Chapter 3

Diana smirked and suddenly pushed her into the middle of the stream "Take your bath,that is how to become beautiful" she said and collected Galene's pot and fetched water for the both of them.

She turned to the other girl who immediately shifted back, "Mind your business and while you are at it, brush your teeth; you wouldn't want to know how badly It stinks she scrunched up her nose and Galene laughed out loud.

"Let's get out of here before they infect us with their ugliness" Diana breathe out and the other girl who was pushed into the water wailed.

"Stupid girl" keep on following her around like a puppet" she muttered and Diana turned glaring daggers at her. 

"One more silly word from you, and you will have yourself to blame" She howled and they immediately kept mute.

"Leave them alone Daina, they are not worth our time" Galene retorted holding her friend and walking out of the stream.

Galene walked into their compound with her pot of water. She instantly dropped it as she saw the scene in front of her. 

Rushing forward to the scene where her father was again hitting her mother, she tried to pull him up from her mother who was wailing on the floor.

"Father let my mother be, I'll give you whatever you want" she pleaded and he stood up giving her mother one last punch.

Twenty shekels he said and opened his hands to receive the money.

Galene stared wide mouth at her father. She doesn't have such money except the one she has been saving.

"Are you giving me or not?" Her father yelled and she quickly nodded then rushed into her cottage to retrieve the coins she had been keeping together.

"Here is it father, Please do not lay hands on my mother again as I had given to you what you desired" she muttered and her father snatched the coins from her.

"Stupid woman,thank your daughter for it not for her, I would have sent you to your ancestors" he glared at her mother who still laid on the floor whimpering in pains and he stomped off.

Galene sighed and held out her hands to her mother "Get up mother" she said helping her up.

"Galene you shouldn't had given him those coins, you were keeping those coins to get new dresses for yourself" her mother wailed tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Mother new dresses are not as valuable as you are to me and I wouldn't had watched him batter you. you are all I've got"she said and wiped off some of her tears.

"I would definitely save up some more and get the dresses, they could wait for now" Galene said and her mother nodded hugging her tightly to her chest. "I thank the gods who gave you to me" she said smiling and Galene smiled in return.

"Let me take the pot of water inside mother; I would go get food afterwards" she said and her mother nodded.

That was how they lived in their small cottage. Her father's insistent demands of coins, he would beat up her mother should she had refused him. Blaming her for her for not conceiving a son. 

"Since you refused to bore me a son, You and your daughter would provide every of my need which my son would have done if you had one" he would say while hitting her.

"Since she grew of age, she had never tasted a fatherly love all her life though she has a father but those who doesn't have a father are better than her.

Her father had turned to a turn in their flesh. He would steal her mother's money wherever she kept them and squander them all. 

 He would forcefully collect coins from her mother whenever he doesn't see the one to steal and gamble with them, and when he lose, he would come back to pounce on her poor mother saying she gave him coins with bittered heart thereby unleashing her badluck to him.

He would drink all day and stumble back home late in the night smelling of alcohol and yelling at her poor mother.

The villagers wouldn't stop laughing and teasing her whenever she passed.

"The beautiful daughter of a drunk" they would call her whenever she goes to the stream or market.

It has made no one want to associate themselve with her as their parents would always warn them to stay away from her for she has bad luck and ill spirit.

The only person who approached her was Diana and she had stood with her not listening to what people say about her.

 Life had been hard for her and her poor mother as they work in people's farmland in order to feed.

Her mother sold off her valuables to start up a trade but her father took the money from her and gambled with them.

She only had two dresses and the coins she had been saving for one, he had also collected.

Now she'll have to manage her two dresses till she could save up again.

All these was what Galene was thinking when her mother walked in and she had to pretend to be fine.

"Mother you are here" she said and her mother nodded.

"Where have you been, I looked for you when I returned from putting down the water but you were no where to be found" she said worriedly looking intently at her mother.

 "Galene" her mother called holding her hands. I went to see if I could borrow some money for your dress as you had given yours to your father" she answered and Galene frowned.

" But mother why would you do that, I told you not to bother about me, I would save up again and get the clothes, You don't have to borrow for me" she said; her frown deepening.

"Tell me, you Weren't able to get the money were you? She asked and her mother bursted out in loud tears.