Chapter 6: Realization
“Daviiid!” Shiela’s voice rang through the house, piercing the stillness that had settled. The annoyance was evident in her tone as she demanded David to clean the floors to make up for the ‘scene’ he had caused. She was oblivious to the reality of David’s absence; he was no longer there to answer her calls or clean the home.
She waited for a moment, expecting to hear the familiar shuffling of David’s feet, the soft murmur of his apology. But the house remained eerily quiet, except for the clock’s ticking that grew louder and more pronounced in David’s absence.
The silence irked her. She was not used to being ignored, especially not by David. Confused and irritated by his apparent disobedience, Shiela decided to take matters into her own hands. Marching down the hallway, her mind was already forming a string of reprimands for David’s lack of response.
As she reached David’s room, she was met with a sight that completely shocked her. The room was empty. His bed was neatly made, and his few belongings were all gone. The room looked untouched, abandoned.
For a few moments, Shiela stood frozen at the doorway. She had thought that David’s talk of leaving was nothing more than a teenage tantrum, a momentary lapse of judgment. She had never believed that he would actually leave.
The realization hit her like a freight train. David was gone. He had left, just as he said he would. As the truth sunk in, Shiela felt a pang of regret for the first time in a long time. She had lost her servant, the target of her frustrations, her personal punching bag. What now?
Seething with anger, Shiela paced around the empty room.
“Ungrateful brat,” she muttered. “Doesn’t he realize how much I’ve done for him?”
Her words filled the room with disdain and resentment.
“I gave him a roof over his head, food to eat, a place to belong. And this is how he repays me? By leaving?” she scoffed. Her voice rose with each word, the sting of betrayal evident in her tone.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
“He was nothing before I took him in. Nothing but a burden, a charity case,” she spat, as if the words had left a rancid taste in her mouth.
She let out a bitter laugh.
“And to think I thought he’d at least be helpful with caring for the home. Hoped that he wouldn’t be completely useless. But he’s just trash. Worthless, ungrateful trash. He’s just like his parents, always doing what they want without any crumb of consideration for me.”
Her voice was filled with venom. But beneath the surface, there was a flicker of regret and longing. Every corner of the house echoed with David’s absence, and the unsettling feeling of emptiness gnawed at her. David’s departure had brought to light a reality she was not ready to face: her dependence on him.
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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