Sobbing

==Matteo==

I got off the phone with my secretary, just in time for a knock to come.

“Come in.” I said.

The door opened to reveal my butler. “Sire, I have the documents with me.”

I ushered him in, and he passed me the documents.

The first page read: Olive Samantha Haynes. The second page displayed her personal information. From the look of things, she recently turned 21, measured 5”5 in height and worked as a waitress at a local café. I flipped to the next page and saw her pictures. 

My eyes circled around her form. I immediately shut the portfolio, not wanting to see more. 

“You may go.”

He nodded, just as he was about leaving, I said, “Get the car ready. I'm going to town.”

***

We finally arrived to our destination after the maddening city’s traffic threatened to stomp us down. I couldn’t believe that at this time of the day, the traffic was much. One reason I cherished the peace and quiet Malchian Grove gave.

My driver alighted the car and strode into the building. Some time later, he returned. His expression plain, just like I’d indoctrinated. 

“Sir, she didn’t show up today.”

I said nothing, but kept looking out of the window. “Drive to her residence.”

He started the car and drove out of the premises. We soon made it into the residence. A place called Hunnigton street. Suffice it to say that this was a disgusting place. A rat house. Everywhere was littered. The air smelled polluted and I could get the acrid taste of smoke in the air. 

My driver, once again, left the car and got into the building. I regarded the house. It was an old apartment complex that wrecked of decay. I kept staring till the scent came. So strong was it that I couldn’t ignore. It smelled of frangipani. My undoing.

However, I knew better than to leave the car. This place reeked of criminality. Soon, my driver arrived. 

He got in. “Sir, he—”

I raised my hand slightly, stopping him. “I’ll be right back.”

I left the car and followed the scent to the backyard. There were scrabs of metal and some other junks here and there. I searched around, wondering where the scent was coming from. I followed my gaze to the direction of the scent. It was coming from above. I lifted my gaze and it rested on a certain apartment. The left window at the fourth floor.

That was when I heard it. 

Her weeps. They were soft, and felt like someone in pain. I paused a while before turning around. 

Chapter 5.

I couldn’t believe the person that I was staring in the mirror was me. She was a totally different person. Her eyes were puffy and at the corners was soiled mascara. Her hair was unruly and had lost its nice warm texture. Its blondness was fading. 

I also couldn’t believe the man that I called Dad had betrayed me. He was a stranger. He wasn’t that man I knew that bought me popsicles or rode a merry-go- round with me. He wasn’t the man that looked out for me, and made sure I didn’t get into trouble with guys. No, he wasn’t that man that shared his secret pancake recipe with me. He was lost. He was different. 

I took my eyes at the paper that was on the table:

My conscience has severally dealt with me. I can’t forgive myself for what I did. I understand if you don’t forgive me.

I didn’t know what to make out of the letter. Because I got up from my bed and found it lying there. There was no sign of him around. I didn’t bother to call.

I closed my eyes, remembering what had happened. How my whole world turned around in a split second.  When Dad had broken the news to me I stared in disbelief. I was too shocked to speak. Didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t bring myself to talk. I was broken. I was shattered. 

When he had told me ‘they’, I’d thought he meant a company or something. Not two completely different individuals that he had offered me to. 

I remembered screaming:

“How could you Dad!”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight,” he'd replied.

I shut my eyes tighter, wanting to dispel those thoughts. How was I going to escape this predicament? How? There was nowhere I could run to. No one to call…

I sat upright as a thought came to my head. Wait, a minute. Leah. Yes, Leah.

I dashed to my bed and took my phone. Immediately dialing up her number. 

“Hey, ba—”

My sobbing cut her off. “I need you, Leah. It's urgent.”

“Oh my God. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t have much time. I’ll tell you everything when you get here.”

“Be right there.”

I spent time waiting for Leah by pacing the room. In no time, a knock came through. I rushed to open the door. As soon as I saw her, I wrapped my arms around her. Weeping.

She patted me, running her fingers across my hair. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here now.”

After crying, I pulled from her. Suddenly realising that I hadn’t showered and I must be a smelly mess. Either way, she didn’t show it. That look of concern was on her face as she led me to the bedroom. 

We sat on the bed.

“What’s going on?” she said.

I sniffed. “A lot. I don’t know where to begin.”

“Breathe. Breathe,” Leah said, demonstrating with her hands. 

How do I tell her I couldn’t breathe. That all I wanted was to run away from here. Never to be seen

With tears in my eyes, I said, “My…” I couldn’t even call him Dad anymore. I couldn’t bring myself to call him that. “Joe sold me off.”

Leah frowned. “Who’s Joe?”

“Joe Haynes. What does that tell you?”

She widened her eyes. Then a smile played on her lips. She gave a small life. “What’s going on here? Since when did you call your dad by his name?”

“Point of correction. He isn’t my Dad.”

“Are you alright? “

“Don’t I look fine?”

“Well, clearly you don’t. First, your hair is all over the place, your PJ should have seen better days and then, here you are referring to your Dad—”

“Stepdad.” I pointed my finger at her.

“Since when did that matter?”

“Since he...” I choked once again in my words. “Since he sold me.”

She looked confused, her hands raised. “Hold up hold up. Sold you? What do you mean?”

I walked to the window and looked outside. It was cloudy, fitting my mood perfectly. I really needed the rain to fall.

“I'm waiting.” Leah's words interrupted me.

I got startled a bit. I didn’t remember she was here. Swallowing up the remaining saliva in my mouth, I told her. Every single bit of it.

“What?” She rose from the bed. “How could he do that?”

She walked up to me and turned me to face here. “Look at me, Olivia.”

I did. My teary eyes on the one person I counted as  friend. Her dark eyes had gone deeper now. Her face scrunched in concentration. 

“Listen.  Nothing’s gonna happen. They dare not lay their god awful hands on you.”

I sniffed, nodding. But deep down in me, I didn’t see any hope. 

“That's slavery, and I need not tell you it's against the law,” she said. “Come here.” 

I gave her a hug again, the tears still flowing.