Freda waited patiently for Bob.

Even though he had not said a word to her for the past three days, yet. Even though she should be taking a good night rest other than watching the clocks every tick tack like a common housewife.... even though. But she still managed to wait.

Her anxiety was getting was getting intense and it was not because of Bob or the insecurities out there in the street of Mexico at this deadly our of the night. It was about her daughter, Diamond. What was she going to tell why her father showed them so much in difference. The day that just passed about about an hour ago was supposed to be Diamond's perfect birthday. The sixteenth year was the sweetest moment of every girl child but Diamond did not get the chance to experience that.

Freda was just a common housewife and a dress maker but she had pulled so much to celebrate her. It was only incomplete since her husband was not available.

Breathe. Thinking too much was not going to make matters any less worse, she should phone him one more time.

And so she did but Bob's line wasn't going. It left the same message. "The person you're calling is not answering". For the sixteenth time now.

Maybe she got it all wrong. Maybe she was genuinely concerned about his safety and whereabouts. Maybe it wasn't that little voice in her head that suggested he went to see his ex-wife and kids....

Freda, c'mon, you really need to calm down.

She looked around that Amber lit room and stole a glance at the clock. She gave up.

It was as that moment Freda decided to shut a lid the door barged open.

"Bob".

Diamond woke up to a sound so strange, her sleeping brain couldn't process. She got up from her bed and padded across her small room to the door and pinned her ear against it.

She heard hushed but harsh conversations and knew immediately it was her parents in another argument again.

She didn't want to care or get involved. As far as Diamond was concerned, it was a normal activity in the house. She guessed dad was drunk and mom was nagging again. She also knew what was going to happen next, but she didn't want to bother. She should go back to bed and pretend like she didn't hear a thing.

She paused on her journey back to bed when she heard a sudden smash. Adrenalin pumped into her veins. She quickly left her room to the living room.

She fumbled for the light switch and immediately grew horrified to see her mother on the floor .... she wasn't sure. She didn't want to think about it.

"What did you do to mom?" She barked at her angry and puffing father.

"She's fine, just go back to your room. Get out of here,"he growled. Drukeness was still evident in his voice. He was in a terrifying state.

"Doesn't look like it". She struggled to keep the horror out of her voice but instinctively went to see for herself. She knelt down beside her mother and examined her. Blood was gushing from her head. where she must have been hit. She saw pieces of the flower vase which usually sat at the corner, all smashed into unamendable pieces. On her mother's head. She checked her heartbeat and pulse point and was relieved that she was not dead.

She was unconscious and Diamond knew she had to do something urgently or Freda's situation gets worse.

"How could you do this? what if she died?" Diamond shot her father an accusing glare. Bob was speechless and remain mute but he was really nervous.

"We need to get her to the hospital,"she added and rush to the table where they usually keeps stuffs, searching for the car keys. The key to the car her miserable father did not even own. It belongs to Freda but she sympathetically give it to Bob, hoping he'll make good use of it in his delivery business.... it was merely a wishful thinking. Her father did not use it for good stuff, he prefered to carry local Mexican girls in it and take them to the pub and all the money he managed to save was invested in those girls and countless bottles of beer.

She hadn't said it before but honestly, her father was a bastard.

"Diamond!" The man called after her but Diamond ignored him, more interested in getting her mother to the hospital. She saw the keys and started for the door. Bob went totally ballistic. He pulled her back in the firm grip, pushing her against the wall.

"you're hurting me! let go of me "she screeched. Bob didn't let go, in fact, he clutched harder on her arms. His eyes bored down on hers in exasperation.

"You listen to me. You better not get me into any mess we can't get off. Do you know how much they'll charge us in the hospital?".

"So you want her to die then? There's no other option than to take her to the hospital, yet here we are bantering to and forth when mom's life is at stake"

"There has to be another way because I don't have that amount of ..."

"Then maybe you should have thought twice before you picked up a vase and smashed it on your wife's head". She said, at this point, she didn't give a damn about what was coming.

The nerve of this girl. Bob grew worse, his anger was hard to contain especially in his inebriated state. This small brat was daring him.

"If money is your problem, don't bother. I've saved a lot of money from my part time job so no one needs you're incompetent braying ass".

A heavy slap landed on her face and she eventually landed on the floor. She suppressed a moan. Her face was burning from the painful sting of his slap. Her lips was also bleeding but that didn't stop her. She had gotten used to this.

"Touch me one more time and I swear I'll call the police and You'll rot in jail" She winced.

That was just a defence mechanism. She knew this monster. He was going to kill her without a second thought. This wasn't the first time he had abused her physically. This wasn't definitely the first time he has slapped her. He had done worse, even to the point of trying to assault her.

She did not talk about it... that day. And anytime she thinks of it, the words to describe the sensation was vague.

Her own father. She could have killed him but God will punish her right? And her poor mother?

No one understands the deadly pain she absorbs every single day. Not even her creator?

She got so carried away in her darkness that you failed to notice Bob who was unleashing the remainants of his anger on the wall, throwing punches on the hard surface that his hands began to bleed.

what?

That punch was meant for Diamond right? So what was he doing?

Bob was unstable himself. It looked like he felt the pain of her insult more than the physical one Diamond was going through. it was true after all, he was incompetent and useless. He still couldn't fend for his family or pay the house bills. He drunk himself to a stupor day and night and now a 'little girl' is challenging him.... bullshitting him. That's what hurt him more. Not like Freda hasn't complained about his laid-back attitude or his colleagues at the pub, but his daughter never told him this. That's what left an indelible impression. The truth stinged him so much he just wanted to inflict pain and everyone around him.

It was too late to show his manpower now. Diamonds struggled up from the floor and helped her unconscious mother up. Her weight doubled the pain but she managed to scale through and got to the car.

She carefully helped her mom into the backseat praying that she doesn't give up.

She jumped into the front seat and started the car. While it felt like bob wasn't going to come after her again, she also had another problem ahead of her.

One, they lived in a shanty but dangerous down literally the outskirts of Mexico and going out in this time of the night was risky.

Two, the local hospital the government has built for this town was situated far off.

Three, Diamond had no licence to drive but she had learnt it.

In fact, she wasn't old enough to do many things by she did them anyway. This was the least of her problem.

Without another apprehension, she drove into the darkness.