Family drama

Ruth’s POV

I had just walked in on my sister and my mother having a conversation. Christian wanted to start up her business with her affiliate. A good idea if you would ask me. I have had this idea in my head for a long time but I was too scared to let my mom know. What if she disagrees? What if my ideas don't work out?

I allowed my thoughts to cloud my decision now Christen spoke ahead of me.

Mother? I called out with a low tone of voice.

Hum? She replied without taking a second look at me. Her head was buried in her plate of salad.

I…umm…I have something to say. I gathered enough courage to speak up.

“Whatever you have to say can wait till later. Can't you see we are all trying to have dinner?” She replied to me With a stern look and a firm voice. My mother was always that strict woman, at least to me. I sometimes wondered if she hated me or if it was just her nature to treat me with an iron fist.

“Mother… It's important.”

“For crying out loud Ruth, listen to me and have your dinner or you can starve if you are not hungry.” She yelled at me, dropping her cutlery aggressively on her plate.

I'm…. 'm sorry. I carefully pushed my plate away and was about to stand up. While all this was going on. The Boss who is my father and my sister, Christen watched without saying a word until my father saw that I was about to walk out.

“Hold on Ruth,” he said to me calmly.

What Is it you want to talk About?

“Never mind. It's nothing important anymore.” I told him to pull myself away from the dining chair.

“I'm asking you a question Ruth, Answer me.”

I….I wanted to talk to Mother about starting a business with my own zone or something….I shouldn't have spoken…… I had barely completed my statement when my mother interrupted again.

“ OH WOW, aren't you just so smart” Ruth? “Why are you so cruel?”

“What?” I was confused. My father was just as confused as I was.

“What are you talking about Patricia?” he asked her.

“Your darling daughter knows all about what I'm talking about”

“Just this morning, Christen had come to me with this same idea and this part right here, She pointed an accusing finger at me. I Want to feed on her idea.

“No, no Mother, I had the same idea, I just was too scared to speak up.”

“Believe me Father” I replied almost immediately

“Patricia, this shouldn't be an issue. Christen and Ruth can both start a business with their affiliates, I see no wrong in it.” Father tried to make the issue less complicated by approving both of our ideas.

“Of course, you see no wrong in Ruth stealing Christen’s Idea.”

“You have always loved and favored Ruth above Christien.”

Enough!! My Dad yelled. His voice gave both me and Christen a fright. He stood up firmly while my mother followed Christen.

“Enough. I have had enough of your words.”

“ I have had enough of your favoritism.”

“I love Christen and Ruth equally asks you not to hate each other.”

Oh! How I hated listening to my parents fight because of me.

“But father, why did Ruth want my idea all of a sudden when I came up with it first ?” Christen questioned. She saw no wrong in whatever Mother was saying. I feared this. I feared Christien was going to take Mother’s Indifferent attitude.

“Shut up! “

“You don't talk when I'm talking. Father lashed out at her.” All I could do was stand there watching all those dramas unfold because of me.

Why should she shut up?

“You never asked Ruth to shut up while she was speaking so why Christen?” Mother kept making things worse with her questions and unnecessary points.

Tell your child to shut up and stop being a liar. She ordered at once.

I saw my father's fist curling up in anger. It was only a matter of time before the issue escalated and I was at the center of it all.

“I'm sorry mother, I'm sorry father.”

“I didn't mean to cause a scene.” I immediately apologized thinking I could stop the conflict between them.

“I made my decision, Ruth is going to start up the same business as Christen and there is nothing any of you can do about it.” He said and stormed out of the room.

Tears welled up in my eyes. The stare from my mother felt like a knife was piercing through my skin. She also walked out on me.

Christine walked up to me.

“I hate you so much, I wish you just disappeared and never returned,” she said with gritted teeth.

Christen…..I said softly but she walked away. I was left with the guilt of causing chaos at dinner. I regretted everything I said.

Everything was happening because of me. If it wasn't a fight then it was something else. I ran up to my room, buried my head in my pillow, and allowed my tears to roll down freely.

Five minutes later, there were no more tears left to cry. I decided to leave the house for a few hours to clear my head. I needed a break from all the drama at home. I decided to go for a drink.

I arrived at the club. “Paradise,” it wrote outside the shiny billboard.

A bar that indeed felt like paradise to me. The cool soothing music, the homely Demeanor, the chatter and laughter of its customers, the clinching sound of shot glasses, everything about the bar brought relief to me. I went to the bar front, sat on the tall stool, and asked to be served the hottest alcohol they had. I was drowning in my sorrow and just maybe the alcohol was going to do justice to that. The bartender smiled at my demands and served me a shot of a tequila cocktail.

I took the first shot, quickly, asked for Another, and took the second. I was on the third shot when my eyes caught a glimpse of the handsome young man seated on a stool away from me.

He stood up with his tumbler in his hands and began to approach me. I was already tipsy. I felt my head spinning yet I decided to take another.

"Hey beautiful " Ah! His deep seductive voice echoed in her ears.