's head and she became confused by the minute. What was she to do?
Lie or speak the truth?
"Lie!" The devil in her head suggested. "You need to keep your job for your poor mother who's ill. He might just kick you out and ruin you for good so just escape the situation as best as possible."
"No don't do that!" The guy with the halo over his head spoke. "What if he finds out regardless and confront you? Lying is never the solution Happy." The angel advised.
But non helped as she remained confused.
"What do I do now?" She asked herself as she bit her fingers. Anxiety and uncertainty overwhelmed her.
*****
"Good evening. You finally came home but let me just tell you in case you did not know, it's ten o'clock already." Karen jumped on her immediately as she walked in.
Happy was startled.
"Mom!" She yelled as she placed her hand on her chest.
"Where were you? I know we need a job but you still need to be home early. The street are not save anymore so you have to be careful. I was worried." She continued regardless of her daughters frightened look.
"Well I was working." Happy announced.
"Wait you've found a job?" Karen asked excitedly. Hope and joy filled her eyes in seconds. She was beaming and patiently waited for Happy's answer.
"Well..." Happy thrilled off.
"Well what?" She pushed. Her patience was gone now and her hope had reduced a bit but it seems it was still there a bit.
'What if I get fired when he finds out what I did? Should I really tell her I have a job and let her be happy now then break her heart later when I lose the job?' Happy thought to herself.
"No but I did a cleaning job and got a wage for today." She lied then took out the money which was given to everyone there in an envelope before they went home.
Karen's face fell but she quickly smiled again and took on her hopeful face.
"Don't worry dear. You'll get one one of these days. At least now we have money to help with the bills." She smiled. "I cooked sweetie and it's already set at the dinning table. Let's eat." She said then lead Happy towards the dinning table.
She followed before it struck her.
"Wait mom, you haven't eaten still now?" Karen asked.
"No." Karen said shyly. She bowed her head as if she was being scolded.
"God that sitter!" Happy shouted.
"It was my fault. Don't blame that woman I pretended to have eaten so I'll eat with you." She confessed.
"Why mom?!" She yelled. "Worry about you!"
She have gotten from confuse to mad in minutes.
"You should have taken your medicine before now and she's the one who's to give it to you, have you taken it?" Happy tired to ask softly and politely but she had spat so words out with anger.
Karen nodded in response. She was like a kid now and to think minutes ago she was scolding her daughter, now her daughter was scolding her.
"On an empty stomach! Mom how could you!" Happy yelled and Karen continued looking at the floor. She placed her hand on her forehead as she thought.
She walked over to where the food were.
She saw two plates on the table. They were safely covered. She opened them and found Mac and cheese on them. They were not much and if she only ate one of these it won't be enough.
"Mom come." Happy ordered and Karen obeyed. "Eat everything." She instructed.
"No!" Karen objected. "I can't eat knowing you're starving yourself."
"I'd eaten." She lied.
"And I know that's not true." Karen pointed out. She crossed her hands under her breast and stood still on her position as if she was ready for battle.
"True or not you're eating it all." Happy seemed to be prepared for battle as well.
"No."
"Yes mom please!" Happy yelled but could not say more as she placed her hands on her temples and added pressure to it. As if it would stop the throbbing pain she felt upstairs.
Understanding what was wrong with her daughter, she rushed to her side as if it would ease the pain.
"You see. Over working yourself."
"Mom we are not taking about my work but you eating." Happy said more softly this time.
"You still have to eat. You need medicine for your headache and you can't take it on an empty stomach."
She dropped her hands from her temples (Even though the headache warned her against it and unleashed it's anger even more) and stared at her mother.
She walked over to her and placed both her hands on her shoulders.
"Mom please do this for me. You have taken care of me all my life and now it's my turn. If I rest now it will be gone by tomorrow but yours, yours is not as simple. Please trust me cause I worry about you." Happy begged as tears begin to welled up on her eyes.
She smiled at her mother then looked up to the blond her on her head. Karen seemed to had understood and sat down on one of the chairs.
Happy watched as her mother ate some before getting satisfied and went up the stairs to her bed room.
Her room was dark and she could not see anything but she knew where everything where so she could avoid tripping on something and falling down on her face.
Her phone bussed in her purse. She brought it out and the light from her phone was the only source in the room.
She got a text from an unknown number.
It read: YOU WILL HELP US GET SOMETHING FROM FRED AND YOU WILL NOT TELL ANYONE ELSE YOUR MOTHER GETS IT.
They had sent a picture along and see saw her mother eating peaceful downstairs with her blond wig off. Her bald head was humiliated by a stray light coming from the window.
She rushed downstairs and found her mother sitting at that exact position.
When her Karen noticed her she turned and smiled.
"Relax, I'm eating."
Happy smiled back but another buzz came from the phone.
NOW THAT YOU'VE CONFIRMED FOR YOURSELF WE AREN'T JOKING, YOU MUST OBEY THE INSTRUCTION I WILL SEND IN THE MORNING. DO THIS AND WE WILL GIVE YOU THE MONEY NEEDED TO TREAT YOUR MOTHER'S CANCER AND MORE.