Prologue

Prologue 

“Please, don’t do this in front of my wife and kids” Donald cried, his white shorts were soiled. He trembled greatly and his breathing was ragged.

“Donald, you stepped on toes. Toes which you couldn’t even bend over to buckle a shoe on it. The powers that be want to take a pound of their flesh” The man grabbed the blade and knelt on one knee. He caressed Donald's neck with his finger.

“Don’t do this in front of my wife and kids. Let’s go elsewhere and talk” Donald sounded like he had resigned to his fate.

“Any last word” The man ordered his men to lift Donald.

“I don’t want to die like this, in front of my daughter” He whimpered.

“If we wanted to kill you outside, it would have been easy. But we maneuvered our way through for a reason” He placed the knife on Donald's neck and started moving it with precision. The sound of flesh cutting and bones snapping could be heard. Donald trembled as a bolt of deep pain spread through him. Slow and steady, his head fell off.

 

•

I screamed so badly and woke up, my eyes darted around and I didn’t know where I was. A soft beeping sound resonated through the room. There was a dry patch on my throat as I tried to get up.

“Hey, you just woke up. Welcome back” A tall brilliant nurse walked into my ward. She held a stethoscope and a file. She dropped it on the table and examined me.

“How did I get here?” I asked confused, the last thing I remembered was my Dad's head being chopped off. I lifted my head and stared at the nurse, demanding answers but a sharp pain shot through my head and I laid back on the bed.

“How do you feel?” She asked.

“How is my Dad? Did he survive?” I kept asking as my brain tried to juggle the memories.

“Okay, after the unfortunate incident, you were brought here unconscious. You were slipping in and out and dealing with nightmares. You’ve been out for three months”.

“Three months?” I gasped.

The nurse nodded, ”I need to see how I can reach out to your family members”.

My face was etched in confusion, “My family members? You mean, you haven’t met my stepmom?”

“Not since your case got transferred to me. I’ve been examining you for over two months and a few weeks. I’ve not seen anyone come to visit you. Though all your bills were cleared and we were asked to pull you off life support if you don’t survive by the end of the week”.

“Jesus fucking Christ” My hands roamed around my braids in frustration. Worry and disappointment were etched on my face as I tried to make sense of what the nurse said.

“I’m Dr. Linda” She smiled, picked up her file, and scribbled some words. “You need to rest”

As she headed towards the door, I called out to her. “Doctor, who wanted me off life support?”

Linda turned to me, “Your kind of shock was so deadly. Your blood pressure level spiked so hard and we feared quite a lot of things. You went into concussion and we thought you may not come out of shock. So, your stepmother had to make the difficult decision. But all doesn’t matter now, you’re alive”.

My breathing increased and I stared at the bandage on my slender wrist, “When will I be discharged?”

“We need to examine you for some time, okay?” Linda smiled at me.

A sigh escaped my mouth, I wasn’t really in the mood for pleasantries, “Can I get a mobile phone?”

“I understand how you feel right now but...”

“Doctor Linda, it’s important. My Dad was beheaded by some criminal gang and they rambled about some fucking debt. I don’t even know if he’s been buried, I need to know what’s fucking happening at home”.

Linda took a deep breath, her eyes pinned in their socket. She bit her lip in deep thought and then released a deep breath. She then pulled off her lab coat and handed a button phone to me.

“This isn’t professional, but you need help”.

I nodded with a smile of gratitude and grabbed the phone like it was my lifeline. I bit my lower lip as I tried to recall any of the numbers in the house. My brain nudged as I recalled the head cook's number. I dialed it and waited patiently for it to ring.

“Hello, this is Alicia Donald on the line” I rambled.

She stuttered and then gasped in realization, “Alicia, fuck Heavens! You are alive. Mrs. Donalds said you were dead”.

A sharp gasp escaped my throat, “I'm not dead. Has my Dad been buried?”

She took a deep breath, “Brace your mind for what I’m going to say”.

My heart started beating so fast, “Talk to me, Chef”.

“Your mom... stepmom rather. I thought she was a good woman. But fuck no, it was as if she was bidding her time; waiting for the demise of your father. He has been buried and she has taken everything, fired all the workers who spoke against her. It’s been hell”.

The door to my ward busted open and Linda walked in. She swiftly grabbed the phone from me with a smile. Then, my stepmother walked in with her full glory. She was clad in a long flowery gown with a naughty smirk on her face.

“Look who we have here, I came as soon as I heard”.

My eyes were red and I trembled in rage, “Mom, did you tell the world that I was dead?”

She shrugged, “You were! Actually, I thought your Daddy would take you with him. May his soul rest in peace. Anyway, there is work at the club and we need hands”.

My eyes flashed, “What fucking club? I’m just recuperating”.

“My Darling, things have changed. C'mon, you will be fine. I have a place for you to exhibit your talents. I’ve watched you ditch guys all your life. Now, it's time for you to entertain them”.

These words broke me as I thought about how I was going to cope as a club attendant! 

I am Alicia, and this is a "from grass to Grace story"