A Little Like Fate

DELIA

'Marry in the month of May, you will surely rue the day.' Those words rang in my head as I stared absentmindedly at the glorious standing golden spiraled mirror in front of me. Those were the words of my mother who was against the idea of me getting married at twenty-two. And I was pretty sure she wasn't going to attend the ceremony either. Why couldn't she just be happy with my decision?

My sisters, Eva and Kiki were beside me together with some of my friends. It was my wedding day and somehow, I didn't feel ecstatic about it. I mean, I was supposed to be the happiest girl on earth, this was all I ever wanted, but everything just didn't seem right. I was worried for a reason I couldn't place my fingers on.

The clicking sound of a camera tugged me out of my thoughts and a smile immediately formed on my lips. It was my day, I deserved to be happy and stop worrying about what is yet to come but rather, live in the present.

"I didn't know you could be so pretty..." My youngest sister, Kiki, gushed over me. She sounded more sarcastic when I thought about it for a second time. I looked into the mirror to get a clearer view of my face.

Was it really me? Or was I seeing the reflection of someone else? The makeup artiste, one of my girlfriends, had transformed my face to look more beautiful and she was still adding a few touches to my face.

"You look beautiful, girlfriend." One of my friends commented and my lips thinned into a small smile. I felt satisfied with my looks and hoped 'he' would be pleased too.

"Thank you." I appreciated with my sweetest tone ever.

While they were busy discussing how stunned my husband-to-be would be after seeing me in my white flowery gown, the door opened abruptly and we all turned to the intruder. The person turned out to be Devin, my groom's twin brother. He had quick a horrified look on his face as he stared at me.

"What is it, Devin?" I asked and stood up. Maybe he needed something? That came out more like a question. I wasn't so sure. He didn't say anything till I got to where he was standing. The girls were arranging the train of my ball gown but I cared less about that as my focus was on Devin.

"Talk to me, Devin." I tried my best to keep calm. All this was just in my head and I was letting it get the best of me.

"The car got spoilt on the way." He replied and it was as though a heavy load was boarded off my chest. I was finally able to breathe fine and shot the guy a glare for scaring me like that.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? You had me worried sick." I hit his shoulder a little before going back to my dressing table. I was about to sit down when he spoke again.

"There is one more thing." He spoke, throwing the once noise-filled room into dead silence. I halted in my position as I waited for him to speak.

There was something else he wasn't telling me. Maybe he was finding it difficult to say it. I waited, seconds went by like hours, I was losing my cool, and he still wasn't saying anything. My crystal blue eyes met with his lapis ones and he turned them away, his mouth quivering and his fists clenched.

I removed my shoes and walk briskly toward him.

"Where is he?" It came out more as a painful whisper. I didn't want to believe it too.

I grabbed his shirt collar and screamed, "Where is your brother?" My friends rushed to his aid and pulled me away from him. He still didn't look at me, he never did.

Water works like a river rushed down my blushed cheeks, my tears ruining the perfect makeup. He was gone and I knew it. But...

"Where is he, Devin? Talk to me!" I yelled and he sighed.

"Nobody knows. He suddenly disappeared after the car broke down and we think he had a hand in the breakdown of the car." Devin explained. My throat tightened, and my breathing hitched. A cold sensation ran down my spine. I didn't know what to think or do, so I ran out of the room, pushing Devin aside. I was going to find my husband, no matter how long it would take me. As I ran, I heard my friends and sisters screaming my name, probably chasing after me but I shut them out. I needed to find my husband. All wouldn't be well with me without him.

I received weird stares from people as I ran but what did I care? Bruce was more important than they ever will. I ran to his house and almost pulled down the gate with my abrasive knocking. The angry gatekeeper grumbled till he opened the gate but his anger disappeared when he saw me.

"Where is he?" I yelled as I barged in, holding my gown in order to walk freely. It was heavy and I was still wondering how I ran so fast in it. I didn't wait for him to reply before charging toward the house. I tried to open the door but to no avail. The sky was beginning to get cloudy and I felt it would rain very soon. I knocked with a heavy heart for what seemed like hours before I felt a hand pull me away from the door. It was Devin.

"Bruce..." I cried in Devin's arms. The rain had begun falling and was wetting our clothes as there was no shield in the front door.

"Please, bring him back." I dropped slowly to the ground, wailing as though someone had died.

"Stop it, Delia. He doesn't deserve your precious tears. He's an arsehole and that's all he'll ever be." Devin screamed under the rain. I was beginning to shiver due to the cold. I felt him lift me in bridal style; the style I had always wanted Bruce to carry me on our special day. His giant build moved slowly with my petite body in his arms and slowly, my mind drifted off into oblivion.

***

I woke up with a banging headache and a fever. As I recalled everything that had happened, I busted into fresh tears. I knew it would take time for my wounds to heal; I loved him, so very much. And yet, he did that to me. He left me on our wedding day, without notice or even a slight sign.

Maybe I saw the sign but chose to ignore it. He had been looking down just two days to the wedding and when I had asked, he said it was nothing but a small migraine. I believed him and went about the wedding plans.

He could have told me he didn't want to get married and I would have understood. That was what I was good at; understanding and caring for him no matter what he did. But what did I get repaid with? Getting abandoned on the D-day. Now, I had to live with the stigma of being renounced by my own husband on the supposed happiest day of our lives.

I looked down at my body and found myself in some comfortable clothes. Good! I would have burnt the gown if I had set my eyes on it.

I made my way out of bed and into my bathroom. I turned on the faucet, filled both palms with water, and splashed it on my face. I washed my face thoroughly to my satisfaction before looking in the mirror.

Was I never enough or was I too enough for him? What do men really want?

I sighed dejectedly. I had to be strong for my family. Crying wouldn't solve any of our issues. No matter how much I tried to tell myself everything happened for a reason, I broke into tears again after reaching my bed. I buried my face in my pillow and wailed to my satisfaction.

It hurt, it hurt like hell.

I laid up straight as I stared at the rotating ceiling fan. It felt as though my heart was being ripped apart, over and over again. The feeling was something I couldn't explain, something deep that pierced my soul and my spirit.

After what seemed like forever, I trudged out of my room and into the living room where I met my father with Devin. When they saw me, they paused whatever they were discussing. Probably the scardy cat.

I looked at Devin and he smiled a little. He reminded me a lot of Bruce. Of course, they were twins, though not so identical but they still shared some physical features, and I was afraid I would hate him too.

But what could I do? It was as though I was staring at my runaway husband and I felt more hurt every second I spent glancing at him.

DELIA

I signaled for them to continue their discussion while I went to the kitchen to grab a can of water. I met my mother preparing dinner. I caught a whiff of the food and that was when I realized how hungry I was but after everything that occurred between us, I couldn't ask her for food or anything at that.

I just walked to the fridge, opened it, snatched a can of water, and filled my stomach with its content. I exhaled and dumped the empty can. As I was about to leave the kitchen, I heard my mom speak.

"I warned you, didn't I?"

Seriously? That was what she had to say to me after the hugest disgrace of my life? Typical mom.

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at her but she didn't even glance at me, she was just so focused on whatever she was doing. I noticed her shoulders moving as she chopped some fresh vegetables. Her chocolate brown hair fell over her shoulder and her slender figure stood perfectly close to the open window. She was a beauty and I got all my features from her.

"You should at least feel sorry for me," I responded, pouting my lips.

"I warned you already but you didn't heed it. So, why should I feel sorry for you? Besides, you knew it wasn't going to be but you chose to ignore your instincts." She dumped what she was chopping and grabbed the dishcloth, cleaning her hands with it. She turned fully to me and I could see her diamond-shaped face. She rested her body against the counter and folded her hands.

"You wanted a marriage where the man gets to foot your family and personal bills. I, for one, think it's good he left. Your father and your sisters would have sucked him dry. What is he? A poverty eradicator?" She said bluntly. So blunt that I was overwhelmed by guilt. It was true we had lots of debts on our shoulders and we were all expecting Bruce to take care of them once we got married.

"You didn't think about what he wanted. Rather, you were adding more to problems when you were supposed to lessen them. And--"

"It's fine, mom. You don't have to point out all my mistakes. His leaving is already enough punishment." I said lowly, cutting her off. I was on the verge of tears and her talking would trigger them to pour down. I didn't have any knowledge about marriage and that was what she had been trying to tell me ever since but when I saw money, I cut her off completely.

"Sit down, you look like a hungry lion." She commanded and went back to what she was doing. I ambled to the dining room and took a seat. I stared at Devin and my father, they were still discussing. My father looked angry and Devin looked like he was trying to calm him down.

I sighed and bent my head against the table. I wondered why Devin was still there. He clearly had no reason since we were bound to cut ties because of what happened.

A whiff of waffles and chicken hit my nose and I began salivating. I raised my head and saw a covered plate on a tray right beside me with my mother by my side.

"Thank you." I pulled the tray to my front and began to eat. Even though I was very hungry, I didn't rush the food. Somehow, I didn't want to eat again but I just had to. My mother gave me the food without me asking for it and rejecting it at the last minute would make me look ungrateful.

I noticed Devin walk out of the house with both hands in his pockets and his head bent.

I wonder what he discussed with my father that made the ever cheerful Devin look so gloomy.

"I'll be back," I said to no one in particular and ran after him. He was resting against his car with his eyes closed. He reminded me so much of his brother and I hated that feeling.

"You good?" I asked and he opened his eyes. He shot me a charming smile and removed his hands from his pockets.

"Yeah," He ran his fingers through his hair, throwing his brown hair into a shabby state. He wasn't looking at me and surely didn't intend to until he left. Maybe he knew what his presence did to me.

"Where are you going now?" I asked, my eyes focused on him.

"Home. Maybe I'll find Bruce there and punch his stupidly handsome face and maybe kick his arse for leaving a wonderful woman like you." He said. We both shared a brief round of laughter before returning to the tense atmosphere.

"What are you going to do?" He asked. He was now looking intently at me. I never really thought about what next to do. Maybe go back to my old job, or get a new one, or travel with the little money I have, or...

"Never love again?" I wasn't so sure of what I was saying. Maybe that was the truth, maybe that was what I was going to do.

"Fair." He shook his head sideways. "But only for now. If you see someone, don't hesitate, okay?" He patted my shoulder and I nodded.

"Good." He breathed in some air as he checked his watch. "I'll be leaving now. I'll see you when next I'm visiting." He said, turning to the driver's door. I nodded and after staring at me for a while, he headed in and sped off. I watched his car until it disappeared from my sight.

~

Life without Bruce seemed harder than before. To my family, he was like a savior who dished out money like leaves on a tree, at our every beck and call. He made provisions for everything we needed; personally and family-wise. He was that light at the end of the tunnel but now, everywhere had gone dark; just like in the beginning.

Devin, on the other hand, helped in every way he could. He could have done more but I stopped him. I depended on someone once and I wasn't going to do that again. I wasn't ready to get broken all over. Picking up the pieces when Bruce left was painful, I got hurt over and over again and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to glue up myself if Devin was to get tired of me and abandon me too.

My mother and I took up multiple jobs just to keep the house running. My sisters and my dad did nothing to help. Rather, they stole from us; no matter where we hid the money and would use it for their unprofitable games. To an extent, my mother and I stopped taking money home. When they didn't see any, they would threaten to bring the entire place down but they were all they were; words.

My mother and I became best of friends. The crisis brought us closer, we were friendlier with each other, argued less, and worked more together. Our love for each other waxed stronger by the day and at the end of every day, we confided in each other. It was a relationship I had never had.

I woke up earlier that morning to the sound of our front door being banged hard. I turned angrily on my bed but I didn't get up. I had a tiring night at work trying to sell con.doms to late-night workers and one unreasonable person was at the door as early as 6 am, ranting like a mad dog.

When the rambling got louder, I rolled out of my bed with the sheets covering all parts of my cold body. I rampaged through the narrow hallway and into the living room where all the drama was happening. Everyone was present except my dad.

"What's going on here?" I screamed, ignoring the gigantic men that stood at the entrance. "I am trying to get some sleep and you all are disturbing me. Take your business outside and leave others out of it."

My sisters signaled for me to keep quiet but what did I care? I was entitled to privacy and wouldn't let anybody, not even my mom, breach that.

"They owe us money," Came a raspy voice from one of the men and he was referring to my sisters by the way he pointed at them. "Two thousand dollars and if we come here in the next month and it's not ready, we won't be ruining just your sleep." He spat in the living room and left.

"Eww..." Eve scrunched her face and ran to the dining area. The whole family gathered there and I was the last to reach. I looked critically at my sisters before releasing a depressed sigh.

"What were you thinking? Two thousand dollars? How, Eva, how?" My voice came out as cracked and broken. The pains were so bottled up.

"Here we are, trying to run the house with the little money we earn and you put us into debt? Why aren't you considerate? You keep running into debts when you don't even lift a finger to do anything. Why are you causing so much trouble?" My eyes were watery and trying to hold them would only break me.

"You know what? You will take care of it this time." I said firmly and began to walk away. They trailed behind me, begging me not to leave them alone but I paid no attention to them.

When I got to my room door, I entered inside and banged the door, not minding if any of them got hurt in the process. I rested my back against the door and slide down slowly and hopelessly, letting my packed-up tears fall freely unto the sheets.

Where was I going to get such an amount from?

DELIA

Waking up, the first thing that hit me was pain; pain in my head, pains all over my body, and the overall pain? The one in my heart. I couldn't fathom all that had happened yesterday. After finding out my sisters were in some kind of trouble, I lost one of my jobs because of how inconsistent I was. I was so deep in my overwhelming pool of thoughts that I forgot about a client's job; housekeeping and she fired me. No matter how hard I tried to explain, she wouldn't spare me a listening ear.

Such a hard woman. Well, she knew nothing about life and how people like us struggled to eat once a day. She probably grew up with a silver spoon, lots of castles, and dramatic ball gowns.

Speaking of being dramatic, a lady in a mini skirt scurried toward me and everyone in the shop could tell she was furious.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or she woke up on the right side but decided to put up the attitude.

She strode to the counter and slammed her hand on it. Good thing her perfectly fixed nails were still intact. She eyed me more times than necessary and I felt uncomfortable.

"Can I help you?" I asked calmly. Too bad I was the one on duty. My quiet day just got busy.

"No, you can't help me, bit*ch." She fired but I remained calm. Her action drew the attention of my colleagues and some customers.

"Sorry, sorry," I whispered and waved to them with smiles but turned to the lady with a scowl.

"Listen, ma'am, we don't use such words here. This is a mall and it's no private place, so please, mind your kind of language." I advised but the angry lady only scoffed and dropped her bag on the counter she was resting on.

"I get to decide what to use and what not to use. Besides, isn't the customer always right?" She smirked. Honestly, I found that ugly. I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

Here we go...

"Aren't you tired of reaping where you didn't sow?" She asked in a motherly tone with a soft expression. I just yawned and shook my head.

"I have no idea of whatsoever you are talking about, ma'am."

"You're a FUCKING LIAR!" She screamed. The other customers were beginning to talk amongst themselves. The lady needed to leave.

"Sorry, just a little misunderstanding," I said nervously and waved curtly.

"You need to leave, please. You must be mistaken me for someone else. I do not know you from anywhere, so, please," I placed my palms together. "Leave."

"You're the one that stole my boyfriend." She shrieked and I was almost forced to laugh. Good thing I didn't because that would have caused another scene.

"Which are you talking about?" I asked with my chin up and eyes that blinked rapidly.

"Oh, they're even more than one." She snickered sarcastically and almost immediately, a glare followed.

"You're the whore that seduced my boyfriend."

Okay, this lady is going too far and I am beyond angry. I stood up from my seat, walked from behind the counter, and stood in front of her.

"Call me a whore one more time and I will show you how one behaves." I threatened. My colleagues were now out fully and I could see pleading eyes, indirectly telling me to back away from the scene, but man, someone needed to put the bitch in her place.

"Instead of you to beg on your knees, instead, you're daring me. And what are you going to do about it, you dirty, slimy, who---" I didn't let her finish before settling a slap on her dolled-up face. She held her face in disbelief, probably thinking 'I didn't know she could do anything.'

I smirked at that and just when I was about to retreat, the boyfriend-obsessed witch jumped on my back and behind to scratch my hair with her nails. We ended up fighting each other with me landing severe blows to her body.

"What's this?!" The manager shouted and pulled me away from the lady.

"Delia!!" He yelled but who cared? I finally showed the bitch what I was made of. He crouched to her level and tended to her wounds. Almost immediately, the police came and some fingers from outside were pointing at me.

SHOOT!

I looked for a way to outrun them but the place was crowded and that would only cause more trouble. I stayed still till they approached us and cuffed me, dragging me away with them.

"You're fired." My manager yelled and there went my last job, the only reliable job I had. I saw a smirk on the bitch's face and I wished I had punctured her nose and her teeth. That would have made my day more bearable. I was taken to their car and they zoomed off.

"Such a beautiful girl." The driver looked at me from the rear mirror and shook his head. If only he knew it was the beautiful face he was complimenting that got me in trouble.

"You should consider joining the force. We could use a lady like you on our team to beat up ladies that resist the law." And like before, I stayed quiet and let them talk. My problems were way bigger than what they were saying so I paid no heed.

*****

I heard the iron doors clanking and opening and I assumed someone was about to be let loose.

"Katl Delia, you're free to go." The warden announced and I got up and walked out of the cell.

"Don't get in trouble again, miss." He advised behind me but I only walked out.

I met my mom standing with an officer with a jacket in her hand; my jacket. It was evening already and she assumed I would be needing one.

Thoughtful.

"Try not to beat up anybody." The officer from earlier that complimented my looks advised.

I turned to him with a fake smile. "I can't promise you anything." I snatched the jacket from my mother on my way out and put it on. It was indeed cold.

"No greeting? No thank you? No explanation?" She nagged and I only sighed. I suddenly stopped and she bumped into me.

"Good evening, mom, and thank you for the jacket and for getting me out of there. As for an explanation, I lost my job because some slut accused me of stealing her boyfriend whom I clearly know nothing about." I said and continued walking. She trailed behind me.

"You should learn to control your anger. You've lost so much because of that already and you will continue to lose more important things if you don't start now." My mother said and I scoffed. She doesn't even how I feel.

"Why, mom? Why must I let go? She trampled on me in front of everyone, insulted my personality, and you expect me to let her go scot-free? You don't even understand how I feel about this and this is what you say to me? Way to go, 'mom'." I clapped my hands, emphasizing on the MOM. Our talk reminded me of my wedding day and how heartless she could be sometimes.

"Honey," She called out and I stopped and turned to her.

"The world," She spread her hands. "This world doesn't care about how you feel. It's high time you knew that. No matter how good you think you are and that you don't deserve shit, it will keep dishing it out to you mercilessly. You just have to keep your head down and go with the flow. If you don't have money, most people will continue treating you like trash and you will keep getting into trouble." She spoke and I felt my entire being lost in her words. I've been stupid the whole time, expecting everyone to understand me when in fact, I didn't understand the system of the world.

"It's a cycle, Delia. The rich keep oppressing the poor while the poor try to get rich so they can oppress others. Only a few will lend a helping hand. Don't grow up to be that kind of person that would want to treat others badly just because the world hasn't been fair to you. Okay?" She patted my shoulder, jingling me back to reality.

Instead of replying, a tear fell off, and soon, I was in my mother's arms, crying like a baby.

"It's fine." She stroked my hair slowly and rubbed circles on my back.

"You don't have to feel bad for where you are right now or for what has happened in the past, you have to live on and try to be a better version of yourself, yeah?" She pulled away from me and looked me in the face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." I nodded with a relieved smile.