Farewell Gown

"Mom, Dad … look what I've brought for you, guys!" Mandy raised her voice and called her parents.

"What's up, dear? Oh, my … where did you get this, Mandy? Such expensive stuff." Her mother, Gloria picks up Mandy's goodie bags, and so does her father. "Mandy, did Bryan give you this?" asked her father.

"Oh, Dad … c'mon! He can't buy me expensive stuff like this. He is just an unknown person I met before I met Ben, my boyfriend for now." Mandy smiles without hesitation.

"Good! That's my daughter! You're beautiful, pretty, and have an inner beauty that no one woman in this city has. You better use it to make Ben fall in love with you and we can live prosperously and rich." Gloria and her husband laughed hard, unknowingly Brenda was standing in front of them, watching her foster family laughing happily.

"You look so happy, what happened?" asked Brenda curious seeing her foster family so happy.

"Not your business! Go to the kitchen and prepare dinner for us! The ingredients have been prepared in the fridge!" said Gloria arrogant.

"Oh, Mother. Don't be so rude to Brenda. She is my sister, anyway. By the way, Sis. I have something for you. Maybe you'll like it." Mandy pulls up her black goodie bag and it looks like a short black gown with a ribbon in the middle of it. "Here is for you, Sis." Mandy smiles and gives that gown, but unfortunately, Gloria takes it away and keeps it!

"Mom!" Mandy yelled to Gloria.

"Are you crazy, Mandy? Why did you give this nice gown to this beggar!? She didn't even work to help this family! All her stuff is from you! You had helped her a lot, Mandy and you! Unknown child, have you thought to help Mandy? Help this family, huh? Have you thought about that!?" Gloria yelled at Brenda's ear.

"Honey, c'mon. Get over it! Let her take a rest. Get up, Brenda and-" Gloria's husband gets back the gown from Gloria's hands. "Try it. I'm sure it will be fixed on you."

"Thank you, Daddy." Brenda went to her room and at the same time, Gloria still yelled at her while she was in her room.

"Hey, what about dinner?! Didn't I tell you to prepare it! You damn disrespectful child!"

"Gloria! Enough! How many times should you yell at her? She is a member of this family, too!" Her husband, Sam defends Brenda.

Mandy just sits-stay still and looks down at her fighting parents. Never thought her kind intention would end up like this. "Mom, Dad. There's something I want to tell both of you." Mandy cuts her parents.

"What do you want to tell us?" her father raised his voice.

"Can you talk a little lower?" Gloria glares at her husband sharply.

"Great! Now you ask me to lower down my voice, while you raise your voice toward Brenda!"

"Sam! How dare you talk like that in front of your biological daughter! Mandy is our daughter while Brenda is not! How dare you compare both of them!"

"Mom! Dad! Get over it!" Mandy can suppress her anger. "I don't know what happens to this family! We had never been like this before, but since Brenda came to this house, everything was like hell! Did you ever think before taking Brenda as your stepdaughter? Have you ever thought about it? Why now do you feel sorry and seem full of regret? I don't even know if I should be happy or should I be sad Brenda came to this house? I just wonder and pity her. Mom, please, for the last time … let her have what she doesn't have. That gown isn't from me, but it's from Ben, my boyfriend. He and Brenda once met and Brenda helped him, so it's like payback for Brenda's kindness. Can you let her have something like I have, Mom?"

Gloria and Sam were already silent, while Brenda cried in silence. She never thought her appearance at Broody's family would bring pain and suffering to this family. Brenda then decided to leave her foster family quietly when they slept.

"Mom did this for your sake and save, Mandy. You must understand! How can I let the foreigner take everything you have, Mandy?"

"What do you mean, Mom?"

"Don't be rude, Gloria! You think too much!"

Mandy and her father stare one each other.

"How should I explain this? Think, Mandy … Brenda is the same as your old. Both of you grew up together and one thing I've seen from her was she always looks at you full of jealousy! Don't you think Brenda could be a parasite in your life, Mandy? What if … Ben, your boyfriend had a crush on her? Will you accept it?" smirk Gloria.

"Gloria, for God's sake! What the hell are you talking about! That's nonsense! Impossible! You're just reacting too much!" Sam pulls her wife's arm forcefully and glares at her with his sharp rolled eyes ball. "Don't spread fire in this house, Gloria! I warned you!"

"I didn't. It was that disrespectful child who did this!" Gloria released her arm by force.

Mandy kept silent until she went to Brenda's room, knocking on her door hard and raising her face in front of her foster sister.

"M-Mandy …"

Slap!

A hard slap landed on Benda's thin cheek all of a sudden. Mandy's parents were shocked and went to Brenda's room.

"What happened? I heard something hit very hard!" asked Mandy's father, shocked when he saw Brenda lie down on the floor holding her cheek. "Brenda, what happened? Why all of sudden …." Sam helped his foster daughter but Gloria suddenly pulled out Sam's arm and Brenda fell once again.

"You! What the hell are you doing, Gloria?" Sam yelled at his wife.

"What are you going to do with her, huh? Aren't we fighting enough just because of this disrespectful child, huh?"

Mandy covers her ears and pulls Brenda's arm out of her room. "Are you happy now? Are you satisfied now? You broke my family! You ruined my life! Are you satisfied now, huh!"

Mandy took out all of Brenda's belongings from her room, including the short black dress she had just given her.

"Now get out of here! I don't want to see you again! You're just a bad boy! Don't come near my house, let alone my family again!" Mandy immediately closed and locked the door to her house, while Brenda just sat there resigned to see all her clothes thrown from her room.

Brenda sat with her legs folded back. The girl bowed to pay respects to the family who had taken her from the orphanage, cared for her, and provided her with shelter, clothing, and warmth. Brenda didn't say a word. Under the sudden pouring rain, Brenda straightened her clothes and pulled her brick-red suitcase slowly away from Broody's house.

'Goodbye, dad, mom, Mandy. I hope we can meet again and when that time comes, I hope you will see me as a useful person.'