KNOWING JESSICA (2)

Four of them entered the store. The store was truly destroyed by the fire. The counter where Sabrina stayed, was all black. The walls were black. Everywhere was still smelling burnt. The sections where the groceries were, were all destroyed by the fire. Everywhere looked scattered and the the sound of glasses still shattering, were heard.

Josh went to Mrs Williams office. He tried to open the door but it was locked. "How come is locked?" He wondered. He came back outside. 

Sabrina saw him with nothing and decided to ask. "Did everything burn in her office also?" 

"No. It's locked." 

Jessica and Sabrina looked at each other before she asked. "Where was my mother if her office was locked?"

Josh scratched his head. He wondered if Mrs Williams wasn't in her office and she was outside her office, how could she not escape. "Or maybe she was in the bathroom, or the door of the store was jammed because of the fire."

"Yeah you right." Sabrina agreed. "I guess her things in the office will not be really burnt." 

Jessica couldn't stop thinking about the issue. Daniel saw her lost in thoughts, with her frowning her face. "Don't worry Jessica, nobody would have harmed Mrs Williams. The fire must have started somewhere in the store. It unfortunately happens"

Jessica smiled at him and nodded her head in agreement. "Yes I understand. I need the office to be opened, so i can collect the remaining things of my mum." She sighed. She went out of the store to take some fresh air.

Josh saw her go out. He shook his head in pity. He looked at Sabrina and Daniel. "It really must be hard for her. She wasn't on good terms with her mother before she died. It's so sad."

Sabrina looked outside to see Jessica standing. "I hope she will be okay." She went outside to meet Jessica.

"Hey." She smiled at Jessica.

Jessica turned to look at her. "Hey." 

Sabrina placed her hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Are you okay."

"Yes I am. I just miss her. I couldn't even look at her face one last time because it was charred." She felt a lump in her throat, that she couldn't even talk anymore.

Sabrina understood her. "No need to worry. At least you still have her pictures right?"

Jessica froze. She looked at Sabrina. Tears started falling from her eyes. "I I I don't have it anymore." She bursted into tears and hugged Sabrina tight which startled the latter. 

Sabrina patted her back. She was confused. "You don't have it anymore?"

She let go of Sabrina. "Due to the fight we had, I returned everything about her back to her. I am a useless child Sabrina." She started crying again.

"If I may ask. What was the argument about, that you guys seperated?"

Jessica wiped her tears to stop crying, and explain to Sabrina. "Growing up, my mum was very overprotective of me, ever since my dad died. She had no family except for me. During those times, she always really annoyed me. She never let me go out. She even hits me sometimes." 

"Really?" Sabrina was surprised to hear this from Jessica.

"Yes, but she wasn't hitting me so badly. Don't think that way." 

"Okay."

"Everytime we had school trips, mum won't let me go. I couldn't play with other children because my mum won't let me. She will say I will get my hands dirty and she doesn't want to me to get sick. Two years ago. When I clocked twenty two, I decided to move out to know how to live independently. I didn't really enjoy my childhood, so I decided that I will enjoy my youth. Mama didn't agree. We argued about that for a long time." She paused for a while. " I decided that I won't listen to her. I told her I was leaving and she said if I leave, she will sever all ties with me." 

Sabrina pitied Jessica for all she went through in the past. She knew Mrs Williams had her reasons for trying to protect Jessica. But Jessica felt trapped.

"When she said that, my heart broke into two. I was just leaving the house, not her life. My anger had the best of me. I still took my stuff out and left the house. Her pictures, things she had given me, I left them there. I shouldn't have gone Sabrina. I shouldn't have."

"It's okay." Sabrina hugged her once again, because Jessica couldn't stop crying. Josh and Daniel came out of the store.

Josh saw Jessica crying and hugging Sabrina. "What happened again? "Is everything okay".

"It's fine Josh. She just told me about the issue her mother had with her. I will tell you guys later."

Daniel suggested. "Let's eat out okay. We will come back to take Mrs Williams things from her office that is locked. Let's go. You all must be hungry." They all agreed and went to Daniel's car.

They arrived at the restaurant and sat down together. Sabrina and Jessica were opposite Daniel and Josh. Daniel decided to start up a conversation between them.

"So, Jessica. What do you do for a living?"

She removed her gaze from Josh to looks at Daniel. "I am an optometrist."

Daniel was quite impressed. "Wow, what do optometrists do?"

"Well we identity vision defects, diseases and injuries and some other stuff."

"Cool." The waiter came to collect their order.

After the waiter collected their order, Sabrina also decided to ask Daniel. "What do you do also Daniel?"

He looked at Josh before he spoke. "Well I own a pharmacy. It was my dad's before he died. I studied pharmacy in the University,  just like my dad."

"OMG I'm so sorry to hear that. What about your mum?" Sabrina asked.

"Dead also." He chuckled. " I guess it's fate for four orphans to come together and know each other." 

Sabrina laughed at Daniel's remark. "Yeah it's really fate." She raised her glass. "Cheers to four orphans, and two who are working, and two who are jobless for now." 

They all laughed and raised their glasses and cheered.

Jessica looked at all of them smiling. "Thank you all so much. I feel a little better. I would like to finally bury my mum. I don't like it as she is still in the morgue. I want her to rest In peace."

Josh agreed with her. "Sure anytime you are ready, we will bury her." 

They continued to eat and drink. While Daniel was busy teasing Josh, making the two ladies laugh.