She recalled how her beloved mother breathed her last breath in her arms.
**********
After the demise of her father, Howel, her stepsister made away with their mother's money. She had talked her into giving her her account details. She said she would invest it and pay it back after it had earned double the profit. However, that was a just but white lie.
Olivia was forced to work odd jobs after her fortune was then history. During that time, her mother fell seriously ill. She couldn't afford to take her to the hospital.
Therefore, all the money she earned, she used to purchase medicine to ease her pain. At one point, she got so much better such that Olivia was over the moon. She thought of investing her money and moving into a better house; to live the life they deserved.
Their house; old, brought the perspective of passing years in a world that had accelerated beyond the sense.
They were a living example of having fallen from grace to grass. The floor panels were pulling up, the paint was peeling off the walls and the shutters were crooked.
Furthermore, the iron-sheet roof threatened to blow off in times of storm or heavy rainfall.
One day she returned home from work and found her mother on the ground. She had passed out.
"Ma, ma?" She called out to her, fearing the worst.
She ran out and frantically sought for a stream. She cupped her palms and drew some water from the stream she came across.
She ran back home and splashed the water on her mother's face. Still, she didn't respond. "No! No! She shouted in horror. She ran back out but stopped in her tracks when her mother coughed. She turned back and walked over to where her mother lay. She helped her up and embraced her, "Ma, you scared me."
"The pain is back, Isabelle." Her mother struggled to speak.
"Don't worry ma. I'm here for you."
"Yo... you s... sound just like your f... father."
"Come on. Lie down. I'll get you something to eat."
Over the days, her mother became more and more emaciated. Her skin was sagging and her bones protruding, offering knobbiness and sharp angles that made her appear weak.
Her once supple hair became thin and lackluster, and her eyes had a pinpoint look to them, glass bright and wet; sometimes pinched and dull.
Her glossy skin lost its beauty and her complexion was pale and waxy, with almost a greasy look to it. Olivia sometimes cried at her mother's situation thinking how a bad daughter she was for being unable to aid her own mother.
**********
One afternoon as Olivia was washing her mother's feet, Howel paid them a surprise visit.
She gasped when she traipsed into the house. She covered her nose with a handkerchief and, "Hello sister." She said.
"Good, you came. Look at our mother's condition. We have to take her to the hospital."
"Our mother?" She laughed. "Your mother. I'm her stepdaughter, remember?"
"Howel? She treated her like her daughter." Olivia put the basin aside and stood up.
"I never belonged here. Why did she allow pa to leave only 30% of his fortune to me? 30%?"
"You know that's not true Howel. We... She loved you."
"Shouldn't you be the one taking her to hospital? I mean, pa wrote 40% of his fortune under your name. Didn't he?"
"And you took with you mom's part of the fortune."
"Who cares if I did? Can you prove it?" Howel walked over to her mother. "Sorry mom, your real daughter can't take care of you."
"Howel!" Olivia shouted. "Get your filthy hands off of her."
"Oh! You have the guts to call me that, yet you expect me to help you? Okay, I'll leave then."
"No, Howel, I'm sorry. Okay?"
"I'll think about it and get back to you. I have to go. I can't stay here a second longer."
"Howel?"
"I said I'll think about it!" Howel said as she walked out of the door.
"So this is it!" She hit her fist on the wall. She looked at her mother, tears flooding her eyes.
"We'll get through this ma," She continued wiping her feet.
"Was... th... that Howy d... dear?"
"Yes, ma."
"What... did s…she s... say?"
"She... ma, you need to rest.
*******************
The sound of her mother gasping for air woke her that night. Olivia put her mother's head on her lap and gave her medicine.
However, she didn't get any better than she did before, after taking the drugs.
She ran out of the house. It was a dark and stormy night. The clouds were the kind of grey that would make any quarry rock proud as if they were so pleased to echo the earth.
All the grey, all that swirling water in the sky, condensation was bound to happen sooner rather than later.
As if it were starlight pulsing through the graphite sky, lightning came in great networking forks. There was a heavy downpour; so heavy that to be caught unawares meant being drenched to the skin.
Each drop was as large as a cartoon tear and they fell like gravity had been turned up a notch. She picked up her pace holding futile hands skyward to fend off the worst. She was relieved to find a convenience store open at the dead of the night. The lady cordially accepted her request to give her some painkillers since she promised to pay the following day.
Upon reaching home, she lay her mother's head on her lap,
"Look, ma. I brought you some painkillers. You'll get better in no time."
She unwrapped them and carefully lay her mother's head on the floor. She went to fetch some water.
"Ma, ma," Olivia patted her on the cheek.
She was crying, as she watched the light fade from her mother's eyes. Her skinny, fragile hands grew cold like stone. Olivia exhaled what was left of her sanity.
Every second she shared with her mother traveled through her mind. She couldn't stop crying as tears fell easily from her eyes. Regrets and shame about the times she was mad at her in the past consumed her body with guilt and pain. She could not comprehend what was happening.
The thought of being alone in this savage world scared her. Never again would she see her smile. Never again would she have someone to call her dolly-doll, a name she'd grown to love.
Her mother's soul just slipped through her fingers as her body lay there stiff. It's like she was a fragment of Olivia's imagination.
Nevertheless, if happiness was real, her mom would want her to move on and keep their fondest memories. Yet even my memories felt like dreams. Her pulse stopped and so did her heartbeat.
She closed her vacant eyes and, "Ma!" Olivia screamed at the top of her lungs.
****************
Her ringing phone brought her back to reality. She got up from the floor and walked out of the secret room.
She sauntered along the hallway and stood in front of her late mother's portrait.
"I'll avenge your death ma. I promise." A drop of tear ran down her left cheek.