5

Esmeralda woke up to the beeping noise of the alarm clock by the stand of her bedroom. It was as if she had been awoken by something else, supernatural, or more likely because the alarm clock hadn't been what jolted her off sleep.

She groggily opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She could see no clouds like the classics said heaven was to be covered in. Or perhaps she hadn't made it to heaven?

Her mind wandered to the reasons that might have caused it. She was a submissive wife and an obedient daughter-in-law and had lived her days slaving for others, others who had caused her death.

Shouldn't that have at least made her fit to be amongst those headed for the heavens instead of the dimly lit room sje wqa on that looked like a temporal housing to souls headed for hell.

"She should be alright after a day or two. And she needs to rest during that time too ma'am"

She heard a voice outside mutter with all concern.

It didn't sound devilish and had been laced with concern and his made Esmeralda question where she truly was as concern wasn't a thing to be found in the afterlife.

She forced her eyes open more and stared around her, eyes open unlike how they were before.

The wedding photos she saw on the wall were what made her stand up for he bed she lay on with immediate alacrity.

Extending her hand towards the cellphone on the stand beside the bed, she saw the date which read October 12, 2012.

There was no way that was happening or perhaps she was dreaming while in hell? She pinched herself hard wanting to wake up from her slumber but nothing happened.

She checked the phone again but it mistakenly fell from her hand and shattered. It wasn't in a good condition anyway and when she had touched it, the screen had already been in a disastrous state with bands being used to hold it in place.

She meant to walk out of the room but paused midway on her walk out.

That was the phone she had used five years ago and the bed she stood up from was the same one she had been for a day after she had a miscarriage and the year said 2012. Had she been reborn into her life five years ago?

She walked out of the door instinctively as if wanting to check something for herself as she had been lied to.

Walking up to the wall clock in the room and the white painting in the house, she knew.

Her eyes twitched when she saw her mother-in-law watching a lifestyle documentary and a little girl sat by the foot of her chair.

She walked up to the girl and checked her face. It wasn't Ria. It was the first illegitimate daughter and Ria wasn't anywhere near the house.

Her mind wandered. If it was five years ago and his day was the day she awoke after her miscarriage, then it would be the same day Ria would be brought home. The same day her husband would bring home the child he had with her niece, for her to train, as everyone's maid she was.

"Esmeralda what are you doing here?" Her mother-in-law spoke the moment she tried her eyes and saw her standing by the foot of the chair she was on. Her voice was questioning and the glint from her eyes didn't spell good.

She didn't bother to give her an answer for she had been too stunned to speak. Instead, she walked over to the kitchen to prepare food or herself. She was hungry and that was all she could recall, nothing else mattered.

She walked over to the counter of the kitchen and began picking out little bits of ingredients she would use for her cooking when suddenly a young man no more than twenty five years of age walked up to her angrily.

"Esmeralda, you didn't wash the clothes I asked you to. Now what am I going to wear for my party?" He shouted at her angrily, with the impatience and condescending tone laced all over his voice.

She stared at him from head to toe without giving a reply to his question. It was her husband's junior brother. She stared around the house for his twin sister. She was to be somewhere around and she would chirp in her own very soon, so there was no reason for her to reply one of them first.

" Mathew. Don't scream at her that way. You know she just had a miscarriage"

" Mom, I asked her to wash these clothes before she had her miscarriage. But instead, she was lazy and didn't!" He answered back at his mother.

Esmeralda left them to talk to each other without giving a reply t any of them as she fixed herself a meal of scrambled eggs.

"Put that in here. I'm so hungry and starving. Why didn't you cook yesterday before you had the miscarriage? I had to survive the night with junk" Finally, Jared's sister finally came with a plate in hand dropped for her to dish the scrambled eggs she had just finished preparing into.

Esmeralda didn't look in her direction nor in her face. She acted as if she was invincible and hadn't seen anyone talking to her as she dished out the food from the pan into her own dish and walked over to the dining by the side of the kitchen to eat.

"Huh? Didn't you hear what I said?" She bellowed while walking towards Esmeralda with the dish she held.

"What is it?" Her mother questioned.

"Mom don't interfere!" She screamed at her.

"Esmeralda didn't you hear what I said? I asked you to dish this for me and here you are eating? Have you forgotten your place in this household?"

But Esmeralda didn't give any replies. Not even one and this annoyed the girl more. The fact that she hadn't obeyed her or that she was giving her the silent treatment.

Yvette proceeded to walk closer to the seat where she was seated in.

"The moment you come close to this table will make today be the last you spend in this house" Esmeralda blurted and the girl paused, so did her mother and brother who stared in their direction.

Esmeralda's voice was firm enough for them to know that it wasn't the same coward they knew that stood before them.

" What did you just say to me?" Yvette questioned after what seemed like a momentarily silence had taken over the entire room.

"You heard me properly, Yvette Castillo" she answered back while taking the last spoon of the scramble eggs.

"Mom!! She finished the food herself and didn't even fix breakfast!!"

" You know she just had a miscarriage..after she's done resting,she will do the chores and make food.." her mother tried convincing her, too vested in the documentary she was watching to take her eyes off.

Esmeralda stood up from the table without picking up her plate she has eaten with and walked over to the living room, sitting adjacent her mother-in-law when she picked up he remote controller from the table and switched the channel to a movie.

Her mother-in-law turned to stare at her and the impudence of her switching the channel.

Her eyes were fiery red and her children gathered by her side to now what was wrong with Esmeralda. Or perhaps her miscarriage had made her lose her manners and forget her place in the household?

"Like you said, I just had a miscarriage. What are you waiting for before you'd help your daughter-in-law out with the house cleaning?" Esmeralda asked while removing the face skincare mask she had over her face to behold the angry gaze on her face, but it was masked by an etch of surprise that was soon spreading all over.

" Are you speaking to my mother like that?" Yvette questioned.

" Clean the table I just finished eating on and do the dishes. Don't forget to fix breakfast afterwards if you're hungry and starving" she shot back at the girl.

"And you, Matthew. Yours would be to do the laundry. I have a pile of clothes needing to be washed. So while washing your clothes for your party, do make sure to include them. I want them sparkling white and clean and nothing less of that"

" Excuse me?" He answered with a scuff. Was she seriously speaking to them in such a way and manner? Has she forgotten her place in the house?

Esmeralda caught the eye of the little girl that had been staring at her since the moment she began speaking and she smiled sweetly at her.

" Amaya hunny, pick up your toys every single place you threw them and take them out of this living room immediately!" She smiled sweetly but the command in her tone was evident.

The door creaked open and in walked Jared and a three year old girl by his side,she smiled. The devil she was waiting for had just arrived.