2. Assault

Amber Brown

"DROP THAT! IT'S NOT YOURS!" His scream was shrill and terrified. I immediately twisted my body to see what was happening, and the scene was utterly terrifying.

Three huge men were rummaging through our suitcases, and my mother was futilely trying to pull her vanity case where I knew her most expensive jewelry was kept. On impulse, I tried to help her, only to feel a powerful slap on my face that made me completely lose my balance. I felt dizzy, couldn't hear anything anymore, my head was spinning. I couldn't see much after that, just felt my head spinning forcefully. I kept hearing my mother's screams, the men's shouts; it was all a blur, impossible to understand what they were saying. After a few minutes, which I wouldn't know how to estimate, I felt my consciousness slowly returning. Then, I finally managed to get up from the ground, and what I saw after that left me completely devastated. Mom was lying on the ground, in tears, holding tightly onto something I couldn't see what it was, and none, absolutely none of our suitcases were there. All our clothes, our personal belongings, our branded clothes, perfumes, handbags, jewelry, shoes, we had absolutely nothing left.

They took everything from us!

My breathing began to quicken, and I felt desperation gnawing deeply at me. It wasn't just a matter of the most intimate items; it was a matter of survival. Selling one of those empty suitcases alone would sustain us for months if we were frugal and lived only with the essentials. Two of those suitcases would provide us with some comfort and a few outings still. Adding the jewelry we had in our possession, we still had a small fortune that would sustain us for a few years without many luxuries. It wasn't possible that absolutely everything we had to save ourselves from the disaster we were in had been taken in a matter of seconds. Seconds!

I looked around the neighborhood and saw numerous open windows. Many people were looking at us, but none of them deigned to help us. When they noticed that I had caught them, some closed the windows, while others continued to stare at us. I felt completely humiliated to be in that position. I wasn't the person lying on the ground; I was the one who threw others to the ground. That's always how it had been, but now I was here, abandoned like a beggar in the street. I got up quickly, took my mother in my arms, and helped her up. As soon as I did that, we ran inside the house to avoid more curious stares.

After we entered, I immediately locked the door, laughing at my stupidity. They had already taken everything from us; what more could they take? I took a deep breath, trying to understand the extent of the disaster that had befallen us. I had hopes, and all of them were in those cursed suitcases. I had nothing left now. I turned to look at the living room. Fortunately, there was a sofa. We wouldn't have to sit on the floor, but that was all. My mother sat on it, crying. I didn't know what to do.

I looked around to try to orient myself and saw the kitchen nearby. There were the basics: refrigerator, stove, and microwave. I went over there and found some old dishes and silverware. I felt disgusted by them.

I looked at a door nearby and realized it was a powder room. It was so ugly that it filled me with even more sadness. I left it and went to another door in the living room. There was a garden at the back. Then, I saw a door under the stairs and noticed it was the compartment for an old washing machine. I immediately thought that there was no clothes to wash there. I almost cried realizing that.

I clenched my fists tightly, trying to keep my despair contained. I couldn't lose my head now. I needed to think of some solution. I highly doubt that Mom will help me with anything. She'll probably just cry and cry and cry and tell me to get a job.

I climbed the old wooden stairs and saw two bedrooms above. I entered the first one and noticed it had a double bed, a desk, a small closet, and a bathroom. I headed to the second door, thanking the heavens that there was another bathroom in it. At least I wouldn't have to share the same one with Mom.

Of the lesser evils, this room was the same size as the previous one and contained the same furniture. Well, at least we wouldn't sleep on the floor. I returned to the living room and saw Mom caressing something in her hand. I went to her to see what she had managed to save.

"Thank God!" I exclaimed when I saw she had one of her diamond-studded rings there. "We can pawn it; it will help us for some time. We have nothing of value left: all the bags, clothes, suitcases, and jewelry are gone. Thank goodness you managed to save something," I said, feeling slightly relieved; even my breathing became lighter at that moment.

"We're not going to sell it," Mom exclaimed, closing her hands in a gesture to protect the ring. "It's my favorite piece of jewelry. Haven't I already lost absolutely everything I had? I won't lose this too," she finished, leaving me incredulous and dumbfounded with her statement.

"But Mom! I don't know if you looked around," I said as I walked around that ridiculously tiny room, "but we have nothing left. The only thing of value we have is this blessed ring, and if we don't sell it, we won't even have anything to eat today."

"You can get a job to support us," she said, already getting up and heading towards the stairs, "but I won't sell the ring." My eyes widened as I saw that she wouldn't lift a finger for the two of us.

"I can get a job, Mom, and I will, but until then, we'll need money," I tried to argue, to put some sense into her head.

"You have some dollars in your wallet, they didn't take it, did they? I have three hundred dollars in my shoe. As a precaution, I kept it here. It will be enough for the first purchases until you start working. You can use this money, but I won't sell the jewelry," she said, then bending down to pick up the money hidden in her shoe and throwing it on the sofa before giving orders. "Go to the market and buy food for the month. When you come back, we'll go to some cheap store to buy some cheap clothes. At least something for you to wear while looking for a job."

I nodded, feeling defeated. We have four hundred and twenty dollars. I had no idea how that would be enough to buy everything she said we needed, and I didn't even know how to buy groceries. What did I need to buy? I had never gone shopping, never even stepped into a supermarket in my life. How would I do this? It wasn't possible for her to throw all the responsibility onto my shoulders. We were both in the same boat.

I climbed the stairs towards the first room. I noticed she wasn't there, so I headed towards the second. Mom was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at some point. I thought about questioning her, but I felt sorry for her. She always had people to do everything for her, and now she lost everything. Not that it differed much from my situation, but I was younger, more capable of understanding this change. So, instead of arguing with her, I asked what groceries I should buy for the week.

"I don't know! I've never gone shopping. The mansion staff used to do it. I just asked for what I wanted to eat."

I swallowed hard, knowing that these questions would lead to nothing. I went downstairs to the living room and sat on that hard, old couch, feeling so disgusted by it as I thought about how many dirty butts must have sat there. Nausea hit me hard, so I decided to stand up, leaning on the stair railing, and started searching basic shopping lists on G****e.

I found one that seemed interesting, a weekly list, costing a hundred and twenty dollars. It had a reasonable amount of food items that gave me some guidance. Later, I would figure out how to prepare them. More aware of what to do, I saved the list on my phone. I checked the GPS to see if there was a nearby market. I found one about two kilometers from the house we were in. It was a short walk; I could manage it.

I left the house and looked around. There were no more people watching us, which made me feel relieved. I followed the GPS directions, keeping my phone hidden in my pants. I couldn't afford to lose it too. I kept walking for about twenty-five minutes until I reached the market I had seen before.

I tried to see it as a new life experience. I entered the market and looked at so many aisles and shelves. I spotted a shopping cart and grabbed one. I opened the list on my phone and guided myself to the first aisle.

"You can do this, Amber. Just think of it like a clothing store. Just choose, put it in the cart, and go to the cashier to pay. It's easy," I whispered to myself. I can do it, I will succeed.