Chapter 2 - Begging Her

Mrs. Gina Adams woke up in her bedroom. It was the room she had occupied before being sent to the boys' quarters two months after her marriage to the late Mr. Leo Adams. She stretched and looked at the wall clock; it was after 7:00 a.m.

Mrs. Gina sat up, feeling like the madam of the house again. "Hmm...how time flies," she murmured. She swung her legs down, adjusted her nightgown, and stood up.  

At thirty-nine years old, Mrs. Gina walked out of her room and downstairs. It was the first day back at school, and her daughter, Mia Adams, would be leaving soon.  

Mrs. Gina paused in the living room, noticing it had already been cleaned. She smiled in satisfaction.

Just then, Olima Adams, a cute seventeen-year-old girl, stepped out of the kitchen behind Mrs. Gina. "Good morning, Mother," Olima greeted.

Mrs. Gina's blood boiled at the word "Mother." Without warning, she turned to Olima, who was dressed in a pink nightgown, rushed at her, grabbed her shoulders, and slapped her hard.

[SLAP!]

"How many times have I warned you never to call me Mother? Do I resemble your stupid late mother?" Mrs. Gina raged. Olima cried aloud and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ma."

"Shut up! Keep your stupid sorry to yourself. Have you prepared breakfast yet?" Mrs. Gina demanded. Olima shuddered. "Yes, Ma."

"Hmm." Mrs. Gina glared at Olima, then stared at her palms. She sniffed them before going to the kitchen to wash off Olima's scent. Olima's brown eyes welled up with tears.

Mia, dressed in her blue school uniform, came downstairs. At fourteen, she was in her first year of senior class and knew her mother hated Olima. 

Mia hated Olima too, though she never showed it. Mia, a dark-skinned beauty, resembled their late father, while Olima was the image of her late mother, Mrs. Zoe Adams.

Mia resented that her father had never acknowledged her mother and had always favored Olima and Mrs. Zoe. 

Furthermore, Mia attended day school, while Olima, the apple of her father's eye, had been in boarding school. Mia frowned as she walked to the dining table.

After Mr. Leo and Mrs. Zoe's deaths, Mia's mother had dismissed the maid, claiming they couldn't afford her salary. 

She had turned Olima into their maid, forcing her to withdraw from her tutoring classes. Her mother had even torn up Olima's university application, declaring Olima would be their maid for life.

Mia looked away from Olima, remembering how Olima had enjoyed their parents' wealth while she and her mother lived in the boys' quarters.  

Olima sobbed from the slap. Mrs. Gina emerged from the kitchen, having washed off Olima's fruity, apple-like scent. "What are you standing there for?! Have you prepared breakfast, or do you want my precious daughter to be late for school?"

Olima shivered. "I have prepared her noodles, Ma."

"Then serve them. Do you plan on starving my daughter? Do you want her to be late for school?" Mrs. Gina pressed.

"No, Ma," Olima replied.

"Then get into the kitchen and serve her breakfast quickly. It's almost 7:30 a.m."

"Okay, Ma," Olima said, returning to the kitchen. Mrs. Gina glared after her, hating Olima for resembling her late mother and reminding her of her guilt in the couple's deaths.

"Mom...it's okay," Mia said with a smile. Mrs. Gina groaned, noting that Mia resembled her father.

Mrs. Gina sighed and sat at the golden dining table, remembering how her late husband used to sit across from her, feeding Mrs. Zoe. Irritation twisted her face.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Mia asked, sitting across from her.

"Nothing, my dear. What's taking Olima so long? Does she want me to storm into the kitchen?"

Olima hurried out with a tray holding a small plate of noodles topped with fried eggs. The aroma made Mia smile as she took the tray.  

Mia didn't know how to cook; Mrs. Gina had forced Olima to learn after taking over the house.

"Get out! What are you staring at?" Mrs. Gina snapped at Olima, who shuddered and moved away.

Olima knew her stepmother's hatred had tripled since her parents' deaths, increasing her guilt. 

She wished they hadn't driven her to her graduation ceremony, where she had excelled in the science department. Now, her stepmother refused to let her continue her education, claiming they had no money, while Mia was returning to school. 

Mia was in her second term, while Olima remained at home.  

Olima paused at the kitchen door, wanting to ask her stepmother about taking the university entrance exam and applying to a government institution.

Olima returned to the dining room as Mia ate.  

"Ma..." Olima began hesitantly.

Mrs. Gina turned and glared. "What do you want? I thought I told you to leave." She pushed back her chair and stood up while Mia ate silently.

In a shaky voice, Olima said, "Ma...it's about my university entrance examination, that I..."

"And I told you you're not going to any stupid college, Olima! Don't you understand simple English? How did you graduate as the best in your class if you can't understand simple English at home? Get out of my sight!" Mrs. Gina roared. Olima ran away.