When the sun peeked through the window Mona was already awake, that feeling of impatient made her almost awake all night as she was imagining scenes of the next day with Mr Ken, she was even jumping to conclusions about the gift he'd offer to her.
She ran to the bathroom and got herself ready to go to Mr Ken's house. She stared at her reflection in her full-length mirror. Mona was wearing tight fitted blue jeans with an ocean blue crop top with 'Beautiful' printed on it.
Her hair had been fixed from braids to her natural puffy long hair, she tied it into a ponytail but it didn't look like a ponytail because it was puffy.
Mona applied light make-up to her face and smiled. She carried her shoulder bag and tossed her phone and makeup elements in the bag before staring at the day outside her room. She asked herself, isn't it too early to go?
Mona shrugged, he told her anytime, he didn't give a specific time, so she approached her door only for her parents to walk in. Her happy expression faded and she looked at their feet instead. "Good morning, mummy and daddy." No matter how angry she was with them, she couldn't disrespect them, they were her parents and what they were doing was right but not the right way, if they cared they'd do a lot of research to get that trauma out of her body and mind.
"Morning darling," Patricia replied and went closer to embrace her daughter but Mona dodged it and stepped back.
Patricia left her hand hanging in the air before glancing at her husband who was behind. "Honey. . ." In a pleading tone, she called her daughter.
Mona now lifted her gaze and looked at her mummy before drifting her gaze to her daddy to see the concern on their faces. "I'm fine if that's what you wanna ask and I'm heading out." She walked away from her mummy's front and to the door, her daddy was standing by.
"You know all this we are doing is for you Mona, you are eighteen and you need to learn to be alone. We can't be there with you forever why don't you understand?" Aaron spoke.
Mona lifted her gaze and teared up. "I hate it when all people want is for others to understand them but not wanting to understand others. I understand that I've been disturbing my parents in their room but I'm scared, mummy. . . I'm scared of the dark and the creatures of the dark."
"There is no such thing Mona!" Her daddy yelled.
Silence took over and Mona suddenly smiled. "You don't believe me, but I know what I saw and what happened that night." She walked away from her room.
Patricia blamed her husband through her gaze before jerking out of the room. "Mona, my girl," she called out and Mona paused her pace before turning to her mother who had reached her. Patricia hugged her, "I know, I know that you aren't lying but you know I can't control your daddy," she pulled Mona out and cupped her cheeks. "Urgh, my daughter has turned slim, she isn't eating."
"I'm fine, mummy," Mona couldn't tell her mummy her dilemmas at school, her daddy might be very strict but he'd follow her mummy to school and might cause Chaos with the principal so it was better if they don't know.
"No, come, come and have something to eat." She took her daughter's hand.
"No, mummy. I have somewhere to go, I'll be late, besides, I'm learning to sleep on my own as long as the lights are on." Mona explained.
Patricia sighed and let her shoulders down, "I'm glad, I'm glad." She nodded. "Where are you going?" With curiosity, she asked.
"Do I have to say?" Mona was pleading to not tell, how would she tell her parents she was going to her teacher's house?
"Okay. . .okay, don't come late, don't go to the club and don't go anywhere with strangers alright?"
Mona nodded, "yes mummy," Mona replied and received a kiss from her mummy before waving at her when she got to the door to see her mummy waving.
Mona smiled at herself, she and her daddy were never that close. She sometimes wondered why her daddy loved her siblings more, maybe he does but had a different way of expressing it.
When she reached the street that led to Mr Ken's house, her heart began to beat faster and she began to ask herself questions. What if she came late? She checked the time, it was 9:26 am.
Oh, what if the make-up on her face is too flashy? She took her mirror and checked, she corrected her lipstick and sighed. What if she was wearing something to flirt with him? Mr Ken was always sensitive. . .
She reached the gate to his house and pushed it open to see a four-storey building, the building wasn't clean and wasn't dirty. Some ladies were busy with their laundries, there were so many houses in here, how would she know Mr Ken's part of the house.
Mona stared at the ladies for a while, they were having a conversation. She finally approached them and after asking, they pointed to the third floor, looking up. She thanked the ladies and led herself into the building, she climbed the stairs after greeting some neighbours. The whole place smelled like wet cement. Well, she took her legs up the stairs elegantly and finally reached the third floor to see three doors. She knocked on the last one and waited for a response.
The last one was going to have a balcony and she guessed Mr Ken would rent that part. After knocking the third time, the door went opened only for her lips to get parted by her view. What?!