8

Papa turned on his heel, hardly able to look at us as he walked away from us with tears streaming down his face.

My Papa was really going.

He was really going...

And I could feel the full reality of the situation hit me all at once.

I burst into tears, sobbing and convulsing uncontrollably, hardly able to keep myself upright, as my eyes fogged, and my vision became hazy.

Mama pulled me close to her, her tears falling into my hair as she hugged me, doing her best to reassure me, even though inside, she was broken.

“Everything will be okay, Lily...” Mama whispered.

I knew that it wouldn't.

That without Papa, things would never be the same.

But one thing I also knew...

Was that with my mama still by my side, I had nothing to fear.

At least I still had my beautiful mama.

She would take care of me...

Just like Papa promised she would.

And I loved her more than anything.

18

papa

Hours later

The truck had set off, ready to transport us all to the work facility.

My heart pounded against my chest with anticipation.

There were about fifteen other men in the truck beside me, all of them sitting down quietly.

They hadn't said a word the entire journey, and I couldn't figure out why.

This silence and tension was getting awkward, so I thought best to speak up, to make the journey more bearable, and take my mind off of my family and being upset about them.

“Why do you all look so miserable?” I asked. “We're finally getting out of the refugee camp and getting work to provide for our families.”

One of the men screwed his face, folding his arms.

“Except, we won't be able to provide for our families,” he muttered, gritting his teeth.

“What do you mean?” I replied doubtfully.

“We're not going to get paid for the work we do for them,” said another one of the men.

I could feel the blood drain out of my face, as I listened to the words spout out of his mouth.

“We're being forced into slave labour,” he went on.

19

papa

I could hardly believe my ears.

My blood was boiling to the point it almost dried up.

Unable to believe what was happening.

He couldn't be telling the truth.

He couldn't...

After all I'd sacrificed just so I could be here...

“Are you fucking serious?!” I demanded, roaring, balling my hands into fists, rattling them as my veins pulsated their way to the surface of my skin, my body shaking with rage, betrayal, hurt and fury. “Then why did you all agree to come?!”

“They would have killed us if we didn't.”

I let out a blood-curdling scream, screaming bloody murder, hardly able to keep myself upright as my vision became cloudy, my surroundings spinning around me, as I struggled to come to terms with the situation or even comprehend it.

I had to be stuck in a bad dream.

I had to be trapped in a nightmare.

A bad nightmare.

I needed to wake up.

I needed to wake up...

I let out another scream, banging on the door intensely, until my knuckles snapped and blood began to gush out of my fist, but still...

I wouldn't stop banging.

Banging and thumping on the door, demanding to be freed from this prison, demanding to be let back to the camp to be back with my family.

There was no way I had just left my wife and daughter to become a slave.

There was no way...

“Let me out of here!” I screamed. “Let me out of here NOW!”

I trailed off my sentence, seething, as I continued to thump against the door, shaking and trembling as tears streamed down my face.

“I didn't agree to this!” I roared.

I'd left my family for nothing!

How would I live without them?!

20

papa

A sudden sound of the trudging of footsteps coming from behind me, caused me to jolt upwards and snap out of my thoughts.

The overwhelming emotion that I was feeling...

Was now replaced with something else.

With anger.

With fury.

With rage.

Set on revenge.

Set on seeking vengeance.

So angry in this moment...

That I could kill.