YOUR FATHER IS DEAD

Linda looks at the domestic workers as they line up in fear before her mom and drops the tray holding dangerous sharp objects, like the scalpel of different sizes, scissors and the curettes, she summons courage and calmly drops it in the small wooden table before her mom, then moves some paces away from her.

"I will ask you again, and this time around, I will show no mercy." Jessie says a bit daring and picks up the smallest scalpel. "Which one of you drugged the food?"

"I know nothing about that ma'am." Anita whispers quivering in fear. "We prepared the food following the procedure, I can swear to you that we didn't drug the meal ma'am."

"Then can you explain why everyone of us slept that much?!" she yells. "Again, someone is missing, how will you explain that?"

"I truly know nothing about it ma'am, believe me." Anita persists.

"Then who on earth did it if not you people? Until when will you continue to li-"

"I did it!" Linda interrupts.

With a frown on her face, Jessie asks again. "What did you just say now? You drugged the food?"

"I didn't drug the food!" She retorts.

"Then how come did we all sleep that much?!" Jessie asks again yelling loud.

"I drugged the juice not the food."

"Linda!"

"That was the best I could do," she whispers. "I can't afford to see her stay here and suffer."

Jessie scoffs and slowly turns her eyes to the domestic workers. "You can all return to your chamber, I will call you soon."

"Yes ma'am." The whisper still quivering in fear and rush out.

Linda watch them leave her presence with pains in her eyes. "I pity them a lot." She whispers.

"Why did you do that and where did you send her to?" Jessie asks moving close to her daughter with scornful eyes.

"That was the only thing I could do as her sister to save her." She whispers. "I can't just stand and watch her suffer."

"Suffer you say?!" At that moment, she is standing just few paces away from her daughter.

"Yes, she knows you killed her father, do you have any idea how sickening that is for her?"

"Learn to mind your business Linda."

"Tell me, those things you told me about Mr Peter, were lies right?"

Jessie sneers. "What? Are you curious now?"

"Of course I am." Linda nods. "You made up the so called 'ugly truth' just to make me pity you, isn't it?"

"You have twenty four hours. If you don't find me Cecelia, I will deal with you." She says a bit threatening.

"How will you deal with me? The way you killed the man you claimed to love?"

"Shut that stupid mouth of yours." she says one after the other.

"Oh!" Linda exclaims and smiles. "The way you killed your own father?"

Jessie slaps her daughter twice. "Make sure you stop when I ask you to! How dare you accuse me of killing my own father? Are you in your right senses?"

"Then tell me how he died, he was fine until you went to pay him that mysterious visit."

Her daughter's words made her feel a bit guilt. She sits calmly on the couch just as she did before. "Maybe you are right."

"What? You really killed him?" Linda asks again.

"He had a cardiac arrest when I told him about Cecelia." She whispers. "He had no idea I had a baby for Peter, he was really shocked."

"Mom!" Linda calls loudly and tears rolling down her eyes. "Get out of my house now."

Jessie stands calmly and moves closer to her daughter again. "Sorry?"

"I asked you yo leave my house." She repeats.

"Which house are you referring to? This one?"

"Grandfather willed all his properties to me before he died, have you forgotten?"

"So? You want to chase me out?" Jessie asks again.

"It high time I did that." Linda exhales. "Get out of my house right now."

Jessie stares at her daughter for a second or two and her phone rings. She deeps her hand into the pocket in her trousers and answers the call. "Hello. What? He did what?" She pauses for a while and continues. "Find somewhere nice to bury him and make sure you don't attract the public." She hangs up.

"Bury who?" Linda asks with her eyes wide open.

Jessie raises her brows and sighs. "Your father passed away this morning."

"Which father are you talking about? My father?"

"His illness caused it I guess."

"You guess?! After locking up a perfectly fine man in a psychiatric hospital?"

"Your father was sick!" She retorts. "All I did was to merely take care of him."

"He wasn't mentally derailed." Linda whispers.

"But he had memory problem which can still be called mental issues."

"I will tell everyone what you did to him."

Jessie giggles. "Is that a threat?" She didn't wait for any response and continues. "Well, even if you scream and tell the whole world, the truth that will be known to them is that he was mentally derailed."

"What are you talking about?"

"That is what I have prepared for the people to know as truth."

Linda scoffs and wipes off her tears. "I won't forgive you for this." She walks away.