A Worried Mother

T-5 Days to Incident

#Baker Residence

Janis saw her son off. He always left early—too early.

“Only if his father had shown some affection!"

It’s been almost seventeen years since their marriage, but Janis was never happy. She never wanted this marriage in the first place.

“If my dad was here, he wouldn’t have allowed it."

When she married Edmont, she was a lively young lady of twenty-five, well cultured, well educated, and well versed in musical instruments, especially the violin and piano. She was a free spirit and traveled to many places in the world. She loved the sea and mostly traveled by ship. She loved poetry as it could say millions of things with so few words. Tom inherited her kind and peace-loving nature and hatred for violence. She never showed her anger and with all her best physical attributes, she passed this quality of perseverance onto Tom.

However, her life of happiness and freedom suddenly came to an abrupt and untimely halt when she was forced to marry the eldest son, Edmont Baker, of the Baker family—one of the most influential families in Port Emerald, Janis’s birthplace. She had lost her father, Liam Ashfield, when she was young. Her mother, Emma Ashfield, was a woman of strong will who held the reins of the family and the business alone. As her daughter grew up to be a soft and kind creature, she feared that without good family support, she wouldn’t be able to survive the harsh world. That was the reason she forced Janis to marry Edmont.

The Baker family was one of the most prominent and influential families in the high society of Port Emerald. They had connections in high places. So, Edmont came from both money and power, which Emma thought would be good for her daughter: “No one will dare touch my girl as long as she has the support of her in-laws.”

However, there is a saying, “Man poses and God disposes."

What Emma wished for her precious daughter never came true. At first, Janis lost her wings—no traveling unchaperoned. And the chaperone, Mr. Edmont, never planned any travel with his wife.

“She was not PROPER as a travel companion! She wouldn’t fit the people I hang out with.” That’s what he always said to everyone, even family relatives and friends.

A free-spirited Janis got her wings clipped. Traveling, exploring places, and seeing and learning about people and cultures opened her heart and made her the human she was. Humans are trees with roots drawing sustenance from various places. The sustenance of Janis’s soul came from her traveling and enjoying her closeness to people and nature. But Edmont cut her roots and the tree lost its liveliness.

A successful lawyer, Edmont, moved from Port Emerald to Ayodale, the capital, with ambition. He wanted to go places. Janis lost another part of her soul when her ties with her family, relatives, and friends were cut. During her stay at her in-laws' big palace-like mansion, Janis was considered unruly, and she had to be taught the norms and decorums of the society she became a part of.

“THEY don’t expect you to walk, talk, eat, or drink like that. Don’t do this; it’s below you. Don’t wear that; that’s not how THEY wouldn’t like you to dress.” Her in-laws always told her to fill in THEIR expectations. Simply, "Become a puppet."

However, she never understood what these rich people referred to as THEY. With the money and connections they had, they themselves could have been the trendsetters; they could’ve been the ones to decide what happened in their society. But these people were so afraid of everything and everyone that each one of them had lost their individuality. They forgot to live for themselves. Her in-laws could only live to fulfill the expectations of others. They were so ashamed to be themselves in front of the OTHERS in high society that they would die before they did something that would go against THEIR expectations!

Janis felt like an uneducated commoner who entered the palace of some Jeoson king. The Codex, full of decorums, norms, and cultures of high society, was still bearable.

“My family, friends, and relatives are here, at least!” She thought, "I'm in my hometown. My root is here."

But when she had to come to Ayodale, that high society decorum became unbearable torture for her.

“If your society cannot stand me, I don’t want any part of it either.”

She shut herself off completely. Her only world became her son, Thomas Baker. Raising him as a human with pure emotions far from the bad influence and the side effects of high society.

“This is what I get after those painful years of endurance—a house of gloom and anxiety. Edmont is the reason why Tom is always so anxious! Tom has become timid and not at all courageous! He only learned how to quickly compromise his own rights as a human and how not to resist and protest! This makes me tremble in fear every day. The world out there is very harsh and cruel toward people like Tom.”

The constantly furrowed eyebrows had created permanent creases on her once beautiful and perpetually kissable forehead. Janis became a worrywart.

Recently, Tom had been returning from school with bruises and burn marks on his body.

“Something must have happened at school. But that boy never tells me anything!”

As Janis did her household chores, she kept thinking about her son.

“He is at a critical juncture in his life. He needs to decide to open up to me; I can’t force it on him. There must be some reason why he is hiding it all. His father is of no help!

Amid all the worries, Janis made the breakfast table. It was now Edmont’s time to leave for work. After the morning toilette, Edmont came for breakfast.

“Where’s your kid?” Edmont asked as he took his seat at the table.

“Why? He isn’t yours?”

“Just a short answer would suffice.”

“Your son is not a short answer; he is the future of your bloodline. Show some concern.”

Edmont glared at Janis.

“You have much to talk about, it seems!!”

“Yes, I have, because you never asked. There are things a dad must do for his son, beside throwing money at his problems.”

Edmont silently ate his breakfast. Janis thought he would at least show some curiosity as to why she was going this length to talk back to him so early in the morning. But Edmont wasn’t ready to lose his energy. He had a case to fight at the court.

“Money is the only thing I’ll ever spend on that useless boy—nothing else. My time is more expensive, and I don’t have enough of it to spend on him.”

Janis was desperately trying to pursue Edmont to get involved in his son’s case. Fathers hold a different kind of authority over their children. Janis was afraid she wasn't strong enough to handle this issue.

“Tom must be getting bullied.” Janis reluctantly spelled it out for Edmont.

Edmont stopped eating. He raised his gaze and glared at Janis. “Again? Doesn’t he have anything else to do? Why does he get bullied in every damn school? He must be asking for it everywhere!”

“What? How can you say something like that? You know how kind and soft he is. He would never fight with anyone or get involved in trouble intentionally."

Edmont resumed his breakfast, not answering.

“You never show any support for the boy. Everyone must think of him as a fatherless orphan. Why else would anyone dare to beat another boy of their age? Show some support, go to school, and find out what’s happening at least, for God’s sake.” The worry and plea in her voice were evident, but they were not reciprocated.

“Why! You can do that! I don’t have time for garbage like him. I have invested money; I can’t afford to invest my time too.”

Without any more words, finishing his food, he left for the office.

“Heartless man!” Tears filled her eyes. The unkind words from her husband rent her heart to pieces.

“Shame on your parents for raising a bastard like you!” Her silent lament did not have a voice, and nobody ever heard it.