I SEE YOU

Chapter 9

"M..Mum?" Florin stuttered as he stared in shock at the woman.
The now beautiful woman levitated in the air for a moment. And then she sat beside him.
"I know there are some questions you want to ask me," she said. "I'll tell you the best i can."
Florin stared patiently at the ghost. She smiled at his obvious attention and began.
"My name is Matilda Rodriguez. My life wasn't  a pleasant one. I was able to get a sound education and I finished college. Without the help of my parents who were lost, getting a job was hard. The only place I could see a job, people just wanted to take advantage of me"
She paused and a sigh escaped her lips.
"And then I met your father," she said. "I was looking for a job and then he hired me. There was nothing romantic between us. The problem was that his marriage with Samantha was off the rocks.She wasn't  performing her marital role quite well."
Florin stared at her not understanding what she meant. Matilda laughed at his innocent cluelessness.
" She couldn't  cook or take care of the house properly, despite having the role of a house wife. To compound your father's woes, she couldn't perform her rites well in the bedroom. I won't explain that last part. You will understand when you're older. Your father was frustrated," she said. "He had hopes that Samantha would change. She didn't.  He needed someone to talk to. That was how it happened between us. Moments after he would have dinner and work on his system, we would talk while Samantha was sleeping upstairs. It turned out he enjoyed  my company. From there , things blossomed between  us and then-"
Matilda paused, contemplating on how to tell Florin. Florin pieced the information together.
"You had an affair," he said.
Matilda nodded.
"Florin, I assure you I didn't mean for it to happen. Your father is a good and dedicated man. And then after our affair, that's how you were born."
Florin felt anger wash through him. Samantha wasn't his mother. That explained the horrible behaviour  of hers when she was with him alone. Florin stared at the beautiful ghost who he bow recognised as his true mother and knew why he neither bore resemblance to Joshua and Samantha.  He also knew where he got his feminine looks from. Matilda had the same brown eyes with long lashe, round nose and black hair like he did. Joshua was brunette and Samantha was a redhead. It all made sense now.
"I'm sure she found out about the affair," Florin said.
The ghost nodded. "She did."
"Then why didn't  she request for a divorce?" Florin was even more confused. "I mean isn't that the right thing to do? Why stick with my father?"
"Because she knew she wouldn't gain anything from him." Matilda shifted a bit on the bed. "There was no prenuptial agreement before their marriage. It turns out she was only after his wealth. And reading the atmosphere between your father and I, she knew that divorce would only draw us closer. So she acted like she was fine with it. She decided to stay in the marriage and act like the perfect stepmother."
Matilda's fist clenched and her eyes turned plain white, similar to her previous horrific appearance.
"It was all a ruse. A ploy. She was waiting to strike!" She exclaimed.
A harsh breeze blew into the room shaking everything. The lights flickered  and became too bright.
"M-mum?" Florin shifted back.
Matilda's eyes returned to normal at the sound of his voice. She faced him and saw the fear in her eyes.
"Oh," she said. "I'm so sorry, my baby."
The flickering above stopped and the heavy breeze was gone.
"So why did you have that appearance whenever I saw you?" Florin asked.
"I was consumed with so much anger after my death at Samantha's hands," Matilda replied. "The anger turned me into a monstrous wraith. As much as I could, I couldn't control it. The moment you weren't afraid of me, I was able to become like this. Florin, try and understand that i didn't mean to scare you. I was only trying to reach out to you. The words 'I sse you' were the only thing i always said to you as a baby. I was trying to see if i could revive some memories. I'm sorry for putting you through all that."
She reached out to touch his face bit her hand just phased through it.
"Also, please dont be angry with yor father for not telling you the truth." She said.
Florin felt angry at that moment. Thathrequest was going to be hard to grant. But the pleading look in her eyes swayed him a bit.
"So what happens now?" he asked.
"There is a reason that I haven't passed on. I have to deliver justice before I can be free," Matilda said.
"Samantha must pay for her deeds." Her voice sounded dark.
"Mum?" Florin was worried.
"Don't worry." She smiled at him. "You're safe."
"But-"
"Go to sleep, love." She stretched her finger towards his forehead. He felt dizzy immediately and collapsed on the bed. His tiny snores filled the room seconds later. Matilda smiled softly at him before she vanished.

The next day saw Florin out of the bed refreshed and in a better mood. After a shower, he was down by the kitchen for breakfast.
"Morning,Flo," Joshua looked up from his paper. "Have a nice sleep."
"You bet I did, dad." Florin's smile was as radiant as the morning sun. "Anything interesting  to do today?
"I'll meet up with my colleague for a business lunch and then it's plans on enlisting you to your new school. The summer break is nearly over." Joshua placed the paper as Samatha placed their breakfast on the table. It was pancakes with syrup.
'At least its something fried,' Florin thought, sending a subtle glare to Samantha. 'Thankfully,it won't be gross.'
A moment of silence passed between the family as they ate their breakfast. Florin stared at his dad and Samantha and then a devious thought crossed  him.
"So dad," he said.
"Yeah?" Joshua looked at him expectantly.
"Who's Matilda Rodriguez?" Florin asked with a wide smile.
Joshua nearly spilled his coffee. Florin's eyes darted to Samantha whose mouth and eyes were wide open. Her fingers trembled.
"W..Why did you ask?" Joshua stuttered. "Where did you hear that name from?"
"Just from a friend." Florin shrugged. He had gotten the answer he needed. From his father and Samantha's reactions, the ghost was telling the truth.
"Well, I'll see you later." He stood up and patted his father's shoulder, leaving the kitchen and the two adults in stunned silence.