MEMORIES FLOOD 2
Tears streamed down her face as she continued to relive her memories.
At this point, she wished she would just have amnesia, leaving only part of the memories she had cherished.
After her father came back home that day, things just weren't the same anymore.
Her mother had stopped going to work.
Her father smiled less... and even came home less.
On days he would come home, he would be late and—
Drunk.
Slowly, the image of her caring, loving, always-present father, started to fade completely.
She had thought maybe it was just a phase, that it would soon pass over but it only got worse.
Her mother started looking like a shadow of her former self. And her father ...
He changed completely.
It turns out her father had made her mother sign over all her wealth and businesses to him.
He made her a stay-at-home wife while he controlled all the finances and assets.
He had said that was the way things ought to be, as a man ...not the other way round.
Even with her father's change in attitude, life still went on for Fatimah.
She was still being catered for, sheltered. Yet she still found all the things happening around her complicated.
She knew her father had changed.
She knew her mother talked and smiled less ... even not at all, except forced.
She thought maybe she had been the problem. Maybe if she was been a good girl, her father would acknowledge and shower her love as before.
So she studied hard —really hard, not minding the numerous nosebleeds and headaches.
She was now fifteen years old. At that age she had learnt how to walk on eggshells around people.
How to fear and —suffer in silence.
No one talks at home. Her mother just seemed like an empty living corpse.
She was always looking starved—
Not of Food. But of something more complicated she couldn't understand at the time.
Countless times, she would glimpse through her parents' bedroom and saw her mother crying bitterly over their family picture hung in their room.
Her father had the warmest smile, adjusting her mother's headband while carrying her with the second hand.
They had contemplated a lot before finally framing that particular picture to be hung in their room.
The picture was the one taken when they all went to the amusement park.
On some nights, when her father had come home, she would hear arguments rising and many times it led to crashing of things, leaving her mother more empty —shattered.
During this period, she would stay in her room.
Plugged her earphones in and study.
Just to drone all the voices out.
On the night of her fifteenth birthday, her father had come home with a luxurious car.
She watched as the strange expensive car drove in and parked in their garage.
She had stopped running to welcome her father. She couldn't even remember the last time she had.
She would always pretend to be asleep by the time he was in just so she could avoid him.
The new him was still so strange to her to accept.
Every night she would pray and pray for her family to be whole again but it seems her prayers kept falling on deaf ears.
It has been five years, since everything changed.
And for the first time in those years, her father had came home early. It was still 7pm.
She doubted he came for her birthday, he has celebrated none for the past five years.
She watched him parked his new car and strode in.
"Welcome Dad."
Her father had looked at her with a crooked smile.
It was subtle —different. She knew it.
He then came closer to her and stroke her hair —just as he always did then.
"Fatimah, you are already grown... how so fast."
She responded with a side grin while looking down at her feet.
"I want to take you out today, you need to celebrate your day."
Her heart had lit up when he heard her father said so. He remembered her birthday, at least.
Happiness stretched through her as she thought whether her prayers are finally getting answered.
"Let me go get mummy, so we can go together." she said
"No, No ..... it's just you and me—" he looked sternly "—go get dressed and be here in ten minutes, I would tell your mum about the outing myself."
She didn't know what transpired in the bedroom but she was sure it went well cause she had heard nothing. Joy was evident on her face as she hurriedly dressed up while humming. She thought.
At last, things are working out.
She got into her father's new Rolls-Royce and they both left the compound.
She felt a bit sad that they were not going with her mother but she pushed it behind her.
She had to focus on the moment.
Her personal outing with her father.
They drove for a long while before finally arriving at their destination.
It was a grand hotel that just seemed to have just open for business. The hotel sign reads B 'n' D Hotel. The lights on each specific angle shone brightly, illuminating through the darkness of the night.
She was wowed and touched that her father had really took her out to a beautiful hotel to celebrate her day.
She saw a party going on in the lobby and was excited.
Badir had looked at her, taking in all the excitement fully written on her face.
"Teemah—" he called with her pet name, sweetly.
Almost enticingly.
"That is my hotel... It is just been opened today."
Fatimah shifted her gaze to him in an instant
So her dad had built and owned an hotel.
He is even holding an opening ceremony and he didn't bother to tell her mother.
"Dad, this is amazing." she noted. "But shouldn't mum be here also?"
"Fatimah—" he looked intensely at her, making Fatimah squirm uneasily.
"—I am your dad, right?"
Fatimah nodded in response.
"I know what is best always and you have to listen to everything I say—"
"—no matter what, henceforth you must not say anything to your mom anymore"
Fatimah looked up as if to question him but his stern stare silenced her.
"Your mom is expecting."
Fatimah looked at him confused.
"You are having a sibling soon."
Her eyes widened with surprise. She has remembered her mom been so worn out lately, always looking sick.
She hadn't bother to look at her closely.
Contacts are limited in the house. Aside from few glimpses, she barely saw her mom —despite sleeping and waking in the same house.
So her mother was pregnant.
Oh....maybe that's the reason she couldn't attend the event.
She thought to herself and smiled.
Things were getting better after all.
Her father is taking her out on her birthday.
Her mother is expecting a baby.
Wonderful ...
"Teemah..." her father called, pulling her out of her thought. "...you know you might one day own this hotel."
Fatimah thought why is she having so many surprise in just one night after desperately praying for one for the last five years.
She turned to look at the grand hotel and all it's beautiful features and turned back to her father.
"Dad, you mean this hotel would be mine one day?" She asked, wide eyed.
"Yes, of course."
With excitement, Fatimah wrapped her arms around his neck. Her eyes tearing up, she said, "Dad, thank you, I would really work hard to be worthy of it and make it even greater."
Her father smirked. She had thought he was smiling at her.
"I know you would and that's why you are here tonight too—" he smiled now, stroking her hair down. "—you need to show to me that you worth it. Now let's go in"
Fatimah resolved in her mind with determination that he was going to do anything to prove to her father that she worth it all.
The lobby of the hotel was even more grand.
People dressed up elegantly and with one look, one would know they are of socialites class.
Her father flowed amidst these people. This new side of her father surprised her.
Though they were okay, she would say they were of middle class.
But these people, they are of A-class in the society. So her father had connections with all these people.
She watched as her father tossed drinks and rubbed shoulders with them, but what baffled her was while she waited watching her father greeting these people, she had waited expectantly but he never bothered to introduce her to any of them.
He didn't keep her waiting for long. He strode towards her and then hurried her up a stairs.
At the top of the stairs, they walked down the hallway and reached a door at the far end.
They opened the door and strode down another hallway. Fatimah looked around. The place was very silent contrasting the loud lobby they had left.
They reached an elevator door and entered
She wanted to ask where they are going but couldn't bring herself to.
Maybe her dad had prepared a surprise for...she thought
And indeed it really was a surprise.
She noticed instead of the elevator to go up, it went down.
She was marveled at the intricate of this building that would one day be hers.
She didn't know how far they'd gone underground but the elevator soon stopped and they emerged from it.
Words could not describe the image that came to her view immediately.
Wow...this is superfluously amazing.
How could her dad have thought of something like this.
There was a board in the hallway that read— House of Orchids.
House of Orchids.
She thought.
Finally, her father led her into a suite.
The inside was very dim. The only source of light there was just a candlelight, placed beside a bed.
She wondered what her father had brought her here to do. She couldn't question him than to just obey his order. More or less, this place was going to be hers one day.
"Elder—" her father's voice cut through the still, dark room.
Wait....there is someone in this room.
She squinted her eyes looking around, checking for the other presence.
"—she is here, clean and untouched."
"Leave her there. You can go." The voice ordered her father, cold and stern.
She saw her mighty father that they dared not go against at home—bowing deeply towards the direction of the voice.
Her father turned to leave. With panic she grabbed her father's arm and stopped him.
"Dad... what is happening? What am I doing here!? You are not leaving me, are you?
She asked hoping it would be some sort of a real joke. But her father removed her hands from his deliberately and said to her, "—Listen to the elder very well and be a good lady...okay?"
He then patted her head and left her before she could utter anything.
Her? ..Lady!?
She stood in bewilderment —abandoned, scared.
The voice called out to her —cold and predatory. He gave her series of orders.
She was to undress and lay face down on the spacious bed.
Her instinct was to run away but where could she go. Her father had locked the door on his way out and it seems it was just her and this strange —Elder.
She stood for a long while contemplating her situation.
She saw a figure stand up from behind the candle light and move towards her. The figure was in all black and the room was too dim for her to see the person clearly.
She backed up in fear as he got closer, until she hit the wall with nowhere else to turn to.
He came closer and an unpleasant strong scent seemed to take over her senses.
She lost all her strength and before she knew it—
Her clothes were off her body.
And she was faced down on the bed.
She looked towards the door and hoped for someone to save her.
The thought of her absent, tired, supposed pregnant mother came to her mind.
Tears streamed down her face as realization hit her.
No one knows where she was.
No one was going to save her.
No one.
That night, her innocence was taken from her.
Her dignity shattered.
All against her will.