Chapter 5 Five

Amanda woke up panting heavily as the bedside lamp fell on the floor. The disconnected wire had cut into two and light sparks came out. She just had a terrible dream. She was still quivering from the shock of the dream. Why did she have to dream about that out of all things?

"Babe, you're okay?" Michael asked as he held her restless shoulders to calm her.

"No! It won't ever happen! You and Grandma have no right to do this!" Amanda screamed.

Her temperature had gone high already and fever had creeped in.

"Nobody is gonna hurt you, darling! I'm here! I'm here! I'm always here for you! Come on, hold my hands," Michael assured as he hugged her.

Amanda clutched into her husband tightly as tears fell from her eyes. She couldn't remember what she dreamt about. But she remembered blood spilled on her white cocktail dress and her father lying in her arms on the terrazzo floor. Aunt Anna stood behind her grandmother's wheel and they laughed at her. What a weird dream!

"What happened? What did you dream about, baby? Don't bother about it, okay? I'm here! And nobody is gonna hurt you, alright?" Michael said gently as he patted her hair and planted kisses on her forehead and her hair.

"I...I... saw Papa... my father... I saw him..." Amanda stuttered as she breathed heavily.

"It's okay, come here. Let's go back to bed. Don't worry, your father is okay. Remember I told you he came to the office today? He is fine, alright?" Michael assured as he pulled her close to him and rested her head on his chest. He patted her and kissed her forehead again.

As she lay on her husband's chest, she still couldn't sleep as her mind was muddled with thoughts. She remembered the last fight her father had with her grandma was two years before she got married to Michael. She always wondered why her grandmother and her aunt, Anna were so selfish even after her mother's death. They were always clueless as they brought up one issue or the other every time. It was one of those times she saw her father cry like a child.

She tried to remember what her mother looked like. The memories she had with her mother were fading gradually because her mother had died when she was only five years old. All she could use to console herself every time was Mrs. Clark reminder that she was a carbon copy of her mother. She had long hair and her bold eyes were exactly like her mother's.

She still couldn't sleep as her eyes were filled up with tears. She wrapped her hands tightly around Michael's body as she stared at nothing in particular. It pained her the more as she remembered these annoying things in her matrimonial home. It looked like it all happened yesterday. Her aunt and Grandma knew the real cause of her mother's death and still made incessant demands. Tears flowed down her face. She had come back home from work that fateful day and heard voices. She had followed the back door when she saw a car parked outside the house. As soon as the help sighted Amanda come into the kitchen, she quickly collected her bag and Amanda tiptoed to the staircase. She was about going to her room but changed her mind as she climbed the fifth step. She suddenly halted and sat there.

"I decide what to do with my granddaughter, Andy! You practically have no choice than to do what we ask of you!" Grandma's voice echoed in the room.

There was silence as Aunty Anna had signaled at her to calm down so she doesn't get a cardiac arrest due to her condition.

Amanda buried her head in her palms. It was not money issue or about properties but it was about her this time around. She had become a 'thing' to them.

"Anna, I suggest you take your mum home. We ain't gonna have this kind of conversation in my house," Andy said calmly.

"That's silly, Andrew! I must do whatever I like with my grand daughter! Emilie died because of you! Yes, you know that. She died because she married you and now you expect me allow you do that to her child. Oh, never. Andy, read my lips. It's never gonna happen!" Grandma still yelled.

"Anna, talk to your mother. This is my house and I won't condone any form of indirect insult!" Andy shouted.

"Oh no! Andy, you really have to do as we wish! Of course, I'm right. My daughter died because of you and we have every right whatsoever to be here asking for my granddaughter. I really hope she doesn't grow up into something else," Grandma snapped as she rolled her eyes up and down on her wheelchair.

"Really? You still have the guts to say my wife died because of me? To be honest, Anna, she died because of you guys! Yes, she left this world even if she could survive it because of you guys. If you really want to apportion blame to anybody, ask Anna why she poisoned my wife at the hospital. I need to hear her cooked up story again!" Andy yelled.

There was silence again in the room as Andy paced behind the chair. Amanda was already in tears as she rested her head on the wall and held her mouth in her hands. She was trying to suppress her sobs.

"You don't have anything to say, do you? You always try to brain wash your mother's head and bring her as usual to demand for heaven on earth! You could ask for my death but never to have custody of my grown daughter! In this age, never! I'm not a baby, Anna! And don't sit there with your lips sealed like you know nothing!" Andy was already angry as he stamped his feet.

"We won't go unless you agree to our terms. Anna doesn't need to say anything. She is married and she accompanied me here just as my daughter. So you don't have any right to say that to her, you ungrateful bastard!" Grandma said.

"Okay. Let's get this straight. You're never going to talk about this with Amanda and this talk, it dies right here because it would never happen. You want my only child to bear your surname and live with you guys to commemorate my wife? Those are your terms? I see how crazy you guys have gone!" Andy yelled.

"You have to agree to those terms, otherwise..." Anna muttered but she was cut short by Andy who took three steps closer to her.

"Otherwise what, Anna? Go on and vomit the trash you intend to say! Otherwise what, you would poison me just as you poisoned your sister? I never told my daughter the truth because I didn't want her to grow up hating you guys. But enough of all these, I'm done with your demands all the time," Andy said. His eyes was filled with tears but he tried to control himself.

There was silence again in the room after Andy's voice echoed in the room. He sat on the sofa and buried his head in his hands.

"I want you guys out of here! Just get up and get out. Get out of here immediately!"

Everybody was shocked as they turned to look at the speaker. It was Amanda. She had flung her shoes at her aunt as she ordered at her and her grand mother to leave the house.

"My dear, when did come back? Why is your face sullen?" Andy asked as he walked to her.

Amanda's face looked like she prepared to shock somebody in the dark. Her hair was disheveled and her make up ruined. The tears that came out of her eyes turned black because of her mascara and eye liner and it dried on her face.

"When did you come back? Did you hear anything? Why were you there? How long have you been there?" Andy questioned as he touched her face.

She placed his hands down and walked closer to her Grandma. She bent down, held Grandma's hands and smiled like a psycho.

"Today would be the first and last day you would ever come to our house to demand for anything. All my mother's properties had been given to you and now you want me? If I see you guys here to talk about whatever terms and conditions, I would sue Aunt Anna for murder and make sure she rots in jail!" Amanda said in a low tone as she dropped her grandma's hands with force.

She peered into her aunt's eyes and pointed at the door. She walked to her father and held his quivering hands. Her aunt luckily understood the message.

"Let's go home, mum," Anna said slowly as she pushed her mother's wheelchair towards the door.

As soon as Amanda heard the door open, she left her father's hands and ran upstairs with her shoes in her hands. Yeah, she wasn't strong, she only pretended to be.

She entered her room and locked the door. She sat behind the door and sobbed loudly. Her hands trembled. Her aunt and grand mother had demanded for many things, from thousands of dollars to lands to opening a store for Aunt Anna. And now, they are demanding for her. They were so materialistic. They knew she was already a millionaire and she would later be willed all her father's properties.

Her father kept on knocking at the door. He begged her to open the door and talk to him. But she didn't bulge. She still sat transfixed behind the door. She was so angry that she couldn't cry anymore. Her heart beat faster than usual. She stood up and walked to her closet. She placed the red shoes on the shoe rack. She removed her Rolex wristwatch and placed it amongst other wristwatches which were in a transparent glass. She removed her jewelries afterwards and placed them in order.

She walked into the bathroom and washed her face slowly. She stared at the reflection she saw in the mirror. Tears started filling her eyes as she gazed at herself.

If her face reminded her aunt and grand mother and probably other people who knew her late mother, she had to do something to it, she concluded.

She raised her hands and reached for the drawer above. Impatiently, she took few steps backward to look for something as her eyes ran through the contents of the drawer. Her eyes finally picked what she wanted. A scissors.

She took the scissors in her hands and sighed as she reached for her long hair.

"F*ck them all! Yes, f*ck you aunt Anna! F*ck you too Mrs. Williams!" She cursed as she started cutting her hair.