Chapter Seven: "His wife?"
Although her parents never found out that she heard what happened on her seventh birthday, which she kept to herself. She developed interest in self-defense arts.
During the party, as a normal tradition, she makes one wish which was always grated. She usually asks for new toys, or clothes or jewelry, but after witnessing what her mother went through in the hands of the man that claimed to love her, she really didn't know what to believe anymore.
A lot was running through her little mind that she didn't even know when they finished singing the happy birthday song for her and her friends, the other guests and her parents were waiting for her to make a wish and blow out the candles on the cake.
"My little sweet angel, it is time to make a wish. Everyone is waiting" said her mother in a sweet voice.
"My baby girl, don't be afraid to wish for anything. Daddy would make it come through" her father said proudly oblivious to the fact that his baby girl now looked at him with disgust and resentment.
Angela really wanted to wish that he would stop hitting her mother but she was smart enough to know that it would only bring shame to her family if she said that in front of their guests and that was exactly what her mother was avoiding.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, looked at her mother who gave her loving smile and a nod to continue. She wanted nothing more than to protect this woman and herself.
"I…ummm…I wish to learn martial arts and self-defense" she said and hurriedly blew out the candles.
Everyone was shocked by the bizarre wish but they all cheered. Her parents were the most puzzled but they thought she was joking and wanted to ask for another thing later.
"So…what do you say papa?" she asked after the cheering has died down a little
"Your wish is granted my little princess" her father replied.
"Great, thank you papa. When am I going to start? I really want to start tomorrow" she asked with a lot of enthusiasm.
"Well, my dear. We need to find you a tutor first. How about a week from today?" the father asked.
"Alright then. Thank you, papa," with that being said, she ran off to go and play with her friends.
The adults went to a separate room to enjoy alcohol and to discuss matters of the state and politics and other mumbo jumbo's which didn't make any sense.
Her parents kept to their promise and got a tutor for her, but till this day they had no idea why she wished to learn martial arts. She trained like her life depended on it, to the extent that her tutor was surprised with the amount of rage and energy she focuses when she throws a punch. Trust me, you really don't want to get on her bad sides.
She was so focused and determined that she eventually topped her class and became a black belt hold by the age of nine.
She didn't have any friends and slowly withdrew herself from her family not because of anything but except for the reason that her father still abuses the mother.
She still did not understand why her mother was still with her father even though she was going through a lot she was still able to mask her suffering with a heartwarming smile and soft eyes that could melt the coldest of hearts, but she was in a living hell on earth.
She became more observant of how her father treated her mother with disregard and disrespect but her mother remained placid like cool waters.
She wondered if she never noticed all these or if she had turned a blind eye to these things because she was very happy with the fact that she was her father's favorite. Looking at it now, she was not the favorite.
She was just a mask to show that everything is perfect in the family.
She continued her training and spoke less, unlike her usual chatty self. Even at the family dinners, she sat next to her mother more often unlike when she would cling to her father during the entire meal.
Her mother was always trying to separate them so that she could eat and would give her the look that she thought was jealousy because she would her spend time with her father instead of her mother, but now she understood that the look was not that of jealousy but it was that of pain.
There was this a day that it was raining heavily and her father was not yet back so her mother put her to bed or so she thought and was waiting for her father to return.
He came back home that night drunk with a woman in his arms, I do not know if he forgot the deal that he made with her mother or if he missed his way to the hotel and brought the woman home.
The woman was helping him keep his balance because he was wasted and spewing nonsense from his mouth that she could not make out because of the rain.
They made their way to the front door and knocked, her mother opened the door and looked at the woman to see it was another woman so she spared her out of her fury and anger.
Helen took in a deep breath to calm herself down.
"Thank you for bringing Eugene home, but I'm afraid I will take it from here and you have to leave this house and never return" she said.
"Leave? Why would I leave? This sir here promised me money and why should I listen to you? You are just the house keeper" the woman snapped back.
Angela saw the nerve on her mother's head about to pop and it took everything within her to calm herself down before she spoke again.
"I'm his wife you cheap low-life whore!" she said raising her voice slightly. The woman was shocked because she did not expect the wife of this cheating man to be cool headed and speaking to her in this cool manner.
"Wife? He told me that he was not married" she said guilt evident in her voice.
"He lied to you miss. How much did he promise to give you?" she asked the shaken-up woman who felt like she had committed a big crime.
"I am so sorry, I didn't know he was married. He promised me $500 dollars but you could forget about it. I would leave."
"Don't apologize to me, it is clearly his fault since he lied to you." She called on the butler to bring her some money and to take her drunk husband to his room.
When the butler returned, he gave her the money. "Here is $5000 dollars in cash as compensation and for you to do something for yourself instead of going around sleeping with men. You are taking a dangerous risk." She smiled at the young woman and nodded for her to leave, the woman thanked her mother and bolted out from the door.
Angela crept back to her room before her mother could come to check if she was sleeping.
The next morning, she heard her father's angry voice shouting at her mother. Clearly angry that she sent away the woman he came back with the previous night.
"Eugene, you seemed to have forgot our deal of not bringing your dirty affairs back home" her mother said.
"You have no fucking right to tell me what I can or can't do woman!!!" he said at the top of his voice.
"Pull that stunt again and you would get a taste of your own medicine, and you would never see your daughter again Eugene!!!' her mother retorted back.
"Why you little.." he raised his hand to hit his mother.
Angela did not know when she shouted "Mommy!!!" with fear evident in her eyes for her mother.
Her father stopped mid air and looked at her daughter with loving eyes.
"Hey sweetie, you are up early. Did you have a night mare?" he approached her but Angela stepped back away from him.
It hurt him that his daughter feared him and looked at him like a monster, he tried to defend himself.
"Daddy was only playing with mommy." He smiled. But she knew better, so she just nodded and said that she had a nightmare and was hungry.
Her father heaved a sigh of relief and picked her up in his hands and made his way to the dinning.
"Let's see what delicious meal that she chef made for my little girl". Her mother was scared that they almost ruined their daughter's childhood.
So, after breakfast, she and Eugene came to an agreement to not have fights and to protect their daughter and he promised to not bring women back to their house.
They decided to pretend to be a harmonious couple and act lovingly in front of their daughter but Angela could clearly see through their facade, she became more distant from them. She got into a lot of trouble at school and she didn't have any friends anymore.
That was until Kira transferred to her school. She became her only friend and her safe haven, she even fought for her, she smiled remembering this. She could do anything for her.