Chapter Two

Uncle Kenneth was so kind to me. Even though I stole his wife's money, he gave me some and told me to buy food for my siblings. I was so happy and haven't prevented myself from hugging him.

I brought my siblings to a store, and we bought something to eat. Then we went home with a full stomach. We fell asleep waiting for our father to come back, though I wished he wouldn't.

The next morning, when we arrived at Aunt Nelly's bakery, I was surprised and confused why it was closed. It was still early in the morning. Then I saw some people gossiping nearby, so I asked them what happened.

"Didn't you hear? Nelly's daughter died, and she had to temporarily close the bakery to attend to her daughter's funeral," the woman said.

I felt sorry for Aunt Nelly. It was my fault that her daughter died. I am the unluckiest person in this world. The people I'm close with are suffering because of me. I'm bad luck to them.

"Sister, I'm starving," Allan said. He looks like he can't breathe properly.

"You okay, Allan?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm also hungry, sister," Elenna interrupted. "My stomach is aching."

Now, I don't know where to get money to buy food for my siblings. I looked at them with teary eyes. They both looked skinny. Their clothes are worn-out. I couldn't buy them new ones. I, myself, can't buy new clothes.

I tried asking for help from the people around, but instead of helping us, they distanced themselves. They said that we are beggars, that we stink. They are right. We haven't even taken a bath for some days now. Our electricity and water were cut off because we haven't paid the bills for many months already.

I don't know what to do anymore. We don't have other family who can help us because even our own family hates us. They despise us. We stayed in the streets all day, counting the cars that passed by, counting the time we had left before we could finally see our mother again.

It's getting dark already, and we haven't eaten anything yet. My siblings had fallen asleep from waiting for a miracle that never came. Then, a mysterious guy wearing a black coat with a hood and eyeglasses passed by and gave us some bread and money. He looked back at us, then continued on his way.

I wake up my siblings, but Elenna wasn't waking up anymore, and Allan looks so flabby as if on the brink of death. Then tears came out from my eyes when I realized that Elenna had finally seen our mother again.

I carried my dead sister back home. My father brought another woman into the house and ignored us. He didn't even care if my sister was dead. He blamed me for what happened to Elenna. He said I was the one who killed her. He told us to go away.

I didn't know where to bring my dead sister, so we went back to the streets. Fortunately, the mysterious man came back and helped us. There was a cemetery nearby, and he brought us there.

We buried my sister in the cemetery. I cried and cried and cried until my eyes ran dry. The mysterious man asked me what happened. I told him everything, that my father is a bastard, that he didn't care about us.

"That's so sad. By the way, I am Simeon," the mysterious man said. "I really want to help you. Can you tell me your names?"

"Is that true, sir?" I asked. "I'm Georgia, and this is my brother Allan."

"Alright, Georgia. I really want to help you. In fact, I have a job to offer you. Are you interested?" he asked.

"Please, sir, I really need money. As you can see, my brother is getting weak. I'll have to bring him to the hospital. Please, sir, I'm willing to do anything," I said, almost begging.

"Don't worry, child. Everything will be alright. Let's bring your brother to a hospital for now. Then you can start working tomorrow," he said.

"That's so kind of you, sir. I don't know how to repay your kindness. We are all probably dead by now if you didn't come," I said.

Sir Simeon brought us to South Carolina Hospital using his fancy black car. He's a rich guy. I can see it in how he acts and speaks and what he wears. Even though he hides his face from us, I know that he's kind, unlike my father, who didn't even care about us. My father only cares about himself. I wonder how he could bring another woman in the house despite our current situation. He's really a bastard.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure your brother will be fine. Just hope and pray. Leave the rest to the doctors. As we have talked about, you can start working tomorrow so that you can pay for his bills. I'll pick you up at 10 in the morning," Sir Simeon said.

"Thank you so much, sir. I know words aren't enough to express my gratitude. I'll consider this an indulgence," I replied.

"Don't think about it. Just meet me outside the hospital at 10:00AM tomorrow," Sir Simeon said. "I'll have to go now. I still have something else to do. I really hope your brother is okay, and I'm really sorry for what happened to your sister. Please be strong. You will get through this."

I forced myself to smile and watched Sir Simeon leave the room. He's an angel fallen from heaven. I looked at my poor little brother. He's too young to suffer like this. I hope he'll be okay soon. I blamed myself for not being good enough for him and for Elenna. I'm such an irresponsible sister to them.

"Si—sister... Wh—why are you crying?" Allan asked as my tears fell down his face.

"I'm so sorry, little brother," I said, wiping my tears from my face. "I'm such an irresponsible sister. Your sister died because of me."

"Please don't blame yourself," Allan said, tears forming in his eyes. "It wasn't your mistake. Elenna told me she wanted to see Mom, and she hated Dad. He's bad. We saw him hurting you."

"I..." I was lost for words. I didn't know that my siblings saw what our father was doing to me. They are both too young to witness such things. I really want them to live a normal life. Now that Elenna's gone, I'll do everything to protect my brother, even if it'll take my own life.

"Please don't cry, sister. It wasn't your fault. Dad's the irresponsible one. He pushed us away. He didn't care about us. He didn't care about Elenna. He deserves to die," Allan said.

"Don't say that, Allan. Even if Dad is cruel, he's still our father. We're not here if not because of him. Perhaps he deserves to die just as you said, but please don't think such things. I promise I'll get you out of here; please be strong and be well soon so that you can play again. Sir Simeon offered me a job; everything will be fine, as he said." I hugged my brother.

Sir Simeon left some money to me. I didn't expect that there were people like him in this world. Someone who understands and shares the sufferings of others. I went outside the hospital and bought something to eat. Then I went back to watch for my brother. We ate and talked, and then we slept.