The Runaway Slave

A man who looks very neat, that is wearing a black suit, is standing near the car with his friend who is wearing a gray suit. The man's gaze was fixed on the nearby house, especially the upstairs windows.

"What place is this?" asked the man in the black suit.

"It's a brothel... Only elite people can go in there," replied the man in the gray suit. "The girls over there are so pretty. And the one standing by the window is Daisy... She's the prettiest there..it took 2000$ to be with her for an hour," he explained.

The man wearing a black coat looked back at the window, realizing that there was a beautiful girl standing there, looking like she was dreaming.

"And if you want to take her out of that brothel overnight, the pimp will ask for ten thousand dollars," explained the man in the gray suit again.

The man in the black suit remained silent, kept staring at the girl by the window while imagining how special and beautiful the girl was when he saw her up close, it even crossed his mind to buy the girl, out of curiosity about how her service was.

___

Silent with a blank stare at the window while opening some of the curtains, that's what Daisy Deven Joyce did when she was in her monochrome room. The beautiful girl looks so gloomy, wearing a brownish white dress with open shoulders, then letting her curly blonde hair fall just like that.

'If at that time mommy could leave Mr. Fernando, maybe she was still alive and I was never born in this world,' she thought sadly, remembering her childhood with her dead mother when she was 10 years old to be exact.

Flashback on ...

In a classic room dominated by dark brown, little Daisy, sitting on a chair near the dressing table, staring in the mirror, stares at the reflection of herself and her mother decorating her hair. The little girl was so beautiful like a princess wearing a white gold dress with a polished face using light make-up, always wearing a headband made of small flower arrangements.

"When you meet him, you have to be polite and show that you are a good and obedient girl," said Daisy's mother, Deven.

"Is he going to take us out of here?" Daisy asked.

"Hmm ... maybe," replied Deven casually.

"Maybe if he takes us away from here, you won't have to work at the cafe ... I don't need to be a street busker either," said Daisy.

Deven sighs, looking at Daisy with a very sad feeling that she hasn't been able to give her the life she deserves. The woman, who is about 30 years old, feels that she has failed as a mother because she cannot guarantee her daughter's future. After all, her daughter's father has a wife and child in another city.

"If you don't want to be a street busker anymore, that's okay," she said then kissed her daughter's head. "Let mom do the work."

"Or shall I go with dad?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Deven said in a very low voice as if to show that there was no hope. The woman walked out of the room, leaving her daughter alone there.

Daisy sighed, silent sadly because she wanted a better life but her mother couldn't do what she wanted. She cannot force her mother because she knows that her mother is quite difficult to meet their daily needs.

After almost an hour in the room playing with her doll, Daisy came out of the room and saw a man talking to her mother.

"Daddy," she called.

Deven immediately got up from the chair and approached Daisy who was standing near the bedroom door.

"Sweetie, you'd better go back to your room," she said.

"But I want to be with dad," said Daisy, glancing at the man sitting in the chair who was staring at her with a flat gaze.

"You can be with him later, after we're done talking," Deven exclaimed with an uncomfortable look.

Daisy ignored her mother's words. She immediately walked over to her father named Fernando, who immediately stood up and looked at her seriously. The girl was silent with fear because her father's gaze seemed to indicate that she really should not interfere with her father's conversation with her mother.

"I read your letter every week," she said quietly.

Fernando turned to glance at Deven who immediately lowered her head. 'I haven't even sent a letter all this time,' he thought.

"Mommy said you have a nice house in another city. Are you going to take me there today?" Daisy asked innocently.

Fernando glanced back at Deven.

"Don't scold her," said Deven fearfully.

Fernando glanced back at Daisy, then put his hand on her right shoulder. "Sweetie, you better get out. It's not good to hear adults talk," he cried.

Disappointed because she didn't get an answer but instead got kicked out, Daisy finally left the house.

Deven again approached Fernando who glanced at Daisy so that she could not be seen because she had already crossed the main door of a simple house that was dominated by dark brown and antique wooden furniture.

"If you can't take her away from here to get a better life, then What's your purpose here?" asked Deven, looking at Fernando who looked dashing wearing a dark blue uniform like a soldier, because there were several titles attached to his chest and shoulders.

Fernando looked away as he put his hands in the side pockets of his pants. "I have no intention of changing your fate. So don't get your hopes up too high."

"What do you mean?" Deven asked with a frown.

"I'm not going to do anything for you other than kick you out of town because I don't want that damn little girl to interfere with my life with my family who are moving here," Fernando replied.

"What? you and your family will move to this city, then you want me and our daughter to leave this city? Are you out of your mind? Why do you think it's so easy, petty, don't you think about how our fate will be?" Deven wondered with annoyance and a hateful look at Fernando who looked so arrogant.

Fernando immediately looked at Deven. "Why should I think about you guys? Didn't I say from the start that our relationship has no future because I already have a wife and children? Here you are the stupid one because you kept your pregnancy until you gave birth to the child I never wanted! now or ever she will never be my responsibility because I never want her. And her future matters are none of my business!"

Plakk...

Deven immediately slapped Fernando in the face and looked at him with anger and breath that was gasping for emotion.

"You seduced me, you gave me sweet promises then you dumped me when I was pregnant... Then now you want me to leave here so you live comfortably with your family here..." Deven pushes Fernando in annoyance. "You are selfish, you are a fraud….You've ruined my life!"

"That's because you are stupid!" Fernando cried, pushing Deven to the ground near the table. "I already made it clear that we will have no future...I will never admit you as my love, I will never admit that damn little girl as my daughter because it could destroy my life!"

Deven wept bitterly, unable to contain her sadness and pain because of Fernando's treatment. "You were afraid that your life was ruined because of me, but you destroyed me first! Where is your compassion, Fernando? Why are you so hard on me?"

Fernando turned his face away. "Because I never really loved you. You were just my mistress, and now it's over. You and that damn little girl need to leave this town immediately because I don't want her to mess with my life."

"But, Fernando..."

"I will give you quite a lot of money so you can leave this city and find a new place. After that don't ever look for me or remember me ... Let's just say we were never together and there were no children between us," said Fernando before Deven finished her sentence.

"I can't possibly do that ... It's too difficult. Finding a new place means having to find a new job," Deven said in tears.

"That's none of my business because most importantly you have to leave this city!" cried Fernando firmly then pointed at Deven. ."If you refuse, it's fine! But maybe tomorrow you'll see that damn girl isn't breathing anymore!"

Dean's eyes widened for a moment, then stood up.

"Are you going to kill her?" She asked.

Fernando turned his head back, then took a deep breath. "I have no other choice."

Deven feels even more devastated and disappointed, and immediately pushes Fernando against the wall and beats him with her bare hands.

"You are evil, you are a bad father!"

Deven continues to beat Fernando with her hands while crying. Fernando didn't stay still, trying to avoid Deven's punches until he pushed her and slapped her many times while cursing her in a loud voice.

Daisy, who was on the terrace, couldn't deny that she heard a fight in the house. She cried because she heard the voice of her mother who was crying and even screaming, and the sound of beatings she also heard. It made her feel like going in and helping her mother but she was so scared.

Flashback off

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