1 My Everyday Nightmare
Samantha leaped out of her bed for the fourth time in the night. She leaned on the wall and kicked her legs wildly to chase away whatever that was. Probably a rat. She could never tell in a pitch-dark room.
She felt her way to the bed. She lay down again, but sleep didn't come this time. She waited desperately for dawn.
At the first hint of light from the window, Samantha got up and headed out of the storeroom, which also served as her bedroom.
She opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. Her vision spun from lack of sleep, but she ignored it and headed for the parlor. She would sweep the bedrooms later after everyone had left for their various businesses of the day.
After she had cleaned the sitting room, she went back to the kitchen and cleaned it too. Then she started fixing breakfast. She looked at the timetable posted on the wall.
"Scrambled egg sandwich."
She murmured and went to the fridge to take out six eggs. She grabbed a bowl and broke two eggs into it. At that moment, she could hear some movement. The vultures were up.
By the time she filled up the last cup of coffee, Fred was already waiting in the dining room, which was separated from the kitchen by curtains.
"Good morning, Sam."
Sam turned to see Gloria behind her.
"I guess you are here to tell me to hurry up with breakfast. "I'm almost done," Sam said quietly and went back to her work.
"Where is my breakfast?" Fred bellowed from the dining room.
"Hurry," Gloria whispered urgently and ran out.
Samantha hurriedly put all the food together and took them to the dining room. She saw Fred and Gloria seated next to each other. Diane's seat was empty.
"Good morning, sir," Sam greeted Fred quietly as she served breakfast to him.
He nodded slightly, not looking at her but at what had been set before him.
Gloria had already taken hers, leaving Diane's. Diane hadn't come down yet. She was always the last to make it down the stairs. Sam set her breakfast next to the empty seat and went back to the kitchen.
After Sam left, Fred picked up his sandwich and looked at it closely. Gloria stole a glance at him to see his reaction. Fred rarely lacked something to complain about regarding Sam, and his complaints were always voiced out in a very loud and violent manner.
Gloria sighed subtly and began to eat.
The peace of the room was disturbed by the loud clicking of shoes. Diane entered the dining room and hurried to her seat, sat down, then dumped her handbag on the table noisily. She didn't spare a glance at anyone and began to eat.
"Diane," Gloria started softly. "You should greet your parents in the morning."
"What are you, a Queen, that I should greet you every morning?" Diane snapped at her.
"I think it is the right thing to do," Gloria continued without losing her temper.
"You are always thinking of one nonsense or the other. Mind your business, Gloria," Diane spat and continued eating.
Gloria glanced at her husband, but he continued eating, unperturbed by what happened. He had never scolded Diane for being rude to her. His daughter was his princess, but she and her daughter were merely beggars to him.
She sadly went back to her meal, but her throat felt tied from humiliation. She picked up her plate and stood up to leave. Fred looked up at her.
"Where are you going?" he asked her blandly.
"I suddenly lost my appetite," she said, with a hint of anger.
"It's fine. That's what you will have for lunch. No food should be wasted." He said it nonchalantly and went back to his meal. Gloria glared at him and left angrily.
She met Sam in the kitchen, wiping the cooker.
Sam glanced at her mother as she entered and continued her chores. She had heard the conversation in the dining room. Sam had grown used to Diane's rudeness. Her mother, though, was finding it tough to ignore her motherly duties to Diane.
"Sam?" Gloria called softly. Sam turned. She handed her the half-eaten breakfast. Sam looked up at her quizzically.
"You should save it for lunch," she advised.
"It's fine. You can have it." Sam was just trying to be decent, but since her mom didn't mind skipping lunch, Sam was more than happy to take it. She was so hungry and didn't know how much she was going to get that day, and that is because she had to wait till everyone had their fill before she could eat the leftovers. Sometimes there was barely enough to satisfy all her taste buds.
She ate it there and then, where she stood. munching and slurping relentlessly as her mother watched uncomfortably.
In no time, the empty cup and plate were dumped in the sink. She wiped the grease off her face with her sleeve.
"Thank you," she croaked.
"You should learn to eat like a proper lady, Sam," Gloria scolded softly and Sam smiled.
"That's a far cry from what I am, mom," Sam said.
Gloria smiled. Then suddenly, he glanced toward the dining room secretively. She stuffed her hand in her pocket and pulled out a bill. She took Sam's hand and squeezed it in her palm.
"Get yourself food," Gloria whispered.
Sam looked at the money. It was worth a big bagel.
"Thank you," she said happily.
Fred suddenly walked in from the dining room, startling them. Sam hurriedly turned back to her cleaning.
"Do you need anything?" Gloria asked patronizingly.
He ignored her and slowly went to the fridge. He opened it and started inspecting the content as he normally did every time to make sure Sam didn't take anything for herself. When he was satisfied, he shut the fridge door and faced Gloria.
The way the mother and daughter started to see him made him suspicious.
"What are you doing?" He growled.
"Nothing, really. I needed a drink," Gloria lied.
"How long does a drink take?" He growled.
"Go to work." She left hurriedly, but Fred stayed behind. He watched the young girl who had her back to him make a fuss of cleaning the already sparkling cooker.
He knew she was trying all she could to avoid being at fault with him, and it gave him a kind of satisfaction. She was so pale and thin, almost sickly. He couldn't resist bullying her.
Even at fifty-five, Fred's big frame still lent him an intimidating aura. Fred would always use that to bully both Gloria and Sam and his employees at the restaurant where Gloria worked also.
"Samantha!" He roared her name and smiled in satisfaction from the jolt that went through her body. She trembled dreadfully.
"We are having pasta for lunch." He gave orders calmly.
"Yes, sir," she said, wondering what the roaring was all about.
He was about to leave when he caught sight of something grey peeking out of her hair. He could immediately tell it was money.
Sam knew Fred had seen the money when he fixed his gaze on her hair. In her panic, she had folded it and slipped it behind her ear, thinking it was the safest place to hide it. She wished she had put it under the cooker or something.
Fred walked to the sink slowly and picked up a dirty plate.
"Come here," he beckoned, quietly looking at the plate.
Sam's heart failed for a few seconds, and the rag in her hand shook from her trembling. She approached him slowly and fearfully.
When she came to stand beside him, he suddenly swung the plate at her. The blow caught her on the side of her face and threw her down on her side. She didn't cry out, but only covered her face and cowered on the floor.
Fred picked up the money that had fallen.
"Thief!" He snarled. "No lunch for you," He walked out after saying that.
The pain seemed to intensify with time, so she stayed down till it subsided a bit. She stood up and washed her face in the sink. A few minutes later, she heard Fred's car leaving the yard. Now she had the house to herself. She could breathe normally now.
She headed for the kitchen to clear up the dishes.
She could remember the first time she entered this house. It felt like heaven compared to the slum they once lived in. She was only twelve then. Fred had been nice to her. He had bought her candy and ice cream. He had told her no one was going to call her a bastard again; that he was going to be her daddy.
She sighed bitterly at the memory as she proceeded to the kitchen. Fred has been anything but a father to her. A few months after he married her mother and moved them here, things started to change.
It started with minor things like him not buying her ice cream anymore, then it slowly developed into bigger things. He calls her a bastard at every opportunity. He stopped defending her against Diane like he used to. He would say the two girls were mates and Sam was just a weakling.
Sam was malnourished for most of her childhood, hence why Diane could beat her up.
She put the plates from the dinner in the sink and ate the two slices of bread that remained from breakfast. She dared not make coffee. Fred would definitely miss one or two sachets of coffee. The man must have a camera in his eyes.
After her meal, she resumed cleaning. In no time, she was down to Diane's room. The messiest for last. Just as she expected, the room was messy. There were clothes all over the place. There was a heap of sachets from last night's snack feast.
Sam swallowed the empty chocolate bar sachets. It had been ages since she had one of those. Bad for her, she didn't even get to lick anything. Diane was always thorough when eating her chocolate. She either loved chocolate too much or she was making sure Sam didn't get a taste.
After much work, the room was clean again. Sam looked around with longing. She would love to sleep in a proper room someday.
The walls were painted hot pink. There was the giant window that caught the rising sun, and oh, the bed. If she were Fred's daughter, she wouldn't have had to share the store with mice.
For a moment, she was tempted to just flop on the bed and catch up on those sleepless nights.
As she turned to leave, she caught a reflection of her frail self in the mirror. A glaring red marked her face where the plate had hit her. It was tender and hurtful when she touched it. It will heal like the others. She hoped it wouldn't scar. She had enough scars already.
After cleaning the entire house, Sam took a bath in one of the empty bedrooms' bathrooms. She was allowed to use the bathroom, but nothing could make Fred let her use the bedroom.
Next was lunch. If she started early, she could eat with no one finding out. That plan failed when she heard a car drive into the compound.
A few minutes later, Diane joined her in the kitchen. Sam was chopping onions and didn't bother to turn. She could already tell who it was by the clicky shoes. She heard the fridge open and shut.
She noticed Diane standing beside her from the corner of her eye.
Diane glared at the girl as she sliced away like she didn't exist. She wondered why her dad preferred to have these girls and her mother in the house.
Despite being a bastard, Sam still rubbed shoulders with her. Years of bullying didn't humble her a bit, but Diane was not about to stop. Despite being the same age, Diane had the advantage of size.
Diane was tall and fairly stout for a woman, while Sam was barely above five feet and had a very petite body. Diane continued to stare at her quietly. Her brown-red hair was put in a messy pony. The length of it cascaded to her waist.
Diane's chest clenched with envy. Despite the unkempt state of Sam's hair, it was undeniably beautiful. The thickness and length of it and the red tint it takes against a bright background. Just like now.
Sam's head was obstructing the light from the kitchen window, making it look like her hair was emitting a red glow. Her eyes ran from the mop of hair to Sam's face. She was met with a pair of green eyes. Sam had been watching her watch her. Diane's cheeks reddened with embarrassment, which quickly turned to anger.
"What the hell are you staring at?" She snapped, throwing some water from the bottle she was drinking at her, which splashed on her face.
Sam quickly wiped it off with the hem of her apron.
"Get back to work, you wimp!" Diane sneered.
Sam glared at her. She was already upset about Diane coming back early, and now she just had to infuriate her further.
"Since you have nothing to do here, go to your room, cross your little toes, and wait for lunch," Sam talked back menacingly.
Diane's jaw clenched in fury.
"Well, Daddy told me to come here and make sure you don't get a bite," Diane muttered.
Sam cut her off there, repeating what Diane had just said in mocking gibberish, "Ynanyy yold me to nye nye bye."
Diane was used to Sam fighting back, but this? Sam ended her gibbering and added, "For a moment, I just thought you couldn't keep your eyes off me with the way you were looking at me just now, Diane,"
Diane couldn't take it. She swung a palm at her, but Sam stepped back in time. Sam had a smug smile on her face, which infuriated her sister. Diane lunged at her. Sam moved to the side but wasn't fast enough as Diane had caught her ponytail on her way to the ground.
They both fell to the ground. Being on top at the moment, Sam made the best of it by raining fists in Diane's face. The opportunity was short-lived because Diane managed to shake her off and get up. Before Sam could get up, Diane grabbed a handful of her hair, which had come loose during the initial scuffle, and pulled. Sam cried out in pain.
"Let go of her!"
The two girls looked up at the command. Gloria had entered the kitchen. Diane glared daggers at her as she held on to Sam's head. Gloria slowly stepped forward with menace.
"Take your hands off her," Gloria said with her teeth clenched.
Diane was curious to know what Gloria would do if she didn't comply, but she wasn't willing to test it at the moment. Not when her father was absent.
She reluctantly released Sam. Diane's face was blazing red from the beating and her fury. For the first time in nine years, Sam had beaten her. And her father's wife stole her opportunity to return the favor, but she was going to get back at them. She just had to wait for her father. She stormed out of the kitchen.
