IT HURTS

Be grateful for every second every day 

That you spend with the people you love 

-Mandy hale 

_________________________________________

Anastasia 

What is life? What makes it so important? Life is full of unexpected turns of events that we don't plan on taking part in. This is why it's amusing how life treats us. In an instant, you may believe you have the purest form of happiness -then in the blink of an eye- it's belittled to mere ashes. One moment I have a father to love, a mother to care for, and a notorious brother to fight. However, in actuality life gives you one of those unexpected events when you least expect it. 

Life played its role and put me in one of those predicaments. With that one-car accident, my happiness became belittled into nothing but mere ashes and charred bodies lying there lifeless. It kills me every day not to be with them. I was an obedient daughter, never raised my voice at others, never spoke ill words to a single soul, and was always ready to be of service to others.

Why me though? What was the point of this God? 

The day that haunts me the most is the day my parents wanted me to go with them but it isn't fitting that I didn't go with them. After getting the news of their accident -my family's death- my body became numb to whatever was around me, it shook as I tried to make since of the things happening. 

I was forced to live with my paternal aunt and her troublesome daughter. My cousin, Layla,  does awful things and puts blame on me to which my aunt also takes her side.  Once she had not done her homework and she took my notebook. Proceeding to tell the teacher that I hadn't done the work. The teacher then calls my Aunt to tell her I failed to do my homework. But the killing thing about it was my aunt already knew that Layla had taken my notebook. She then comes to the school and beats me in front of the teacher saying that I am a troubled child who needs to be dealt with. 

My father had  left me some trust money, which he had saved for years for my marriage. My aunt only kept me in this house, to get that amount from the bank. She and I didn't know how much it was but the amount was pretty big for me to have a peaceful life. 

Aunt had already taken my expensive dresses, my jewelry, my mother's accessories and gave it to her daughter. Now she wanted that money to make me a beggar, and let me rot in the streets.  Not only this, but also tore my family photos and burned them in front of my eyes. I begged her not to do this, but she kicked me on my stomach and slapped me. My face was swollen for a few days. 

My aunt's daughter Layla was the most popular girl in the university. She was ashamed of me because I don't have classy clothes like her. Her friends bully me. I don't have any friends because I was a poor child, and they belong to a rich family. She was a confident girl unlike me. I was a simple and low key girl in the university.  

My father belongs to a quite rich family  and my mother belongs to a middle class family. They both were high school sweethearts, my mother was so beautiful. My father used to tell me the stories of his rivals but thinking about the beautiful days makes my eyes filled with tears and my heart with sorrow.

Interrupting my thoughts

"Anastasia, Anastasia bring my food, I told you,  I need my food in my bedroom at 7 and it's 7:01" my aunt  shouted from her bedroom. It becomes her daily routine to shout at me

"Coming" I walk towards her bedroom with the tray of food Layla my cousin stood beyond and I fell, all the cups plates broke into pieces 

 

"Mom she fell and wasted all your food and also  broke all the cups and plates" she shouted while smirking at me. She wants my aunt to punish me and beat me to the death.

My aunt was coming  from her bedroom towards the kitchen, with the anger in her eyes

"What does this bitch do now?" she raised her hand and slapped me on my face, the slap came heavily causing me and to on the ground once again. Tears flowing  from my eyes dripping to the ground. It was not the first time she slapped me. It was her daily routine. I saw Layla's triumphant smile and aunt's livid face.

"You see she broke your favorite cup set which you bought from New York with aunt Meena" she kicked me on my stomach 

"Clumsy bitch it's not your money you wasted, it was my money, your so called father left us with nothing but now you have to pay,  pay for my Plates you broken bring, bring the stick Layla , I have to punish her" she was smirking, Layla brought the stick from her room and gave it to her. She usually beats me with the stick. She hits on my back with the stick and  I cry with the pain after beating me she stops.

"Aunt she came in front of me" I whimpered in pain. External Pain is nothing new to me, I was raised like this from the past few years, but the internal pain, I have suffered had broke me inside..so broke me that sometimes I felt like finishing my life, but no..My parents doesn't want me to do this, they wanted their daughter to be strong enough to fight against the world.

"You are blaming my daughter, you are like your bitch mother always putting blame on others" she shouted hard.  

"It's not enough for her, I have to give her some more punishment" she said while holding a stick

"You have to work extra hours in Ashley shops" she said Layla was laughing and looking with pitiful eyes making fun of me. It was a sigh of relief; it was actually not a bad punishment.

Ashley's shop was just two blocks away from my home. It was started by my mother. She was a great cook and the best baker in the world and I learned to bake from my mother. We both used to bake cookies, and she usually shares all her recipes with me.

Now my aunt is the owner, and I am the servant. I used to clean the table and do a waitress job there. She didn't pay me but gave me food and daily clothes.

"I will do it aunt but please don't beat me" I pleaded her but Layla put her heels on my finger.

"Layla give her your concealer to hide her marks or Mrs Spenser will suspect you also" she pointed towards me .

"Cook for us, today you will not be provided with the food" she said while walking back, towards her room.

Mrs Spenser is a kind lady who is like a mother figure to me also she is a landlady of Ashley shop and her son is a billionaire.She knows my aunt and also warns her that if she tries to hurt me she will call the police so when my aunt beats me she gives me concealer to hide my marks.

I went back to my room after doing chores and sat on my bed. My room is not a room but a store room.My previous room had been taken by Layla. It was the biggest room in the whole house. The theme of my room was the princess that my father decorated for me. He always calls me his princess.

I miss him. I missed them so much...

I removed my cardigan, put some ointment on it. I know there will be a big bruise tomorrow  but it doesn't matter, I lived like this...

Kissing my family photo, I looked at my mother's face. I got innocent features from my mother so my father always hid me from the world, he hid me because I was too innocent for this cruel world. 

But now he was no more, no more..no more to hide me..

Looking at the last photo of my family, I felt happy in my heart.  I kept it a secret from my aunt. If she got to know about it she would destroy it. I don't know what grudge she held towards my family.

I walk towards my bed. I don't have a blanket but pieces of torn curtains to cover my body.Sometimes I had a nightmare of an accident and I used to cry at night.I close my eyes and sleep like every night with the thought of some good change in my life.