45

Ashely
The neighborhood of Gamilot was one of the most ancient and the least civilized in the land of Midon. I continued driving, a bit appalled by the vicinity.
“She lives here?” I turned to look at Elena who simply nodded without uttering a word, “Where did all the money we sent her, go to?”
“Just drive. We are almost there. ” Elena spoke calmly.
“Alright,” I responded calmly, welding the steering wheels of the car carefully.
I looked through the window, staring at how the walls of the houses looked defaced, the muddles of water that were splashed onto the road, and the men and the men, women, and children who walked by the sides without any care in the world.
“Joe and I are getting separated. ” I heard Elena say and my hands stiffened against the hard body of the wheel as I turned to look at her.
“Do you want me to stop so we could…. ”
Elena cut me off in mid-sentence with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Just keep driving,” Elena answered, “-Slowly.”
“What happened?” I asked, still looking at her through the corner of my right eye. I had no clue that she would tell me, even though I knew about it, already. I cleared my throat when I got no response from her, prompting her to speak.
“When I was two months pregnant, I noticed that he was changing, ” Elena paused, trying to gather the courage to speak while her voice broke, “-He would come late, lie that he was out drinking with his co-workers and then he would come back with his suit smelling of a woman’s perfume. I wanted to give him a chance to explain it when I confronted him about it. ”
“And?” My response was low but the rage I felt inside of me was venomous like a slitting snake.
“H-He said he was frustrated and bored with our marriage, can you believe that?” Elena’s lips spread to give a sad smile, “He said when I was still working, I rarely paid attention to him and the miscarriage I had two years ago, I didn’t know he was struggling so he confided in his co-worker, slept with her and now he wants to opt out of the marriage. ”
“He wants to leave you, Elena and you’re pregnant with his child.” I almost yelled.
“He said he will support our child financially,” Elena rubbed her belly, “I gave him a chance to do right and let that woman go but he said he loved her and he didn’t want to be trapped in a loveless marriage with me.”
“Then why are you both still living together?” I asked.
“We sleep in separate rooms. I never let him prepare my meals and I call my next-door neighbor to buy me anything I need in the mart on the next street. ” Elena verbalized.
“Then live with me,” I suggested with a frustrated sigh.
“I can’t burden you, Ash, ” she said, “He’s leaving once the baby is born.”
“So you’re going to let your baby see that cheating husband of yours?” I turned the wheel.
“He’s still a father. I can’t let just deny him from seeing his child. ” Elena countered back.
“So what are you going to do about his parents or when he comes back, demanding for his child when he’s all grown up? He’s not a father to me, he’s a stupid man who decided to leave an amazing woman like you because of his lust and lack of self-control.” I said with finality. The anger that pursed through my veins could be likened to that of a volcano’s.
“We can talk about that, later. We are here,” she announced, removing her seat belt.
I parked at the side of the street and stepped out, walking over to where Elena was seated and opening the door for her.
“I’m not handicapped. I’m pregnant.” Elena emphasized with a smile.
“I know.” I smiled back, grabbing her bag when she stepped out and locking the car with its keys.
“Are you ready to see her after a long time? I feel a bit nervous. ” Elena said, squinting her eyes.
I didn’t feel like responding to that question so I let her lead the way slowly without asking her any questions. I felt a burn in my heart with each step I took, knowing that no matter what;
I had to get ten thousand dollars from my mother.
****
Elena knocked on the door, yet again while I stood a few meters back, scratching my blonde hair in concern. It was a man who was puffing out smokes from a wood-cigarette who told us where her room was when I and Elena were at a crossroads.
I wondered why my supposed mother would live in an area that was notorious for violence, rape, prostitution, and gambling. It was also very unhygienic and my hands occasionally touched the tip of my nostrils in disgust.
I was about to tap Elena on the hand and tell her to stop knocking when I heard the door open slowly. The door kept opening until when my eyes landed on a woman my heart had loathed for a long while and then she quickly decided to close it but I was smarter.
I pushed the door back open with my knee and pushed my way into the room, stepping in with my hands balled into a tight fist.
“Ashley,” Elena exclaimed but I paid no attention to her. My eyes were still fixated on the woman who was slightly crouched on the floor, nursing her bruised elbow. Her hair was a mixture of dirty brown and blonde, her face was filled with lots of wrinkles that grew with age and her neck was bare. She looked the same as she did, the last time I saw her and even better.
“When are you going to pay off your debt and leave me out of it?” I asked hysterically, with my hands in my jeans.
“I thought we were going to talk about it,” My mother faced Elena, “You said you wouldn’t bring her, here. ”
“And she did,” I cut in, gesticulating with my fingers as I advanced towards her, “It’s either you pay off the debt with whatever cash you have or you can give them your life or your body, I don’t care. Just leave me out of it. ”
“Ashley, this is not what you promised,” Elena warned as she settled down slowly on a sofa.
I looked at Elena, my body still heated as I placed my left hand on my forehead and shrugged, giving Elena access to speak
“Why did you take a debt in Ashley’s name and tell them where she worked? She was hit across the face for something she didn’t know. You hurt her, mum and you need to do right by her. ” Elena started slowly and softly.
“It was a mistake. I wasn’t thinking straight,” My mother started, sitting on the floor and sobbing.
“Don’t you even start with the tears, Lucy. I’m not buying that at all. ” I muttered angrily.
“Ashley.” Elena tried to calm me down and I sighed deeply again while trying to smile through it.
“Those thugs or men whom you borrowed from will keep visiting her workplace and you know what will happen if they go again. So you have to solve this and pay off the debt and never take one in Ashley’s name. ”
There was a huge mountain of silence and I scoffed at how hard my mother was crying a d sniffing so loudly. It irked my ears and irritated my insides.
“I have no money. I used it all up to fend for myself.” I heard my mother say and I whipped my head around and walked towards her and she sobbed louder.
“You gambled the money away, didn’t you?” I cried out, “How dare you take a debt in my name and drag me into your mess? Fix up your mess and leave me alone. I don’t know what I did to deserve a terrible mother like you. I sent money to you like a fool anytime you called desperately. You ripped Elena off of cash, knowing that she’s pregnant. You never came to my apartment to ask how I was doing or cook soup for me. You’re a horrible person and I don’t think that I can ever call you, my mother. ”
“Ash,” Elena called out, tapping the table lightly.
I refused to hearken to her, grabbing my mother by the collar of her pink shirt.
“Please,” I heard her beg, “I honestly have no way to pay it.”
“And then what? I should work all year paying it back? Have you lost your mind?” I yelled.
“Let go of me or I will scream.” My mother shouted back.
I scoffed, glossy tears beginning to stream down my eyes.
“You are the most despicable person I have ever met, ” I ground my lips as more tears ran down my cheeks, “-And I regret coming here.”
“You talk like that to your mother when I told you that I was sorry and it was a mistake. I know what I did was wrong but I don’t deserve to be scolded by my daughter. ” My mother grunted.
I let go of her shirt collar, my hands shaking after hearing the words that came out of her mouth.
“You did it deliberately, didn’t you?” I muttered, dabbing my tears away with the back of my hand, “You didn’t use Elena’s name to take up a debt. You used mine because you didn’t care what would happen to me. ”
“Ashely-” Elena was about to speak when I shouted.
“Can you hear what she said? She has no intention of paying it back and she doesn’t care if those men keep harassing me at my workplace. I was lucky that there were no customers then but what happens when they come back?”
“But we still need to-” Elena called out again but I cut her off, banging my hands against the wall.
“Talk? No matter what you say, she has no intention of paying it back so give it all up, ” I turned back and faced my mother who had risen on her feet.
I tilted my head and threw my head back, letting out a beastly laugh. I then slapped my palm against the other, making consistent noises before saying;
“You are the only one who is capable of reminding me how miserable is it, to be related to you. If I could turn back time, I wish I ran away from home and never let you hear a thing about me. ”
I then looked at Elena, letting out a tired sigh.
“I’m out of here,” I announced, briskly walking towards the door.
Elena kept calling my name but I didn’t answer and even as I shut the door, I could hear her wailing for me to stop. I stopped for a while, trying to get the hurt I felt in my heart out of my body when someone stretched out his hand, holding out a cigarette.
“You look like you need it,” he said, displaying a yellow set of teeth that nauseated me.
I shot a glare at him and rolled my eyes afterward as I resumed walking toward the vehicle. When I entered and shut the door, I let out a shout and then I banged my head against the hard steering wheel, indifferent about the searing pain that it would result in.