Chapter 12

A lot of things happened during mom's first trimester and the rest. Cameron was arrested for questioning, concerning the wanted criminal who wanted to assassinate mom that night. There was no evidence that it was him, so he was released, but was placed under close scrutiny. After the incident, things were peaceful for a while. Cameron was kind to mom and me, for the first time in his life. But we knew that he was pretending, so that he'd not be exposed to the world as a woman beater and an abusive father and husband. Mom started to stay out more often. She'd not return home on time, and I started to wonder what was happening.

She'd return home late into the night, long after Cameron must have returned from work. Oh you wonder who picked me up from school? Sir Colin did. Mom asked him to keep picking me up from school. Such a kind man. He leaves work early everyday, he only works for five hours. And when I get home, I'd unlock the door and go into my room, undress, take my lunch in the kitchen, mom always left it there, asking me to microwave it. She prepared my breakfast and lunch together in the morning, after eating my lunch, I would go into my room and lock myself up, until mom returned. I didn't play with the other kids because I was always not in the mood, or maybe it was because Mike Tony was not around.

Yes, ever since everything happened, I haven't seen Mike Tony, but I was soon to meet him. When you read further my story, you'd realize what happened.

Even the kids didn't play together that much. Their parents rarely let them out of the rooms. It must have been a security measure. Who wouldn't protect his child from a place where someone was almost assassinated weeks ago? I didn't blame them. Even me didn't like the fact that mom and I came back home. I wish we could just get an apartment somewhere far away and run away, without looking back.

I'd wait in my room for mommy, and play some video games or most of the time, write. The trinkets and gold chains I stole from Cameron still remained intact where I stored them. My diary too. It was buried so deep into the soil, I had to dig for several minutes to fetch it.

I found out that the stolen valuables worth one thousand dollars. Mom and I could sell them to buy a house and maybe some items for the baby.

"My sister" i smiled. "I'm going to have a little sister" it was a very big thing for me. I had always wanted to have siblings. I would keep writing and imagining what my little sister would look like. Despite that I was always lost in my imaginations, I knew when Cameron returned because like I said, he's a loud person. But I always remained in my room until mom returned.

And when she returned, she'd be grinning from ear to ear, and then retire to the guest room, after putting me to bed. She'd even talk to Cameron like nothing happened. Of course, Cameron flared up, and tried to hit her many times, but mom always had the upper hand this time. I was shocked at her transformation.

"Cameron, if you kill this baby again, I'll not let you go to jail, I promise you! I'm gonna kill you myself and I swear, your blood will not be on my head" Mom retorted , one night after he had tried to force her to sleep in their matrimonial room with him.

That night, she had returned around 12am, with a different clothing, a clothing that looked less decent than what she used to wear, and she was slightly drunk. I wondered if it was the alcohol that gave her strength or if something else intoxicated her. She had changed.

"You're drunk, Ruby" he said, calmly. I could see anger building up in his veins, as he gnashed his teeth and stamped his feet on the floor. Mom was drunk, I could see but she was only half drunk. She still looked mostly normal to me, because she could control her stance and movements.

Mom never drank. She was the gentle type, not flamboyant in any way. I wondered what new thing was going to happen in my family, what more worse things Cameron would cause.

"You're drunk, Ruby, I see that. I would have taught you a lesson tonight if you were in your right senses. You know you can't talk to me this way if you were!" He said. I felt like hitting him. How dare he stylishly call my mom a mad woman? After yelling like this, he turned away towards their room. But mom pulled him back. It was a big shock to me.

Many times when they fought , mom always talked back, and they always hurled cuss words at each other but at the end, mom still always submitted to him, but this time around, mom was the dominant one.

"Cameron, I'm not done with you! How dare you walk out on me?" She screamed. Her eyes looked better now, but a bit swollen. And it looked like she had something over those eyes that made them look even more beautiful. Was that eyeshadow?

"I wonder what is giving you the audacity to talk back at me these days!" He said. "Well, you're drunk. I don't know who got you drunk but I promise, I'll come back to get you when you're sober" he said and started to go away. I could hear it in his tone that he was scared of losing her to someone else. His voice actually did broke, while he talked. It was so clear in his tone that he still wanted her. Wanted her to himself only. Forever . Wanted her to be with him forever so she could spend all her life in tears and full of scars. If he didn't want to lose her, why didn't he treat her well then?

"Cameron, Look, I'm not drunk! Even if I'm a bit drunk, I totally know what I am saying. You cannot do anything to me anymore!" She said and started to go after him. Her words carried so much strength that they actually sent a relief down my nerves. She put her hands on her waist as she shouted, and I noticed her belly. It was getting bigger. A smile played on my lips when I saw it. Her flat belly was starting to protrude now.

"Mom, it's okay" I told her, trying to stop her from following Cameron into their room. I held her skirt and pleaded that she left him alone.

"Mom, please. Leave him for a while"

Then she stopped, and came over to my side. I could read regret in her two eyes. When I looked into someone's eyes, I always understood the expression in them. Especially if the person was my family. She wiped my face with her clean, smooth hands even though there was no dirt on it. She kissed my forehead and her lips started to shiver. She was trying so hard not to cry. I wondered if it was what I did that hurt her so much. The fact that I called her a dummy. I regretted it myself but I was glad it registered itself in her brain. Maybe it was the fact that her daughter thought she was foolish that initiated the idea of divorcing Cameron, and confronting him without fear.

"Mom, I'm sorry. For the other day, I am sorry" i said as she stared into my eyeballs.

"No darling, I am sorry. Maybe I'm indeed a dummy. Just maybe" she said and the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"I promise you that soon, you'll not have to watch all these violence. Because they will soon stop. Once and for all. I promise you, okay?" She said and then carried me on her back, as we both walked into my room. It made me laugh. She never carried me on her back after I had been weaned at two.

In my room, I asked Mom if I could touch the baby-her stomach. She let me touch it and we talked about the baby growing in her womb.

"She would have been my fifth baby" she said and sighed, "but it's okay. I'm loving the little human already"

"I'm so happy that I'll be having a little sister" I smiled, holding her hands.

"I'm happy too, I'm happy I can give you a sibling, even though it's not a boy like you wanted" she said and then pointed to the door. "Go and shut the door"

I stood up quickly because I thought she sensed that Cameron was coming. And it was true Because before I could shut it completely, he grabbed it from outside and pushed it open. The force threw me off balance and I fell to the floor

"You make the little girl think that I am bad. You feed her with so many lies about me! You have poisoned her heart against me!" He said aiming towards mom with clenched jaws. He was dressed in a sleeveless top and I could clearly see his huge biceps. I hurriedly went towards mom and held her hands. I wondered what he was talking about. How did mom poison my heart? By telling me the truth about him?

"Tell me how" mom said sitting properly on my bed.

"Just look! The little girl can't even look me in the face!" He yelled, and I almost laughed because he was trying to put the blame on someone else. It was annoying but equally hilarious. He was trying every means to put mom under him, again.

"You mean the little witch?" Mom laughed him to scorn

"Shut up Ruby!" He barked

"No, you shut up, Cameron! I'm not moved by your large biceps and authoritative voice. Not anymore! I know what you're trying to do right now, okay?" Mom said and pulled me to herself so that I sat on her thighs. I turned my face away from Cameron and towards my window. Outside, I could see Eric, one of the little kids I played with. I could see him in his cart being wheeled around by his dad with playful chatters and giggles surrounding the house. Their door was open, so I could see them.

Theirs depicted a spirit of togetherness and love. Unlike my own family. Love never lived here. So everything Cameron built did not stand in my mom's heart, because there was no foundation to begin with.

I started to wonder if Cameron would beat mom again, especially now that I was there, watching them.

"Ruby, just get in the room. That's all I ask" All of a sudden, he softened his voice.

"Oh so now, you're pleading?" Mom said and laughed really hard.

"No I am not begging you to. I am commanding you to. Why are you trying to punish me, you already know I can't sleep alone! Do I really have to hit you again to get this into your empty skull?" He barked.

"I hate you!" I suddenly screamed. It definitely wasn't me speaking because my mouth moved on its own accord.

"Oh, your mother has fed you some poison! Great, I know that. Don't you worry, I'm gonna teach her a lesson, and it'll be right here!" His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot that I immediately started to shiver, and just then, within a twinkle of an eye, he yanked me away from mom's thighs and pinned her to my bed violently.