MY MOM HATES ME

Chapter one

Quietly and carefully, I step into the living room, praying earnestly that there would be no one but unfortunately, bad luck and I didn't stop being best friends. Hateful eyes shoot daggers at me proudly and I coil within, not sure if I should regret coming back or curse myself for coming at the wrong time.

Inside those eyes is pure hatred to the maximum which is blazing proudly and furiously like fire set in a harmattan season.

This look is all familiar but the intensity of the stare each time in the years since I lived in this house doesn't fail to bring me to my knees and shake me to the core vigorously.

"What is the cursed child doing here ?" She screeched in her usual high pitch tone.

My eyes close for a second in dreariness before opening and fixing on her directly. This woman is stunning, very pretty even with her wicked nature.

"I ..." I begin to say and she gets on her feet abruptly.

"Before you open your smelly mouth to utter a word, take your evil eyes off me. Who gave you the right to even look at me?"

I didn't know why I decided to not look away. I just stare unblinkingly at her. Unfortunately, it sparks her anger to a boiling point. She skids forward, slapping me hard and fast on my cheeks. The pain from it knocks me to the polished floor. I still don't look away even as the tears pour uncontrollably.

"I said get your eyes off me!"

"You won't ask why I'm looking?" I smile softly through my tears.

"Do I need to ask? It's definitely because I'm prettier and you can never be like me. Neither will your devious ways affect me. And you're shocked to see that despite everything, you've never been able to destroy me."

"Is that what you think? I chuckle, my stare going blank on her. I don't understand why she'll say I'm the devil when I don't remember ever harming her. Not even intentionally.

"I'm just wondering how someone as wicked as you could exist," I mutter flatly, and just like that, punches rain on me like never before.

Punch after punch, I only feel the pain of being in the hands of no one but this woman. This woman that I've known all my life but don't know how we relate. Our neighbors say she's my mom but I don't believe it. They go ahead to say I resemble her but that is infuriating. This woman has done nothing but made my life a living hell since I can remember. How can she be my mother? Scratch that, there's no way we'll share a resemblance.

"Wicked." She laughs devilishly. "Can your wickedness be compared to mine? No! And even if I'm wicked you've been out of the house for three good days. Why are you back to the Jezebel? You couldn't run away? You couldn't leave so that I'll be free of an outcast like you?"

"Can you just pause and tell me why exactly you've been mistreating me?" That's one of the reasons I came after she had beaten me to a pulp for breaking a China-made wine glass of hers. Something that was entirely her fault. I'm sure if it was a customized glass from Dubai or France, I would've been six feet down by now.

"And what made you think I'll answer a worthless shameless piece of shit like you?"

"You can't..." My lips tremble.

You can't..." I try again.

"Oh please shut up and get back to the chores you neglected for days if you know what is good for you."

"Not until you tell me." I like how I'm standing up to her without chickening out like I used to. Maybe it's because I've finally had enough of this maltreatment and injustice a seventeen years girl like me is facing day and night.

Her chest heaves frantically then taking her heels off her feet like a woman who has suddenly gone mad in the middle of a market, Lucky raises it to hit me. I didn't know when I got up or how I started running while Lucky who's chasing me is throwing anything at me. I run to the kitchen and locking it, I rest my back against it, breathing hard.

"Devil, try to make my life hell and I, Penelope Lucky Young will make yours worse than that. A foolish bastard like you!" She lets out bitterly then after minutes, I hear her walk away. Everything dawns on me, leaving me in a pool of my tears. Why? I don't know my parents and I don't even know who this woman is and why I am with nobody but her. Why? This Lucky woman seems to have everything but since she hates me for no reason, I go to a public school, eat an unbalanced diet, wear the shabbiest clothes. In all, a common countryside maid even looks good and has value over me. I don't even know where I come from. It's just me, my chores, and the storeroom which is my room. Funny enough, I was given a storeroom because Lucky says I look like a mouse. What then, is the point of my existence? I wipe my tears and looking around, my eyes meet a knife. I don't know why it has to be that. I get up and moves towards the fridge. I tried opening it but it was locked. I forgot she locks it always. Heartless stingy bitch!

I walk to the sink, opening the tap, I help myself to drink water. My eye meets the knife again and this time I had to take it. I think it's time. I raise my wrist. There's no sweetness here but before anything, I need answers to why my life is the way it is. And I could get it from only one person. Lucky.

Opening the door, I look for her and find her dozing in the living room. So she can sleep soundly while she has my little world set on fire?

I walk quietly in front of her then I brush the tip of the cold knife on her neck. She jolts in fear.

"What are you...?"

"Shut the fuck up Lucky! Just tell me who I am, my parents, and why you hate me, why you say I'm wicked when all I did was serve you."

"You should be mad to think I'll...." She tries to say.

"You want to die then." I hold the knife intimidatingly towards her, somewhat enjoying just how extremely terrified she looked.

"Stop.. stop this nonsense, Scar.." she stammers.

"Scar," I repeat, smiling sadly. "Is that a name? Who on Earth goes by that name? Who? Me of course and why? WHY LUCKY?!" I shout so loud that I almost begin to cough but it was all pure agony.

"You don't deserve to know!"

"Yes, I deserve to know. Who the fuck do you think you are to determine that?"

"You'll regret ever knowing."

" I don't care. Just tell me."

"No."

"Really?" I brought the knife closer to her throat, pressing it.

"Stop!"

"No."

"Okay fine. Get the knife away and step back. I'll tell you."

"You think I'm a fool? Tell me or you die here in your pool of blood. Trust me LUCKY. I can. You've taught me enough wickedness."

For the first time, I saw tears in her eyes but I couldn't let that get me swayed.

"Fine. Have you ever imagined having your perfectly planned life thrown in a ditch and never to be recovered because of something or someone? No! I lost so much. Can't you see I'm all alone here? Have you ever seen any person I'll call family around? No. Just a bunch of fake friends..."

"Stop spilling what I already know. I know you're a bitter person and a lonely sadist and that is just because of your nature."

"No. There was a time I was the apple of everyone's eyes. I was my parent's favorite but they wanted me to join a convent. I had other plans. I wanted to be a successful model and even though they didn't like that for me, my family agreed. I was just your age, very young and I had to get lied to, stripped off my virginity and the love of my family forever. I got pregnant and to my family, I was a disgrace they didn't want around. I got abandoned. I had to struggle through thick and thin alone. Now imagine yourself at this stage carrying a bastard with no one to lean on or look up to? No home, no food, and a damaged future."

I got taken aback. I couldn't imagine myself in the situation she's presenting. That's going to be hell.

"So where is the child?" For some reason, my heart begins to beat as Lucky raises her gaze to me.

"No." I breathe.

"Yes. You're that child. That child that brought my life to a total standstill. The bad luck bastard. Even though my name is Lucky, you changed it to misfortune and bad luck."

"And scar?" My lips quiver as beads of sweat shield my forehead.

"I gave you that name because can't you see?" Lucky gets on her feet. "Take a look at my body. Can this deformed body model? Do you see these ugly stretch marks all over me? Can you see my tummy? Isn't it big? I used to be very beautiful with a body to die for but now look? You left an eternal scar on me. You're the cause of the scar so I call you that. Scar. Yes, that's what you are." She breaks down in real tears.

The knife drop from my shaky hands and I took to my heels out of the only home I ever knew but also brought me hell to never return. No wonder she calls me wicked. Lucky must've maltreated me but I was the cause of her suffering and even the one responsible for what I went through. I'm the permanent SCAR on her.