Vehicles were the trend now, horses and carriages had been left with the passing of time. So fast were those mechanic engines, surely dying under their wheels shouldn’t hurt. These had been the foolish thoughts that crossed my mind for the briefs of time and my reaction to it had been thoughtless. I just ran towards the danger hoping for the agonizing ache in my chest to disappear.
I just rushed towards the car but the impact never came. At the last moment, I had been pushed away. Glancing around, I saw lying not far away, a heavily bleeding Vicenzio. The engine had screeched on the ground, its wheels traces were visible, proof of how much its conductor tried to prevent the collision.
The man who came out of the vehicle was extremely pale, his forehead was slightly bleeding. He looked a little lost as he was taking in the scene and slowly, he regained his composure. People were starting to be attracted as he took the time to scold me. I wasn’t really listening; my eyes were fixed on Vicky.
Some newcomers took this opportunity to condemn the existence of vehicles, the debate went on and on and it faded as they were reminded how to take care of the injured parties. I don’t know who, but someone proposed to bring us to the hospital, another protested the idea of moving injured people, but in the end, Vicky, the conductor and I were brought to the hospital.
All along, my hand that was firmly holding Vicenzio’s never loosened as I kept praying. For what, I’m not sure.
I had nothing, so as we arrived, I urged them to take care of him, stating the name of father as a backup for any payment they might need. However, in the end, it was because the conductor was here and had the immediate money that they considered us.
I sat on a chair, waiting, as Vicenzio had been sewn on the forehead, and his broken leg and arm were aligned and prepared to be put in a cast.
He was placed in a private room, sleeping, almost peacefully.
Such a contradicting person! Why did he jump?
I smiled wryly. Maybe he never did hate me. Maybe what he really had wanted was a sibling, one who wouldn’t criticize his every move, his very presence, the simple fact that he was living. I looked at him, really looked. I was willing to step back and let him have it all. I wasn’t going to fight something that had never been mine.
Somehow, admitting this, I felt the throbbing ache disappear. Finally.
I suddenly heard shouts. It was Paelita’s voice. The hospital had called at home. Exiting Vicky’s room, I saw her and father at the reception. She was looking particularly fretful and completely disoriented. Her composure lost like never before. They had been briefly explained about Vicenzio’s condition before they got to see me.
Coming towards me with long strides, Paelita kept shouting, saying how sure she was that I pushed her son… Father slapped me, for the very first time.
I wasn’t even given the chance to talk. They didn’t see what happened and it wasn’t like it wasn’t really my fault, so I took their insults and shouts without answering back.
One of the personnel asked them to tone it down and the doctor himself came to let them see their precious child.
My gaze followed them as they entered the room. The window was made of glass and I got to see what was happening inside.
I was dazed for a while and felt bitter. Seeing that man’s face as he was looking at his son, I understood I would never get the kind of love I longed for from him.
I observed the woman by his side, really looked, without a judgmental eye for once.
Paelita was a petite woman, beautiful and her usually carefree face was distorted with worry and shooting daggers at me in indignation that I could touch her lovely child. Maybe I should have aimed for this parent’s love instead but now it was too late. There had been too many harsh words said those last years, way too many that couldn’t be erased.
Exiting the building, I saw father’s chauffeur beside the car. Seeing how things were, they shouldn’t be out of here before a long time, so I had the man take me back to the manor.
That day, I left home with just one note: I’m twenty one now.
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N/A: That’s it for the first part of the story. It was mostly drama for drama sake; don’t go searching the logic behind it –if it did have one anyway-. Erminae is all upset so depicting her life as something extremely pitiful isn’t that strange in her condition. I’m not saying she lied but maybe exaggerated the facts a little.
That being said, I now have no idea what I’m going to write in the parts to come; I’m still thinking. In the beginning, I considered ending the story here since my first goal was to write something that evoked pity. –If it didn’t stir that emotion in you then I really failed-. But upon writing the last chapter, I reread the synopsis and came to a conclusion: if I end it here, there wouldn’t be anything about ‘learning to let go’ so I revise my opinion and now envisage to continue it with something brighter, about how she coped and all, I just don’t know when that will be.
Anyway, before that, side stories written from Vicenzio’s, the father’s and the late mother’s point of view would follow.
But since I’m not planning to write that anytime soon, here are some spoilers if you’re interested.
Vicenzio isn’t Emmeanel’s (the father) child. The father is actually sterile, so unable to have children he adopted the intelligent Vicenzio to inherit his legacy. Towards Erminae, he had conflicted feelings. As a man, he really hated the idea of his wife cheating on him and the girl was the ever-present proof of that. He learned his state –his sterility- when Elizell was already pregnant so you could say that since day one, he was bent on not liking that child. At the time, with his family name already dirty enough, he didn’t want to make it more difficult for him to make business. So no, divorce wasn’t an option. However, it wasn’t like they weren’t living under the same roof, then warming to her wasn’t impossible. But years of a strained relationship made it hard to interact normally with her and having firsthand made a deal that the person would be out his life and not his responsibility after her twenty-first years, he was reluctant to get attached. The arrival of his new wife and her son, he understood later, made it even harder to interact.
What can I say about Vicenzio, …it wasn’t like he was hell-bent on hating Erminae. But it sort of happened and she really wasn’t helping. However, he isn’t a bad guy you know, so of course, saving someone with whom he had been under the same roof for years was a reflex.
Here’s a conversation between Erminae and Vicenzio. I’m practically sure it wouldn’t exist in the future since I’m planning to make her life sweeter but this scene just won’t stay out of my head.
She smiled at him, and taking his hands in hers, she said: “Worry no more; I’m going to be alright.”
Her voice had been steady and without any traces of unhappiness, making him remembered about her fiancé’s death.
“Why are you saying that?” he said in grief. Grieving for her, because obviously, she didn’t have the energy to do even that.
“…Because it’s the truth.”
He bit his lower lip.
“I’m supposed to be the one comforting you.”
“I’m not the one crying.” Came her voice in a whisper, letting him know about the tears he didn’t even realize he was shedding…
I feel like rambling, so how about we discuss Erminae’s character a little? She started off as a pitiful child neglected by her father and abused by her mother, the years eased that relation a little then came her mother’s death and she became truly lonely. Yet those who extended their hands towards her, her new stepmother and stepbrother, she lashed at them instead of accepting their friendship. For her, this annoying question was present: Why were they the ones her father was recognizing instead? She became quite annoying and capricious.
I want to emphasize here that she was freshly in her teens when those people came, it may not be an excuse to her comportment but the glaring difference in how the father treated his daughter and son made it quite difficult for her to warm to them. And even though paelita was trying, maybe she was trying hard enough.
When suggested about having her birthdays celebrated from now on, sure, Erminae wasn’t thrilled but it wasn’t like just one ‘no’ should have contended that woman. After all, for the following years, Erminae saw her brother celebrated his, at one point she surely would have appreciated a surprise one –or maybe not-.
I recognized though that Erminae’s character really became annoying in the latest chapters, however, I do hope you feel a little for her when she left home stating she was twenty one now. Remember? Her father once said that he would let her do whatever she wanted at that age and she finally got to understand his meaning, albeit in a painful and pitiful manner…
