The Story Of An Anonymous Girl ✔

Chapter 40

MIA

"Which one do I have to give mom and dad?" I ask, gesturing towards the packets.

He doesn't force me to answer his question about William and says, "This one." and hands me a big brown bag, which is bigger than the other two.

I move to the kitchen, extracting four plates from the drawers below the kitchen slab, and place them on the slab. I take the sandwiches out of the brown bag and places them on two of the plates neatly. Oliver places the other two packets on the slab next to the two plates. I see that there is a sealed pack of twenty nuggets in the bag. I set four nuggets on each of the four plates. He doesn't say anything, and just keeps scrutinising me. I pick up two of the plates and take them to mom and dad's bedroom. I open the door with my elbow, and move inside and close it shut with my foot. I see mom sitting on dad's lap, and mom's head is buried into dad's neck while he is stroking her hair. All this while, I am still thinking about how to tell Oliver about William. I finally settle on telling him the whole thing.

"Thank you, Mia." Luke says when he sees the plates in my hand.

I set them on the bed and say, "I am going to tell Oliver about William."

Mom's eyes widen, and she asks, "Mia, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"The whole of it?" She asks.

"Yes, mom."

"Mia, we are not going to stop you." Luke says, and mom snuggles further into him. I realise that mom is scared that Oliver will judge her.

"Mom, you know that Oliver is not going to judge you."

"You d-don't kn-know t-th-at, Mia." She says, her voice cracking.

"Mom, Oliver has slept with me in my bed even after I would wake up screaming in the morning. And the nightmares stopped when we slept together. He wouldn't ask anything. He hasn't judged me, so why would he judge you?" I ask, trying to soothe her.

Mom and dad simultaneously say, "Fine."

I go back to the kitchen, and Oliver is still standing where he was.

I take the other two packets and see that he has brought Chicken Garden Salad for us. I put them on the two plates and notice that Oliver is still watching me.

I give him one of the plates and say, "C'mon, let's go to my room." I intertwine his fingers with mine, and he doesn't say anything. We climb the stairs together and enter my room. I close the door behind me softly.

I motion for him to sit on the bed, and he complies.

I sit on the chair next to my study table because if I sit next to him, I know that I'll start crying and bawling my eyes immediately.

I brace myself and say, "William was my father." I try to sound unaffected, and it kind of works because Oliver chokes.

"What!?" He whisper-yells.

"Yes." I say, sighing.

"What about Luke?" He asks.

"He is my stepdad. Although he is more of a dad than William ever was." I say.

"Oh."

"Yes. Mom and William met in college first in their first years but started a relationship only after graduation. Mom was like a bee to honey. They got married a month after graduation, and mom started working at Microsoft. When she was pregnant with me during her first year in Microsoft, he had up and left. He returned two years after that because he became bankrupt. He had spent all of his money in Las Vegas and lost it to some people. During that period, mom had shifted to Toronto for two years before I was born; to get some help in taking care of me while she worked from home. When he returned, she retreated to Winnipeg with me. Those eight years were torture for both of us. She took him back because she thought he still loved her. He would drink a lot. Every day, a different bar. He would spend all the money my mom had. Wherever she would hide it, he would find it. When he would come home shitfaced drunk, he would beat mom and assault her sexually and always made me watch. Sometimes he'd bring other men too. They'd rape her. Mom would take the beatings and assaults for me while I would just shut my eyes and ears, trying to block the noises. But, when he tried to assault me, mom went to the police." I say, feeling tears form in my eyes.