Rachael...

The morning was still young, the cool breeze swept through the room sending a shiver down her spine. She drew her blanket to cover herself  properly. Rachael tossed and turned on the bed but was not willing to get up. She could feel the softness of her bed and the soothing effect it gave her. It felt like her little heaven. The previous day had been a tough one. She had fought with her mother again. Well, that had become a constant event in the house and she was not going to beat herself about it. She turned to the left side of the bed where her electronic clock was. It was just 5:30am. She should have been up by 5am if she wanted to catch up on chores and meet up with Eric for the rest of the day.

The thought of Eric made her giggle. The young man had stolen her heart and she wished he would keep it in his care for as long as he willed. People misunderstood him but she knew him better than anyone else. People judged him and criticized him but she understood him. She loved him. Her mother would never understand. Why can't people understand that Eric meant no harm to her. He cared about her and she believed it. He drank a little and partied hard but hey! it was not as bad as people made it look like. Who doesn't like a little fun?

Eric was having a tough relationship with his very demanding father and the way he blew off steam was with a bottle. He was at least a lot calmer after he had his fill. Eric's father was to blame but in the society, elders are always right. "I have my own life to live and my own decisions to make. If people don't like it, then they can escort themselves to hell". Rachael thought. She would not allow her mother run her life or dictate what should be in it and not be. "I am eighteen and old enough to make my own decisions." She got out of her bed and stretched with a loud yawn. The day was going to be good. She went to the bathroom with a smile. A smile of love... She was in love!

Marian sat on her sofa just opposite her bed. The bed lamp was on and she began to wonder if she should repaint her room. She watched the curtains lift themselves up and gently come down as the wind kept coming in. It was a chilly morning but she doubted the wind was the cause of the chill she felt in her heart. Rachael defied her every chance she got. She felt this terrible fear that crippled her anytime she thought about her daughter's decisions. Her own life flashed before her. Her daughter was going down the same path she went. She remembered David and how she loved the bad boy in him. She would sneak out the window to see him to avoid her father's trouble and sneak back into her room in the early hours of the morning. She enjoyed the adventures with David. The rides and parties they had enjoyed made her forget all her worries. Well, momentarily. She loved that he prefered her to the other girls in school. She was not the prettiest in school, her father prevented her from using make up and so she felt so privileged that David would choose her despite her low income status and not so pretty face. Her father sold newspapers and did not make much. Her brother was serving in the military and was far from home. Marian remembered all the fun she had with David and how she felt true freedom.

In David's embrace she felt free. Her father was just a pain in her neck. It was like he followed her every move. Never really allowing her breathe or even do what other girls did; like go to cinemas, parties, and just have fun at sleepovers. In the evenings, he would make her read the Bible to him. She would read from one chapter to another till he fell asleep. God allowed her father live like a pauper and yet her father served Him with zeal. Her father had suffered too much. Her mother had left him to marry some rich sailor because she said his Bible would drown him in poverty. She knew in her heart that she blamed her father for her mother's actions. Maybe that was why she wanted to stay with David. David's father was a well known business man and if she could get along with David well enough, he might just marry her out of the poverty she has been cursed with. David was her saviour. The twists of life showed her how wrong she was.

She jumped out of her reverie when she heard a knock on her door. "Mum, I need the keys to the shop to clean it before the day brightens up". Rachael stood with arms akimbo as Marian opened the door. Marian went in and opened the drawer by her bed to get the keys. "Did you sleep well?" Marian asked her daughter. "Yes. I did" Rachael answered as she took the keys from her mother without looking at her and walked away. "I am going to lose my daughter." Marian whispered and caught a tear before it flowed down her cheek. It was too late, her other eye betrayed her. She allowed her tears flow freely and closed her door.