NEW PLACE, NEW HOPE

A loud voice from downstairs had awakened Mina. She looked around, wondering for a bit where she was before Mina remembered that it wasn't her room, and she was in her mom's house.

"You get a new helper, who felt like the owner of the house? Sleeping in the guest room and got guest on we hours?" A male voice said like he was whining and annoyed.

She reached over her phone on the bedside table to check the time. It was past five in the morning, and she suddenly remembered that her mom had told her to wake up as early as possible before her husband arrived.

MIna had anticipated that the angry voice downstairs was from her mom's husband.

However, before she had put down her phone, she noticed several unread messages. She checked it and found out that it was from Royce.

[I went to your mom's house from the bar. I want to see you. But then, before I even pressed your doorbell, a car arrived. Someone came out, and he said he was the house owner, and he pointed a gun at me. He accused me of being a thief.]

[I told him that maybe he is Tita Nala's husband, and I am here for you. He got angrier and said he didn't know you. He forced me to go away, or he will call the police]

Mina felt more anxious after reading Royce's messages. She knew she was in trouble, and she dragged her mom with it.

She abruptly stood up and leaned in her ears against the wall. Nevertheless, before she could do it, she flinched over a loud banging of the guest room door.

Mina had no choice but to open it. Even she wasn't prepared to answer the possible question that either Nalah or her mother's husband might ask.

It was her mother, and she apparently didn't look happy. Her eyes were showing some evidence of crying — It was swelling.

Nalah didn't wait for Mina to invite her inside. She got inside the room and put Mina's things back in her bag.

"Moth- I mean, madam? What does this mean?" She looked worried about her mother's action. She felt that it was not gonna be a piece of good news.

"Mina, I want to help and let you stay here, but you already brought me a problem. You even haven't stayed for twenty-four hours long. Why do you have to tell anyone your address? And, for God's sake, Mina. Is that drunk guy that came here at wee hours your boyfriend?"

Mina knew that she was talking about Royce.

"Madam, I'm sorry. I just told him where I am so he won't get worried. I don't know if he will come to visit me. Especially at that hour." She tried to reason out, but her mother continued keeping her things. I don't know where to go, I can't go back to my father's house. He will only kill me more." Mina burst out into tears.

Nalah shook her head, leaned close to Mina, and whispered. "You are already old enough to be responsible for actions, Mina, but you can't even do the simplest things I asked from you. You kept calling me mother, and you even tried to invite strangers inside my home. This is my home Mina, my family's home, but it's not yours. So, don't pretend that you owned it."

She stood back up and handed Mina a paper. "It was a letter and an address. Aside from that, you don't need to worry because I will send a message to my friend about you. She was looking for an additional house helper and thought to just send you there. It was just a few blocks from here. You can go now."

As soon as she had said that, Nalah walked out to the door and left Mina.

Mina's stomach grumbled. She was hungry; the last time she had eaten was having a street food snack with Royce. She even hadn't eaten dinner at home since what happened. She hoped to have some breakfast before she went out of that house, but it seemed it would be not appropriate since her mother had already expected her to go.

At least, she was still relieved that she didn't have to go back to her dad's place and could still work somewhere else.

Mina took a last glance at her mother's home as she walked out their gate, and she noticed her watching over her from the second-floor window. She assumed that it was the their bedroom.

She felt sad to be away from her mother. Mina felt hurt that her mother couldn't claim her as her child, but she couldn't force herself on her mother's family. She had to be contented on what she could get.

Mina didn't have grudges to her dad or to her mom. She still loved both of them, even with all the pain in her childhood and until that moment. Mina had been able to surpass that pain before. There was no way she couldn't get through that now.

She stopped in front of an exquisite house. It was even triple the size of her mother's home. She could see the road going inside and the garden from the decorated bar gate. She was amazed by the house's beauty. Even her eyes could only see the top part of the house and the entrance.

Mina rechecked the paper in her hand, and it was the same address that was written there. She stood there for a moment until the guard noticed and called over.

"Hey, excuse me! What are you doing there? Don't block the driveway. My boss's car will get out any minute now," he said.

Mina snapped out from her amazement.

"Good morning. I was asked to come here by Madam Nalah. She said your boss needed an additional helper."

"Oh, you were the helper that she mentioned. She was waiting for you. Come here, get in, just follow the road to the front door."

Mina smiled relieved, inside her, she was hoping that she could blend into the people inside that place she could even consider as a mansion with each hugeness. She was hopeful and prayed to begin a new life in that place.