Chapter 3: An Unwelcome Clash
As the new day dawned bright and early, Melanie entered through the front door, weary from her long night shift at Brook’s Convenience Store. Her eyes, filled with exhaustion, were immediately met with her mother’s disapproving gaze. Shiela stood there, arms crossed, and wasted no time voicing her thoughts on Melanie’s late-night job.
“Melanie, you don’t need to work so hard,” Shiela began, her voice laced with a faux concern. “You’re a Bringer, not some lowly servant. Leave the boring tasks to David.”
Melanie frowned at her mother’s words, the weight of her fatigue momentarily forgotten in the face of Shiela’s audacious remark.
“David isn’t a servant either, Mom,” she retorted. “He’s a part of this family, just like us.”
Shiela scoffed, her face contorting with disbelief.
“A part of the family? Please. He’s only good for earning a pittance and doing the household chores. That’s all he’s good for.”
Melanie bristled at her mother’s derogatory tone.
“That’s not true, Mom. David’s smart and kind, and-”
“Enough, Melanie!” Shiela interrupted, her patience clearly wearing thin. “I don’t want to hear any more about David. He’s a burden, plain and simple.”
Melanie fumed. It was so annoyingly typical of her mother to provoke her after a long shift. All Melanie wanted to do was shower and curl up in bed. But no, her mom just had to nag her about work, even though the only reason Melanie bothered to find work at all was because her mom kept complaining about how little David earned.
Melanie couldn’t understand why her mother was so determined to give David such a hard time, even after so many years of them being a family. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way.
***
David stepped into the room, taking a deep breath. His eyes met Melanie’s first, her concern and frustration mirrored in his own gaze. He gave a small, reassuring smile, a message of gratitude for standing up for him.
“I heard the commotion,” David said calmly. “Melanie, you don’t have to defend me.”
He shifted his eyes to Shiela, meeting her condescending gaze with a softened one, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.
“Shiela, I understand the frustration and disappointment you feel. I know things didn’t turn out how you had hoped when you took me in…”
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
“But, taking it out on Melanie isn’t fair. She works hard. She’s returned from a long shift and needs to rest.”
Shiela glared at him, her eyes cold, devoid of any warmth.
“If I had received the money for adopting you, Melanie wouldn’t have to work at all, would she?” Shiela hissed.
David could only stare at Shiela in surprise, staggered by her intense disdain while she continued relentlessly.
“You were nothing more than an investment, David. A ticket to the Hall family’s fortune.”
David wrestled with the conflict in his heart as he listened to Shiela’s words, each a brutal blow to his fragile sense of belonging. He had always sensed her resentment towards him, but she was still his adoptive mother. She was the one who took him in and gave him a home. Even if she had adopted him for selfish reasons, she still provided him with food and shelter for nearly twelve years.
“But it all vanished, didn’t it?” Shiela spat. “Just like your parents.”
David swallowed hard, the sharp sting of her words making his throat dry. It was a low blow.
“And now, you’re nothing more than a useless waste of a life,” Shiela finished, her words of condemnation looming over David like a guillotine.
David held Shiela’s gaze. He felt the weight of her words and her reality’s cold harshness. He had survived under the shadow of Shiela’s wrath and disappointment for years; he was not about to let her control him now. He refused to be broken.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Shiela,” he replied, focusing his efforts on keeping his voice steady. “I never asked you to adopt me. I never asked to be a burden to you.”
His gaze flicked to Melanie, apology filling his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mel. I never wanted to cause trouble for you.”
Melanie shook her head, her eyes filled with anger and sadness.
“It’s not your fault, David. You didn’t ask for any of this. And you’re not a burden. You’re family.”
But David was not convinced.
“Perhaps it’s best if I leave,” he said softly. It was a thought that had crossed his mind before, especially during the worst of Shiela’s tirades, but he had never voiced it out loud.
“No! You can’t leave, this is your home!” Melanie cried out, her voice shaking slightly.
David looked at her, his heart aching at the determination in her eyes. But he knew that he couldn’t stay. He had to find a way out, to live a life his parents would have wanted for him.
“Go on then,” Shiela cackled with cruel amusement. “Leave. See if I care. You’re useless here anyway.”
A twitch at the mouth gave away Shiela’s hesitancy. David knew she thought of him as her own personal servant. She was undoubtedly beginning to realize that there was a chance she was about to lose the convenience of his cheap labor around the home.
Wrestling with the turmoil within him, David managed a small, defiant smile.
“Don’t worry about me, Shiela. I’ve managed to survive this far, haven’t I?”
He was well aware that there would be difficulties ahead. At his age, it would be a struggle to find a place to live, let alone support himself. But he couldn’t let Shiela see his vulnerability. He couldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing his fear.
I’ve already lost my parents…surely, I can survive parting from my cruel adoptive mother.
“I’ll be just fine.”
With those final words, David turned and walked away, leaving them stunned. He steeled his resolve and squashed the fear coursing through him. He was stepping into the unknown, but he knew in his heart that this was something he had to do.
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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