3

Rosela came back to the house late after running out because of the incident that took place between her and Amunsa, her step-father, earlier that evening. She met her mom waiting for her in her room. Dansanisa sat on Rosela's bed tapping her foot on the ground, using one of her hands to support her jaw. Rosela walked in, all worn-out. 

The light in her room was switched off, she couldn't see clearly that her mom was seated inside. She stretched her hands to the wall where the light on button was fixed. She switched on the light to meet her mom sitting on her bed. 

She got startled seeing her mom unexpectedly in her room. "Mom! God, you scared me. What are you doing in my room by this time, aren't you supposed to be sleeping by now?" she said walking towards her reading table, arranging her scattered books. 

"Where did you go to Rosela that you couldn't come back for the evening dinner?"  Dansanisa asked still sitting on the bed with her two hands folded as she stared at her. 

"No way, mom. I was just sitting outside. Needed to clear off my head a bit." she kept arranging her stuff as she said that. 

"Outside? Knowing fully well that I was busy cooking dinner in the kitchen, Rosela?" she said, glaring at her. 

"I'm sorry, mummy," she apologized lowering her head down, using one of her finger to draw on the table. 

"Anyway, I came to talk to you about your recent behavior towards your father, my husband," she said, folding her arms. 

"He is not my father..." Rosela raised her voice on her mom that it even got to Kwensa who was resting in the sitting room watching television. 

Rosela's room was not too far from the sitting room. Her loud voice got Kwensa to be curious about what could have happened. He didn't have any choice but to check on her to find out what the problem was as he walked, opened Rosela's door and walked into his moms conversation with Rosela concerning his dad. 

"He is your father, Rosela, whether you like it or not and you better accept it because you have no choice!" she said in anger, her eyes dilating, looking as if they were going to fall out from their sockets.

"I can't seem to figure out or understand your bitterness and the grudges you have with him to the extent of accusing him of touching you inappropriately? Oh no, Rosela, what kind of a father does that to his child and an under-aged like you? That's the height of it all, Rosela". Dansanisa said as she became angrier at Rosela with her face all pulled tight. 

Rosela turned to faced her mother with her eyes already filled up with tears. Her lips shook as her heart was  heavy with tears though she couldn't let it out but she felt like screaming it out for the whole world to hear, so she could be free and freed a little from what she is feeling at that point. 

She looked at her mother and remembered how she used to pamper her back then, when her father was alive. Tears filled up her eyes but didn't drop or roll out. She couldn't see clearly due to the tears that left her near-blinded.

She sniffed, cleaning the snot that had rolled down her nose, as she voiced out to her mom. "Well, mummy, sorry to disappoint you but I would never, ever accept him as my father, and you know why? I will tell you why. Because no father of mine, would ever do the things that he is doing to me". Before she could drop the last words, Dansanisa gave her a hard slap on the face. 

Rosela yelped and held down her cheek. She bent, twisting her face with one eye closed as a result of the slap and the pain she felt at that point, it was as if her teeth were about pulling out from their normal position. Tears rolled down her cheek this time around. The slap was so hot that it turned her face red. 

"Now, look here young lady, don't you ever raise such abominable accusations on my husband again, dont!" Kwensa walked in after a while of standing by the door entrance, listening to everything. 

"What, Rosela!  Why would you say such a thing about dad, why? Dad wouldn't do such a thing and you know it." He tightened his face. 

"Kwensa, you have to believe me, please". She sobbed. 

"Hold it right there and shut that hole you called a mouth. I know you hate my father because he is not your real father but can't you accept that your mother is happily married to him? Why don't you let them breath and be happy? Why?”

Rosela kept on sobbing as there was no other way to convince her mother or anyone else of what her step-father was doing to her. 

"Please, stop all this accusation and accept the fact that he is your father now, please!" Dansanisa said, resting her hand on her shoulder behind her back as she stooped to look at her face. 

"Kwensa, come let's go," she said and Kwensa opened the door in anger and banged it back. "Think about it, Rosela, think, and get to bed so you can wake up early for school tomorrow okay?" she said for the last time and walked through the door, walked out of it and slammed it shut. Rosela sat on her bed and wailed. 

Dansanisa somehow loved Rosela so much but when it's came to the matters that concerned her husband, she got wild and mad about it. She was afraid of losing Amunsa, because she lost her first husband in a sudden and tragic way. 

Just in the middle of their happy moment, Arthur died, in her very presence without saying words to her, without saying goodbye. Unexpectedly, and when nobody was expecting, Arthur passed away. 

Whenever Dansanisa remembered the trauma and shock she went through, everything about her changed her mood, her temper. What Rosela just said about Amunsa, really got her upset and mad with her.