Lorraine panted. Taking deep breaths in and out. Her anger-filled eyes stared down at her daughter, who was glaring back at her. Her lips sealed, and her eyes glared.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT HUH?" She spat. "DO YOU EVER REALIZE HOW HARD IT HAS BEEN TO LOOK AFTER A USELESS BASTARD LIKE YOU? SO USELESS THAT EVEN AFTER BECOMING AN ADULT, I HAVE TO LOOK AFTER YOU. IF... IF ONLY YOU WERE'NT BORN."
The same old words that had been repeated over a thousand times, which were nothing new to her, and the familiar sentences that she knew like the back of her hand. But each time her mother said those words, the less it stung, but nothing less, it stung.
"I didn't ask to be born. Moreover, I have my plans. I do not plan to stay here forever either." Helle muttered under her breath, which made her mother drop the belt. With a fuming foul mood, she headed upstairs without speaking a word.
Just as she did, the younger woman, Helle, crumbled like the sweet biscuits. So sweet, so dense, and yet she fell apart before she even soaked all the tea.
~
The next morning, at an early hour of dawn, Helle walked out of her bedroom. With puffed eyes, a red nose, and cold hands, she entered the cold bath. As always, there was still no response from the neighboring cities. The companies she had tried to apply for jobs hadn't answered her even after a year of consistent application.
"Is there something truly wrong with me?" She pondered while taking the bath.
Even during her college days, she had changed her name and identity to work at the nearby bakery just for some cash. So why? If only someone had accepted, then she could move out of this town with her mother. Oh, additionally, she had also yet to inform her mother about the extra payment from a customer.
'A weird customer,' she recalled. He was perhaps the new investor Anton mentioned; after all, in such a small town it was unusual to not recognize people.
~
"Helle, Be sure to look after the restaurant well. Also, don't close the shop if Anton arrives." Lorraine sharply commanded. She wore a new turtleneck shirt and a long midi from a few years ago. Acting as if the banter from the night before never happened, she had a calm demeanour.
When Helle walked to the counter from the kitchen, her ragged appearance, the cuts and bruises on her arms were prominent, and her face was unusually neutral, unlike her radiant self. Just the sight of her daughter's ragged appearance made Lorraine wrench. If only she were richer, or more influential than perhaps...
"Look Helle. I know you do not like Anton, and yes, he is very much older than you, but at least for some time. Do as I ask you to. I'm not doing it for myself. It's for you." Her eyes held the tenderness of a motherly love for her child.
"What you ask of me is too much from me," Helle murmured and returned without even getting a glimpse. She was fuming inside. She felt unhappy. She loathed everything. Everyone. This world. This society. But most of all, she hated that man. Anton.
She had tried to adjust. Do as told, but
She was just a child. She was just 15 when he started to pursue her. She felt disgusted. It was not normal, but to society it was. But what was not accepted was the soaring of women. When she returned home in the late evening due to her college, the people of the town were quick to make assumptions and spread rumours.
While Helle buried her mind in work, Lorraine was baffled and flabbergasted by the words of her daughter. Since when was this barrier made? They had shared a bond so close, and yet, even within the same house, they were so far apart.
With a bitter taste in her mouth, Lorraine left the house and went to the court. Even if her daughter couldn't see her sacrifices, that didn't mean she would lower herself. After everything, she couldn't let herself get trampled on. Especially by those 'amazing' relatives who were kind enough to take almost everything.
~
Lost in her thoughts, Helle prepared the rice with beef only. The vegetables for the pie were lacking, and she was in no mood to walk to the market. 'Ting~' the doorbell rang, and a thick pair of boots clicked on the wooden floor.
"Excuse me~" was the voice of the man from the day before. Freshly engraved in Helle's mind. Absent mindfully, she left everything in the kitchen and brisked to the counter.
"Good morning," her sweet voice greeted just like the tiny radiance rays of the sun, which were oftentimes bright and sharp but occasionally blunt but still warm.
"A bowl of rice and beef," he ordered. His eyes tad bit dull compared to the past day.
"Sure. Also, Sir. It seems that you have paid more than the actual price. Her words were cut short by the man.
"Yes, I did. Think of it as a tip." The man had a haughty wording, but the conveyance made it seem as though he made her stand on equal grounds. His hands were relaxed while still looking around.
"But—" How could she accept such a large tip? ~
"Um? You feel guilty for being paid more?" The man slightly turned his head, facing her. The depth of his voice sent shivers to Helle.
"Yes," she replied earnestly, which earned her a snare. The corner of his lip turned up.
"Then how about you show me around the town?"
"..."
Although Helle had no idea what the man might demand, his request made her dumbfounded. Fluttering her eyebrows vigorously to ensure she had heard correctly only earned her a smirk.
"You have any complaints, Miss?"
"....No. I shall prepare your order then." Realizing that she had spaced out, Helle quickly answered and returned to the kitchen.