CHAPTER: 3

I heard the doorbell ring twice while I was watering the flowers in our backyard. I am not expecting any visitors because I don’t have visitors. That is why I am wondering who it is. I put the hose down and closed the faucet to check who was the doorbell. 

“Yes?” I asked the pregnant woman standing in front of me

“Is Fernando there?” She asked with a shy voice

“I need to talk to him”, She added while she was touching her belly.

I know that she is Belinda, and she is pregnant, and my dad is the father, and she is the reason why my mom and dad are always fighting. I look at her, and I look at her belly. I guess the baby is already in the sixth month, and I feel excited about the baby. Finally, I will have a sibling. I let her in and told her that daddy was inside, waiting for her while looking at her. I know that she is also suffering from being another woman in a secret relationship, no matter how much you love someone. Still, you will be kept as secret as possible because the man you love and impregnate you is already married. I can feel her, and I know I need to end her suffering because that is my duty. 

“Is your mom there?” She suddenly asked just to make sure that mama was not home.

“No”, I lied to her, and she suddenly hugged me, which surprised me.

“I don’t know if you are mad at me, but I miss you,” She said while hugging me.

“The last time I saw you was when you were fifteen years old, three days after your birthday”, She added.

I remember her giving me things that I don’t like, such as bags, make-ups and strong perfumes, maybe to impress me or get my attention. Hoping that someday I would like her, but she never buys me by giving me that stuff. Of course, she is the reason why our perfect family fell apart; she is why mama became an alcoholic, she’s the reason dad cheated, and I hate her for breaking our family. We went inside the house, and I secretly locked the door so that she could not get out quickly. 

“Have a seat”, I offered her with a smile.

“Thanks,” She said and sat on the couch.

“I will call dad. He is in the kitchen having his coffee,” I lied.

“Okay, thank you,” She said.

I left her waiting in the living room, and I went to the kitchen. I went to daddy and told him that his mistress was here, and she was pregnant. As usual, mom heard it, and she got mad again. I hush her because I don't want Belinda to hear her. 

“Are you okay there, Helena?” She asked; maybe she is wondering what took me so long.

“Yes, I am”, I answered, and I hurriedly went to the kitchen drawer to get the knife I would use on her.

“Helena,” She called in, shocked. Standing now behind me.

“What happens to them?” She asked while staring at my parents

“Are you not happy that they are quiet now?” I asked her, but she didn’t answer

“Are you not happy that they are together now?” I asked again while looking at her, but she didn’t answer.

“Are they dead?” She asked while still staring at my parents.

“Not really, I just surrender their pains and sufferings to the Lord,” I answered. She looks at me holding the knife, and I can see the fear in her eyes now.

“What are you going to do with that knife?” She asked in fear, but I didn’t answer. I am sensing her fear, her fear with me that ignited me and pushed me to do my mission. 

“You are scaring me, Helena,” She said, but I couldn’t hear her because all I could hear was the song “give thanks” playing in my head. Hypnotizing me. I am repeatedly singing while holding the knife and staring at her blankly.

“PUT THAT KNIFE DOWN! HELENA!” She commanded, becoming authoritative now. 

Instead of putting the knife down, I walk near her with the Christian song in my head. At the same time, she’s gently walking away from me. I know she will run. That is why I locked the door so that she could not open it. 

“That is a bad joke, Helena, put it down please, I am pregnant”, And now she’s begging, and she suddenly runs when she feels that there’s no way that I will put the knife down. I ran after her with a knife in my hand. I grab her before she reaches the door and stabs her, but she’s quick. She kicks me even though her waist is already bleeding. She tried to run, but I grabbed her again on her hair before I 

Stab her again. She pushes me away from her, and she runs to the door. 

“Echo, quick!” I shouted, commanding Echo to block her. 

“Who is Echo?” She asked and froze when she saw Echo standing in front of her.

It is my chance now. I grab her and stab her many times with the kitchen knife that I am holding while singing the song. Each stab I made relieved me, and I know it relieved her because her pain will end now. After stabbing her repeatedly, I say my thank you prayer to God for giving me the strength to do my mission, and I also thanked Echo because without him. I will never do this perfectly. We cleaned all the blood on the floor, the knife that I used. I washed it and put it back inside the kitchen drawer. We cleaned as nothing happened. I dragged her into the dining area. I let her sit in between mama and daddy. I wipe the blood on her body and comb her hair to make her look beautiful.

“How good to see you in peace,” I said with a smile to them.

“What did you do?” Dad asked me

“Aren’t you happy?” I asked back while giving him a sharp look.

“She’s pregnant,” He said

“I know, but that child is made of sin, so I need to surrender it to the Lord,” I said while continuously fixing Belinda.

“You are evil, Helena”, Belinda cried.

“Don’t say that,” I told her.

“I am God’s angel, and I washed away all your sins...you should be thankful”, I added.

“I don’t want to hear any fights from you guys. Please let me live in peace,” I told them before leaving the dining area. I left them in the dining area and double-checked everything. I made sure that there was no evidence to find. Because people in the physical world wouldn’t understand my mission, they will judge me if they know about it because they will not believe in me that I am God’s angel, and he sends me to this world to do a mission. They will just think that I am crazy. So I need to be careful, not just for me but for Echo too.

“Who is the woman that you’ll just surrender?” ‘ Echo asked while looking at Belinda.

“She’s dad’s mistress”, I answered.

“Oh, that is why she has a heavy heart and a negative energy,” He said. “But I guess she is more than a mistress,'' he added. 

“Soon, you will know all about her,” He said while facing me, but I didn’t mind him.

I didn’t know what he was saying, but all I knew was that I felt relief because of what I had done to Belinda. Another mission was accomplished, and I know there is more to go. I went to the dining room; I opened the fridge and took the box of pizza out. I put it inside the microwave and heat it for one minute, and sit beside Belinda with my one leg up. I looked at the three of them and invited Echo to have a pizza with me, but he ignored me; maybe he was still full, and I looked at them again and saw Belinda crying.

“Honey, why are you crying?” I asked Belinda to take a slice of pizza-flavored pepperoni and cheese and bite on it.

“Don't you wish to be here?” I asked her, but she didn’t answer. She just keeps on crying.

“You should be happy because you are here with daddy,” I told her, but she was still crying.

“Please, let us go, Helena”, Mama begged. I looked at mama and said nothing, and I looked back to Belinda again.

“Forgive us for all the things that we’ve done to you”, She added, but I didn’t mind her.

“Look at the couples that you ruined, Honey,” I told her, but she didn’t mind me as if she didn’t hear me. She just keeps on crying. 

“Look at the family that you ruined”, I added while staring at her, but she just kept on crying. 

“You know what?” I asked and tried to bite my pizza again. Licking the sauce in my mouth.

“My mom became an alcoholic when she found out about you and daddy. She was totally in pain, lost herself, and she even lost me,” I started while chewing the pizza and swallowing it.

“Every day and every night, she’s drinking to kill the pain of betrayal because of the two of you caused. She became hot-headed. She loses her glow because her husband cheated on her with a woman she once treated as a friend. She confronted you, begged you to stay away from the man that she loves so much but instead of listening, you continue your bull**** with him,” I added while looking at daddy too.

“And now you are pregnant; what kind of woman are you?” I asked Belinda, but she said nothing but cried.

“Helena, please don’t start”, Dad begged. I looked at him.

“You started all of this, and then you want me to stop?” I asked him while giving him a sharp look.

“My God, dad, you are weird”, I added and looked back to Belinda and bit on my pizza again. She is still crying, and she can’t even look at me. 

“It is too late for that, honey; your tears won’t do a thing now,” I told her while finishing the last slice of pizza.

“I remember when my dad slapped me because of you,” I said, recalling everything.

“I’m trying to remember what happened, but I can’t remember why daddy slapped me, but I remember how to hurt it is. The pain is still here tattooed in my heart,” I told her while facing her.

“Helena, please stop!” Daddy raised a voice on me that made me angry.

“How dare you raise your voice at me?!” I furiously asked him and went closer to him. 

“Just stop,” He said without looking at me. I looked at mama and looked back at daddy. 

“This is all your fault and you're bi***-” But before I finish what I want to say, he interrupts. 

“Shut up! Helena!” He shouted, and I suddenly remembered how he shouted at me and slapped my face the same way he shouted at me. Now that makes me furious. 

“How dare you?!” I furiously asked and slapped his face

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” I screamed at him, slapped his face too, grabbed the fork I left on the table, and stabbed him many times. And I don’t care where I stab him because I am mad. I  AM MAD AT HIM. 

“You ruined your family! You ruined our family!” I shouted while mama was silently crying, watching me getting furious. I looked at Belinda, and she was crying too.

“I will never forgive you!” I screamed and continued stabbing him with the fork that I was holding.

“Stop,” Echo said, and he held my hand to stop me. He takes the fork that I am holding, puts it down on the table, and hugs me to calm me down.

“I am mad at him,” I said with a shaky voice while pointing at daddy. Trying not to cry because he didn’t deserve any tears from me.

“I know, but he is still your father”, He reminds me while still hugging me.

“I am mad at him,” I said again.

“It is already done. What’s supposed not to happen has already happened, and we have nothing to do about it. The important thing is. It is over,” Echo said in a very calm voice.

“How about me? when will my pain be over?” I asked him, still holding back my tears.

“Soon. It will be over soon. You still need to know a lot of things. When the time comes, you will know what you need to know, and every pain you feel will be over,” He said in a sweet, calm voice. He looked at me and said:

“What matters now is you’re God’s chosen ones to help him end the sufferings of the people like your mom and dad and Belinda.” 

I understand what he is saying, and I listen to him quietly when my head suddenly aches because of what happened. I pushed him a Without a word, I drank a glass of water and went upstairs. I left him in the dining room. He didn’t stop me. He didn’t say a word because he knew I was tired of what happened and needed rest.