Chapter 2 Kickass princess

Angelica

Flashback Continues.

I wasn't able to believe the words my mom just spoke. She unexpectedly starts speaking about a man who was never discussed nor present in our lives till a while ago. I am still surprised unable to understand why this man suddenly becomes so significant and important in our life?

I hate his recreant nature and loathe admitting him as my father. He betrayed me and my mom and left us like a prey to this cruel world without turning a leap in our thick and thin times. Why does mom still believe in him to take care of us? Why does she still love him in spite of everything he did to us? There are so many questions flocking in my mind. As she was about to speak further about the crook the door bell takes a ring.

I walk inside our tiny living room to reach the entrance. Opening our creaking front door I meet the forest green eyes of a tall beardy man who was looking at me with so much affection if I was not mistaken. Something about this man feels too familiar.

He kneels down in front of me to match my height and inquires in his polite tone "I understand this as the house of Mrs Margaret Evans. Can I get inside my tiny princess?" A slender smile was apparent on his lips. I nod my head and move aside so that he can enter inside the house.

He steps into our bitsy living hall and looks around the scraping walls of our old flat. His vision then directs to our almost tattered furnishings. Our living room hosted a puny bit of furniture comprised of two worn out chairs and an old time center table which is almost ran shackled. "Your house looks compact yet comfortable." He comments but I did not miss the teeny bit of soreness on his voice.

I ask him to take a seat and hand him a glass of water. He sips the water in the glass and asks in his endearing voice. "Which class are you in Angel?" So this annoying intruder even knows my name. "I am in my grade four. Now if you could stop interrogating me I can inform my mom about a guest's arrival in our house." I answer him in acrimony getting irritated by his boundless nosiness.

I could see a flash of hurt in his eyes yet he complies with my statement. After I inform my mom about him he follows me to the bedroom. No sooner he goes inside my mom's eyes glisten in happiness. To my surprise she slowly eases herself from her lying form and embraces him.

He kisses her head and looks at her with so much fondness and hurt in his eyes. I felt myself an alien in facing their intimate state. As I decide to leave the uncomfortable atmosphere, I hear my mom call me. "Princess come here and meet your dad Mr Robert Evans."

I was bewildered by my mom's abrupt declaration and looked at her sojourner in disgruntlement. My dissatisfaction doesn't go unnoticed by him yet he bends himself and tries to lift me in his arms with a gentle smile on his lips. Involuntarily my legs move back avoiding his touch and I observe a tinge of disappointment in his eyes. He immediately conceals it with a slim smile and extends his hand forward for a shake. My eyes shift to his hand contemplating on the thoughts of accepting his invitation when I hear my mom's voice. "Princess go to your dad." She tells me in her fragile voice.

Unable to turn down my mom's request, I extend my hand forward to hold his and repent the next moment my skin made contact with his. His hands linger in place for a moment but I was quick to avoid the feel in bringing my hand back. A flash of discontentment was immediately visible in his green eyes but this time my mom took a grasp of it.

"Princess I failed as a mom in connecting your dad in our life. Like I told you earlier he loves you so much and never failed in caring for us though we were away from him. You have to amend your abhorrent feelings towards him and accept him as your father." Her last words were commanding though she seldom uses that voice especially towards me.

So with everything going down the hill this vexatious interrupter had also succeeded in developing quarrels between me and my mom.

Now I not only hate my father, I averse his relation in my life.

****

After saying those grating words to me, my mom struggles in her breathe. Within moments she began to pulsate immensely. Mom was never harsh and she was hurting herself for being sharp to me.

Robert wipes the sweat out of mom's face taking out a clean white handkerchief from his pant pocket. He hands her a glass of water picking up from the nearby table and urges her to stay calm. My mom welcomes his concern and after a few moments her breathe stabilizes.

My hands begin to tremble seeing my mom's agitated state. At that moment I declare to myself that I accept whatever my mom tells me to do though I detest Robert with my entire being. I can't see my mom suffer because of me. She slowly reaches Robert's hand and their eyes meet with a dim smile on each other's face.

My mom starts to speak ones again to him in her weakening voice. "Robert I have failed you as your wife but you were always there beside me to support us like an invisible Angel. I left you with arrogance that I could manage everything of my own but depended on you in every path I stepped." She cries hugging him. "I am sorry I couldn't hold you in a respectable position in the eyes of our only daughter. I not only failed you but also our daughter as a mom."

Robert holds her firmly to his chest but doesn't speak a word. Holding back his tears he draws soothing circles on my mom's back and then whispers. "I excused you long back Margaret and I promise you I will take care of our daughter no matter she accepts me as her father or not."

After a few seconds my mom's moments stop. Holding her a few inches away dad perceives her and then the tears which he held since a while freely fall like a never ending rain. He looks at me with his dejected eyes and whispers "princess your mom is no more."

I run to my mom as tears well my eyes and circle my arms around her. I was not ready to accept what Robert said moments ago. "Mom, please open your eyes." I cry. "I promise to stay strong just as you want me to be. I will be a good girl and never disobey you and dad." I wail holding my mother. But she doesn't move. My dad reaches me to console but I distance myself from him and burst into a yowl.

...................

Wake and funeral of my mom were performed. Many guests gathered to express their heartfelt condolences. My mom held a special place in every one's heart being a kind and generous woman.

A few days later as promised to her I pack my stuff and get ready to leave to Robert's place. "Princess are you ready? The car is waiting outside." I hear him say and move to the entrance to find a white limo waiting for us. Looking at the scoring rich vehicle I understand he must be really loaded but who cares.

Two men dressed in black suits follow me with my luggage in their hands. One of them opens the back door for me to sit and the other transfers the luggage into the trunk. A few seconds later Robert comes out of the house and instructs something to one of the person with the black coat.

He opens the door on the other side and sits beside me. His securities lock the entrance and the engine of the car starts. I look back for one last time at our little home holding my tears where I and my mom spent the best days of our life.

After a few minutes we enter the private area of the airport on the backyard. On the plane were written in big bold letters 'The Evans'. My dad is a wealthy billionaire and manages a chopper of his own. Yet my mom had to work three jobs to support us for two meals a day. What a pity! I give a sarcastic smile to myself. The more I am coming to know about my dad the greater is my growing aversion towards him.

Bringing me out of the reverie he speaks to me in his overly velvety voice. "Princess get inside the chopper." I give him the dirtiest glare I can and sit inside one of the aristocratic extremely comfortable seats. He sits opposite to me and opens his laptop to work.

A few seconds later the announcement was made that we will be reaching New York in another five hours from now. So he lives in New York. I detest even his presence beside me so it is obvious I would never ask where he lives. A lady comes to us with a gentle smile on her face as soon as our plane begins to move. She asks us what we would like to have for our breakfast and my dad lists her with all the details of our menu in a language I don't understand. I had never been to rich homes and aristocratic places. I wonder what he had ordered for us and hope that tastes good as I am starving already.

As though hearing my inner voice he speaks with a soft smile plastered on his face "princess I have ordered everything you love. Orange juice, chicken sandwiches and your most favorite chocolate pancakes." My eyes go wide in surprise. How does he know my preferences?

Soon our breakfast arrived and I consume the food happily relishing every bit of it. This was the first time I was boarding a flight. My mom couldn't even afford a bus for us. A flight was a far way costlier transport for our living standard. We used to walk to all our destinations. On the contrary my father is freaking opulent that he could afford a private chopper yet never turned back even to look at us.

What a calculative delinquent that he is. I hate his guts to abandon my mom though she was foolish to leave him instead of leading an affluent life.