Liza: Choices

Liza: 14 years

"Why do you want to stay back Liza?" Mom yells.

"I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay here." I yell back.

Father made a deal with a company in London and was planning to move over there along with us. Mom said it was an opportunity for the company to enter the international market. She was being a loving wife, blindly supporting her husband's decisions.

"Families stick together. If we stay back, Dad would be all alone in that country. He would be missing us." Mom says teary eyed.

Family? No Maa...he doesn't love us. He sees us as a burden. He doesn't deserve us Maa. I wanted to shout out the truth but I keep my mouth shut, terrified of the consequences.

"I don't care what you say Ma. I don't want to go. This is where I belong!!!"

I act like a crazy person and throw the objects kept on the table onto the floor.

" Liza stop!! You'll hurt yourself. Why are being so stubborn?"

" Don't force me Ma. Please just trust me. I'm doing the right thing, please ma...please... " I cry clutching onto her legs.

"Liz... I ..."

Mom walks out of the room crying. After she leaves, I throw the glass vase kept on the table onto the floor in anger and cry my heart out.

My dad was a cheater. He cheated my grandpa and tricked my mom into marrying him for wealth. Took over the company that originally belonged to my mother. Then he cheated on his wife and now he acts like a diligent faithful loving husband, when in reality he was more cunning than the devil himself.

Finally the clattering noise of the broken shards of glass wake me up from my madness.

I had never behaved in such an indignant way before. I always obeyed what my mom requested me to do. I know my actions clearly hurt my mothers feelings but there was no other way to save her.

After sometimes mom enters holding a plate with food. Isn't it funny? No matter how much we hurt our loved ones, they always come back offering more love.

"Okay, you can stay here with grandma then. Dad and I'll be moving to London. Now please eat something." Mom says handing me the plate.

"So you are choosing him over me?"

"Him over You?? Liza.. he's your dad. That's not the way to address your dad. What has gotten into you? Why are you behaving in such a way?"

I stay silent. I look up at my mom. Her eyes are welling up with tears but the damage had already been done. There was nothing I could do.

"Okay...I'm sorry. I'll go with you. I'll do it". I take the plate of food from her and start eating. I knew she hadn't eaten food all day too. I mean how could she when I didn't.

Mom stays silent. I could see that she was clearly disappointed in me. Later when I had finished eating , she took the empty plate from my hand and walk away without saying a word.

I was forced to oblige to her demands. I had no other choice. I was scared. What if my dad cheated on her again? What if mom found out about it? These questions haunted me. Therefore after putting much thought into it, I decided to obey her and to surrender to her wish and move to London.