Chapter 3 SUCH IS LIFE

I was 13 when my mum died, and subsequently. it was my turn to experience pain and abuse. The best days of my father, you caught him smiling was when he had taken his salary but by the end of the day, that smile quickly turned to rage and violence because he had spent it all on liquor and whatsoever he was doing. I regretted that day because I deliberately stayed late at school. My mind was troubled by the fact that it was his payday and the terror I will suffer along with my mom when I got home giving me Goosebumps shivering down my spine. My heart hammered in fear when I looked at the school doors. I had no friends, aunts to share my problem with. My mother assumed he was cheating, and she tried to find evidence to file for divorce, but my father somehow knew what my mother was going to do. It was easy. He was a cop with connections. I was the bone of contention. My mother wanted to take me along with her. She never wanted another woman to treat me like a slave and knowing my father's behavior. She had to find evidence that said the family lawyer to my mom to have guardianship of her son.

That day as usual the glowing sunset began to sink into nights. I rolled out my favorite bicycle due to the fact I love cycling and my bullies came. He was the bully in my class.

“That’s a nice bicycle you got there! I think I'll borrow it since the last one I took broke, hope you don't mind right! Haha! A boy dressed in a School blazer and black pants accompanied by three boys. The bully is taller and his hair Blondie. Eji sees them in the distance and tries to run.

Trevor pummeled one fist in the other and rush towards Eji with his arm ready to swing into a big push. Eji immediately ducks down and tried to tackle him.

Eji pushed with all his might trying to force Trevor back. Suddenly, Eji felt his body being lifted into the air. The air rush past him as he felt the ground rapidly approaching.'' Ugh!'' Eji felt the air leaving his lungs as the world turned back. Trevor walks over to the bicycle.''Damn, that was the third circle I have lost. I shouldn't have brought it.

'' Eji clenched his fist in anger. He picks sand from the ground and spreads it into the air aiming for their eyes. It works, he got up and kick Trevor off his bicycle. However, the two boys held him. They rammed punches at him, and Trevor speaks.

“You should have known better than to mess with me. Take him. I was planning to use it on someone, but I have the perfect idea of whom I should test it with.

“Trevor and his bullies took me into an abandoned sports room. The sports rooms were small and a place for keeping old stuff. They broke lots of bottles ensuring the sharp edges are scattered across the floor. They dragged and rammed me to the ground. When I thought that was the worst thing that could happen. Trevor opens the door holding a bucket. He smiles mischievously at me before pouring little creatures at me. When I look. It is soldier’s ants and spiders. The bites are painful. I don't know how he got them, but they were much. I tried killing the ants. Anytime I move the bottle injured thrusting into my skin. They locked the door and walked out of school. It was the last place anyone would think of looking for me. I felt uneasy as my mind could feel the pain my mother has gone through. I felt pain and tears rolled down my cheeks feeling the despair of helplessness.

The next day, a student found me, and I got home around ten in the morning. My eyes widened, and my heart pounded when I saw an ambulance carry my mother to the hospital. A month later. I heard the announcement of her death. The cops said she was poison however the case was closed rather too quickly claiming it was a heart attack.

I never bought that story. My father's best friend, a forensic doctor in the police department I was suspicious of, however no basic evidence to point anything and what can a child do. Shortly after the funeral of my mum, my dad brought a fornicator of a mistress to the house. My thoughts and words were invalid. My eyes wide open when I saw the wedding photos of this woman brandish the house. When was this marriage conducted, I had no clue or knowledge of wedding plans or arrangements? My mother's photos were removed and burned to ash by her, and the only memento of her I had left from her was a book she used in writing her thoughts out in the form of novels. Writing and drawing was the only window of escape to bring to life her imagination about the world.

She would draw characters and write stories about them. Sometimes fantasy scenes then write out a lot of adventurous plots until the scene she started to draw, and words she wrote were about the unfair treatment of her husband and surprisingly her brothers. I fell in love with writing and drawing and my dream was to become a webtoon artist and a novelist. Her book was the only treasure I had that made me happy.

I could draw a scene of happy thoughts of how I imagine life to be for me in the future. My mother's book became a window to escape from a harsh family distraught especially since my stepmother had joined the violence. By evening my stepmother hated and dealt with me. Beating, hunger, I couldn't run because the cops will find me and bring me home. She pretends to be good, but she was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I had to survive days without food. I became so used to the violence that I had unconsciously created a defensive pose around me when bullied in school. By day Trevor the ripper because of his huge ripping muscles. The son of a wealthy family, leader of delinquents in my school will bully me and my nickname was called the scum of the class and that was the name the whole school called me. No one wanted to associate with me. The fearful scum of the class however something happened.

I was 15 years old in middle school when something drastic changed, I found out a certain truth. My stepmom came back from work drunk like always.

"Why are you still alive? You and your mother are responsible for my childlessness."She poured out her frustration on me, and she tried to tear off my mother's novel book. I dragged with her, and she brandished my head with a bottle. Suddenly a letter fell off from that book. I had never noticed it. A letter from my mum was secretly hidden. I open it and it says".

"Dear son, if you are reading these letters, that means I am dead. You have to know the truth about that night your dad and I fought. Your grandmother, my mother was a woman born of wealth and a bloodline of royalty. She had many kids for many men due to her lavish lifestyle, and she was beautiful, with blonde hair, ocean eyes, and fair skin like mine.

I was the last child and her favorite. She was a generous woman who spent her money on her relatives and family. Soon she was struck down with cancer and all those that ate from her table like dogs abandoned her in the hospital. I took care of her a while in the hospital, and then she died. My stepbrothers and sister hated me because I was her favorite and tried to marry me off to a nobleman who had four wives.

But I refused, in those times of distraught, your father came into my life with promises of better pastures. He was a friend to one of my brothers Boston who showed concerns about my welfare unbeknownst to me that they were fraud like a politician he was. I married your father, and he was never around to support me even when he knew I was in labor with you. He told me not to speak about it because he was working for his family as an officer of the law. I started investigating his whereabouts with a private investigator.

I found out a shocking truth. Your father was married to a woman long before I married him in other words I was the mistress. He married me because my brothers learned that my mother had willed all her wealth to me and my son on the conditions that I must be married and if possible, a son to reclaim those vast lands and wealth. The family lawyer had conspired to steal what belongs to me and then slowly poison my food.

I was hospitalized in your fathers' friend's hospital, Mike, and pretended to treat me for a disease they called post-stress disorder as if I was mentally deranged; however, I am slowly being killed to death. I am weak, and so I write this to let you know in secrecy and as a matter of urgency. Such is life. Live son,

no matter what, you must live. I am so sorry I won't be alive to walk you down the marriage hall holding that beautiful lady. Like telenovela movies, I had a dream to see my children in marriage gowns. I have hidden some large truck of money and a list of names of those relatives in a safe box. Just know then in case they approach you, you must never stay close or befriend them. Just run away, I feared they might want to hurt you to conceal the truth. Always remember I will always love you son. Mummy Valentina. This truth I found out was so shocking. I froze dumbfounded; my heart became cold as ice.

I never felt this amount of rage before, my mind rage with murder and revenge. I approached my stepmother in anger speaking of the matter and she said to me.

"Oh you found out, oh poor child, how does it feel, your wealth and love one taking from you, that's how I felt when your mother took my man from me, that's why I had to create a scenario to kill her and take all she had from her. I know that feeling all too well. So what are you going to do about it? No one will ever believe you with that letter of yours “she mocked me and laughed while playing with her phone. I was confused, I have had enough.”

I made up my mind. I decided that I was going to kill her." So I flash a knife in front of her.