Disia-siakan Keluarga, Diratukan Ibu Mertua

“It was already past six in the evening when my mother arrived at the front gate of the house, shouting.

“Aurora, Aurora!” I showed up as quickly as I could, she was carrying several bags in her hands. “Hurry up, you stupid girl, can't you see it's heavy?”

My mother had a terrible look on her face, as always. Sandro must have done or said something she didn't like, and surely, in the end, she would take out all her frustration on me.

“These are the groceries for the month, put everything in its proper place. You know Sandro hates mess, and one more thing! Don't take anything without permission. When you're hungry, tell me and I'll set something aside for you.”

“Wow, I can't get something to eat by myself in my own house?”

“Shut up, girl, or I'll break your teeth because of your little jokes. You know not a single cent of this belongs to you. You don't help with anything in this house.”

“I want to work, but I end up having to take care of Alice for you.”

Suddenly, I felt a slap right across my face. My mother's claws were already out.

“Not you, MA'AM! Do you think you're talking to your little friends from the street? I'm tired of your disrespect. I'm your mother. If you want to live in this house, you'll have to learn how to treat your elders and tuck that tail between your legs.”

“And where would I go?” I said through tears. It was already the second slap in the face I had received that week. “You're all I have in this world, and even so, it's as if I had no one. Ever since you got together with Sandro, you only mistreat me, and worst of all, you let him do the same!”

It had been four years since my father died. A year later, my mother got a new boyfriend. Two months later, they were already living together because she had gotten pregnant with Alice, my sister, the one I take care of so they can work outside. After we moved into his house, he never liked me again. He never spoke to me, except when he wanted to complain about something missing from the fridge or give me orders to tidy things when something was out of place. My mother is blind when it comes to him, both out of love and jealousy. I think that's why she treats me this way.

Actually, I don't think—I'm sure of it. So much so that, on his days off, she makes me stay out of the house all day, and I can only come back when she returns from work.

“Don't like it? If he's the one who puts everything in this house, you should be on your knees every day at his feet thanking him. Now stop this little show, or I'll lose the little patience I still have with you. Give Alice a bath now, because we're going out.”

“Where are we going?”

“Not you, just us. Did you forget the house is a mess? Take advantage that we won't be here and scrub the floor!” It was always like this. They went out the day before Sandro's day off, never took me, and as a bonus, made me their Cinderella. “Don't forget that tomorrow is your day to leave. Sandro will stay with Alice, and you can enjoy your day.”

She said I could enjoy my day, but in truth, she didn't want me alone in the house with him. Instead of being afraid he would do something to me, she was afraid I would try something with him. My mother didn't understand that, in reality, I felt disgust. I couldn't stand him, with that disgusting face watching me from the corners of the house.

The good side was that I made a little money. Since Sandro and my mom stayed out all day, I took advantage of it and made hair bows for children during the week. On his day off, which was Friday, I sold them. I passed in front of daycare centers, schools, and maternity wards. With the money I earned, I bought more materials and saved the profit. I didn't spend a single cent. I'm saving it for when I have enough to leave here. Of course, they don't know about it, otherwise they would have already taken all the money from me.

Once, on a Friday when I was leaving the house, I don't know what came over my mother, but she gave me one hundred reais. She told me to buy something I liked. That was back in the beginning, when she was still pregnant. So I thought to myself: either I spend this money on something useless and it's gone, or I invest it and make it grow. That's what I did. I bought some ribbons, hot glue, pearls, and started making bows, all with the help of internet tutorials. I hid all the materials well. On the days I went out, I put everything in a backpack and sold it. Thanks to that, I already have 1,800 reais saved. I'm just waiting to turn eighteen so I can leave here. I want to move to another city, get a job, rent a small apartment, take the college entrance exam, and go to university. I know making this dream come true will be difficult, but I don't see any other choice except to take the risk. If I stay in this house, I'll never be able to go to college or get a paid job, since, in Sandro and my mother's minds, my work here is already paid for with shelter and limited food.

It was already night when everyone left. I quickly packed my things to sell into my backpack and put my money inside it as well. It was dangerous to be robbed on the street, but I was more afraid of being robbed at home, because I suspected that when I left, my mother went through my things. After everything was ready, I called Isadora, the only friend I had.

“Hi, Isa, how are the preparations for the trip?” Isadora is moving to another state. She will live with her aunt since she got a scholarship at one of the best medical universities in the country.

We met in elementary school, and since then we became best friends. Our plan was to go to college together, but last year, when I finished high school, my mother didn't let me take the entrance exam because she said I had to take care of my sister. She said paying a babysitter would be a waste of money since she already had an idle daughter at home. I was very sad—devastated, to be honest—because I knew I also had the ability to earn a scholarship.

I've always been very dedicated, I got high grades. Ever since my father died, my goal was to study, become a doctor, and give my mother a better future. But then Sandro came, and she completely changed her attitude toward me. All the love and affection she had for me turned into insults, aggression, and disrespect, all because of a sick jealousy she never admitted directly, but that I could see in every hostile action toward me.

“Everything's ready, my suitcase is packed. I'm leaving tomorrow at 4 p.m. You're coming to say goodbye, right?”

“Of course. Did you forget tomorrow is my day off?” I said sarcastically.

“I'm so sad we won't be together anymore. I really wanted us to stay united in college.”

“Don't even say that, my heart is already broken. But I'm happy for you. You'll be an amazing cardiologist.”

“I feel so sorry for you, my friend. I hope that when you turn eighteen, you won't stay there one more day.”

“And I won't. Only two months left. And what are two months compared to all these years I've been through?”

“Where are you going?”

“I have no idea yet, but I plan to go to a city far away. I don't know how things will be, but the way things are here, anywhere will be better than this.”