Madeline
I smiled at mom while coming to sit on the dining table. "Good morning mom!" I greeted her. I looked around the house, not finding dad at all. It was very unlike him to not be present at the table for breakfast. "Good morning Maddie!" She said while arranging the plates.
"Honey, can you see if Aaron is up?" She asked me, while she flipped the omelette. "Sure!" I said while stuffing my mouth with bread, and got up from the table to go check their room.
When I entered I announced, "Dad, wake up. See I woke up early today." I said, when he didn't grunt or said, "Give me a few minutes." I went to the bedside table to check on him. He was sound asleep.
"Dad? It's morning. Let's have breakfast together." Having no reply from him. I went back to the kitchen. "Mom, he is asleep. Not saying anything." I told her. She nodded and said, "Let's give him some time. He was up late last night making pottery. His business is growing well." She said and put an omelette on my plate. Seeing it, my mouth watered and without saying, 'bon appetite' we started eating.
After breakfast, while cleaning dishes she asked me to check on him. I did as she asked me, went to their room and saw him still asleep. I went to him to see if he responded, what I saw made me go rigid at once.
Two pearls were coming out of his mouth with blood. "Maddie? What did he say? Tell him to have breakfast now or I'll not make it again." I heard mom calling me. When I did not answer her, she came to bed wiping her wet hands on her apron.
When she saw my expression, she hurried to see and when it all sank into her, her knees buckled. She started sobbing and said, "She could not bear me being happy! She took my happiness." She sobbed and asked me to call the village physician at once. I hurried to oblige.
While walking towards the house of the physician. My mind wandered to, she could not hear me being happy! She took my happiness. What did she mean by that? Leaving this thought for later I went to the physician and asked him to come.
He looked at dad and then checked his pulse. "I am so sorry to say, but it looks like he had committed suicide by eating pearls and his lungs were filled with water. Making it hard for him to breathe." He looked at both of us. Mother sobbed. I helped the physician to leave. When I got to mom she said, "Do not ever go near the ocean! Do you hear me? You will not do as they say. You will not answer. Never answer!" What was she saying? I narrowed my eyebrows together.
I looked back at dad, or was it his body now? I knelt to his side and asked, "Do you think he can do this to himself?" "He would never! Why would he? He loved me and you very much. He would never leave us alone. This is a murder. And I will take my revenge." Mother said. looking overwhelmed.
"Momma! I don't believe it! I don't think he has left us. The physician is wrong." I said while sobbing. Tears were flowing like water found in a stream. But why would he kill himself was a question. Our business was doing well. He loved us dearly.
***
It took us almost 2 days to get to our senses. After cremation, mother told me, "Maddie, this house is under debt. The villagers can come at any time to take our home away. I do not have much gold to sell. But we will be able to live for a while." If our situation wasn't worse than losing the house I grew up in was the last thing I wanted after dad. It felt like our lives were in chaos. I just simply nodded. Not wanting to say anything about our current situation.
It was not a surprise for me when I heard villagers coming at our door. Mom got up from where she was sitting at the dining table. She went to check as to what they wanted to say. From what she told me. I think I had an idea as to what they wanted to say. Leave the house! That was what I thought would happen.
Mom opened the door and four men were standing there. "What do you want? I said I'll leave in two days." Mom said, the way they were looking at me, made me feel disgusted. I wanted to slap him for thinking such a thing about my mom.
"We came up with an idea. If you want to live here, you might have to give your daughter to us. She can make a lot of money. We have seen her growing…" Mom slapped him. Not believing what just happened he froze. The other man slapped my mother hard and she fell on the floor from the impact.
I went to her, "I will not give my daughter to you. If you want us to leave, just say. We are not someone who would stoop this low for a house. You think I would let you touch me?" She got up and now had a knife in hand. They all backed away. "You want to touch me, you can try. Now get the f*ck out of here." She said and I looked at her with awe. My mouth agape in surprise.
"We must pack at once. We have to leave." She said and started collecting important items from the sofa and then we went to our room packing the stuff. "Where are we going to go now?" I asked while stuffing a bag with my clothes. "To your dad's childhood home." She replied. He had a home? But what they always told me was that he was an orphan.