Jennifer Attempts to Run

"Father. Dad, you can't do this to me. I pay my tuition; I have my life ahead of me. I want to do everything I can to live my life well and stay out of your lane, dad. Just don't force me to do what I don't want to." Jennifer said, clasping her hands together.

It didn't matter to her if she had to beg or plead with him or whatever it took for her to get him to understand.

Her father gave her only a scoff as an answer as he let go of the remote. It fell with a clattering sound, and he turned and walked out of the living room.

Jennifer was livid with anger and heavily disappointed by how easy it was for her father to gamble on her future just to secure her brother's marriage.

"Jenny..." Her mother started to say, walking closer to her. "I am sorry, but... You have to accept it."

"Accept it? Mum, this is my life we are talking about! How can I leave school and everything just so I can become some item that can be pawned to raise money for Paul's marriage? If he can't afford it, then he shouldn't get married!"

"You can't change anything." Her mother said, averting her eyes. "And in a situation where you are faced with something you can't change, the only thing you can do is to accept it. Accept it gallantly."

Jennifer laughed humorlessly, nodding. "Mum. If you say stuff like this, how am I supposed to feel? I already feel so helpless and alone, so if you too won't take my side...how do I go on? How do I stop feeling this helplessness I feel right now, how?" Jennifer dropped her bag there and walked to her room, sealing the door.

Her feet could not take her to the bed and she sank to the floor, tears rolling freely from her eyes. She had thought things like this only happened somewhere else. No matter how many times her father tried to show her that he held no value for her at all, she still respected and believed in him. But he had taken it too far this time.

She stood up, wiping her tears, as an idea popped into her mind. She had been the one earning money for herself, working part-time jobs to raise tuition, so it would be easy for her to work her way through a living if she ran away from home to avoid her fate.

She picked herself up, and walked to the small bed she used to share with Naomi, her now missing sister. She would leave all of this behind, as long as it meant escaping this marriage. That was all she wanted. One day, she would come back, but for now, this was the best she could think of.

She waited patiently till everyone was asleep, and then picked up a small bag. She tiptoed lightly across the room and opened her door, then letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she examined the room. It was too dark, though, and she believed no one would be there.

She tiptoed to the middle of the living room when the light suddenly came on, and her brother Paul was standing there, a smile on his face.

"I knew you would try something like this. You want to run away from home to stop me from getting married?"

Jennifer bit down on her lip as she calculated the distance between where she stood to the door, and the distance between where he stood and where she stood. If she lounged for the door right now, would he be able to catch her?

Without a warning, however, he turned towards their father's room and started yelling. "Dad! Dad, come on out!"

Benjamin opened the door, his eyes squinted from sleep. "What is it?"

Her mother too came from the room, and she scanned everyone. It didn't take too long for everyone to realize what was happening.

"Dad. I caught her trying to run away so that she would avoid the plans you have for her. She wants to stop me from getting married, and that is why she is doing this!" Paul complained, all the while pointing an accusing finger at Jennifer.

Her head was lowered, as she chomped down on her lip. She could have run for it before her father came out, why did she even allow herself to get caught like this?

Benjamin walked closer to her. His eyes had lost the sleep he had been woken up from, and in its place was anger. Raw, insatiable anger.

"Is that true?" He bellowed.

She looked up, but before she could say anything, Paul interjected.

"Why would I lie, dad? Can't you see? She even has her bag with her."

A deafening slap landed on Jennifer's cheek and she was sent reeling to the ground, a small cut on the corner of her lips.

"Get up here. I said, get up!"

She stood, her eyes filling with tears. Benjamin brought his hand up to hit her again when his wife suddenly came between them and took the slap on the face instead. She didn't let it phase her, as she opened her hands wide, protecting Jennifer.

"Please stop. She is only a child. You need to give her time to adjust to everything you have planned for her. It is so much to take in."

Jennifer was now crying as her mother shielded her. Everything in her life was going wrong.

Benjamin caught his wife by the hair, sending jokes of pain right to her head and causing her to yelp. "You want to defend this wench, right? You have been the one encouraging her stubbornness, haven't you?"

He slapped her till she stopped feeling the pain in her cheeks, and when he let go of her hair, she fell to the floor. He was ready to kick her when Jennifer knelt and held his leg back, her hands shaking.

"I will do whatever you say. Just let her go."

"Did you think you have a choice?" He yelled, kicking her away so she lay on the ground. He squatted and pulled her up by her hair, and dragged her across the room, to her room where he pushed her in.

She hit her forehead on the edge of the single table in the room, but it didn't quite matter to him.

"You are going to stay here till the wedding. And if you try to do anything, I assure you, your mother will be the one to pay for it!" He spat and closed the door behind him. He heard the click of the key, and his footsteps as he walked away.