But this wasn't the first time her body being abused so violently. She'd been punched before, kicked from side to side and even strangled by the woman whom she has no place in her heart. Sweetie had thought that age would have slowed the woman down. But no...she was still as forceful as ever.
And that woman was her own mother.
The bruises from their violent brawl had started to show. Her arms were blue black from the stick her mother had used on her. Had it not been for Sue, there would have been blood shed.
"She's in pain too, I know. Should have punched her a few more times. That would have given her a real good lesson," Sweetie explained to Sue.
"She's your mother Sweetie. How could you pick a fight with someone who's weaker." Sue spoke in so much disbelieve.
But she knew Sweetie - hard headed and always charging, one who would retaliate on the word "go". All these years she had seen enough. She could have just strayed away from Sweetie, but something in her heart said that she must try and save this poor lost girl.
"Kenapa kau gaduh dengan dia?" asked Sue.
"Kalau dengan perempuan tu, pasal apa lagi?"
"Pasal duit ke?"
"Tak...aku tak puas hati pasal rumah. Pasal apartment yang sepatutnya aku yang dapat. Tiba-tiba I got to know from my aunt that she dropped my name from her will!" yelled Sweetie.
Sue knew that Sweetie could never be at ease with her old woman, her own flesh and blood, but one whom she despise with all her might. Sweetie claimed that their feud had started a long time ago. She just couldn't see eye to eye with her mother. And to her mother, Sweetie was just another disappointment and embarrassment to the family.
Unlike her, Sweetie was born to a wealthy family. Her father was a top ranked government officer. The place they have outside the city was beautiful and huge. Sue had been to Sweetie's place a few times. When she was younger, she always felt that what Sweetie had was heaven. But now, she knew that behind all that glitter, there was no pot of gold.
Sweetie once said that her father, though he had loads of money, never enjoyed sharing it with the family. Sweetie could talk for days about her stingy father. They laughed at times on the jokes Sweetie made about her father and her plans on stealing her father's money.
"Banyaknya duit bapak kau Sweetie!" claimed Sue during one of their "happy hours".
"Alah...mana tah dia dapat duit tu. Aku rasa duit tu tak halal. Selalu je aku peratikan ada orang datang jumpa dia. Pas tu cakap bisik-bisik. Pas tu ada envelope they all bagi kat father aku."
"Dia ingat aku ni bodoh, dia tak tau yang aku ni buat-buat bodoh je...." replied Sweetie.
"Mak kau tak tau ke?"
"Alah...dia tau. But she's not bothered about my father lah. They all tu dah lama go separate ways."
"Hah? Parents kau dah bercerai? Elok je aku tengok bapak dengan Mak kau tu."
"Entah lah Sue....aku pun tak tau. Cerai ke....tak ke, tu they all punya pasal lah. Malas aku nak masuk campur dah. "
"But they are your family, don't you care?
"NO!!" shouted Sweetie to Sue again.
It was then Sue knew that Sweetie's safe heaven was only a glass menagerie. There was no warmth in the house. There was no love. Everyone was too busy with themselves - going their own separate ways.
Sweetie was as cold as her house and that explained the episodes of her traumatic life.
Unlike Sweetie, Sue's life growing up in an orphanage was no match. She was with pittance but she was never without love. She had no blood relations but everyone in the home was family.
Sue never knew who her father was. She once asked her Ibu at the orphanage of the family's whereabouts. Ibu said that they didn't know who her parents were. Sue was found on the steps of the surau near the home on a Friday morning when folks were about to perform their Subuh solat.
"Life can be such a mystery," Sue thought to herself.
"Sweetie has everything she could ever wanted in this world, but she's so alone. And I don't have anyone either in this world. Literally, I am all alone too...."
to be continued....
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~Sent from my iPad~
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