Hope Bound

Chapter 3

"Good Morning, want some breakfast?", says Hope to Ronny. She was scared to let Ronny stay alone the whole night, as her dad was out for work. And especially, after she knew that Ronny was willing to give up on her life, Hope couldn't take a chance. So she decided she would stay the night with Ronny. "Good Morning. Dude, you are at my place and I am the one who should be asking you if you want something, rather than behaving like a stupid irresponsible kid. And by the way Hope, thanks for staying here. Okay... so, I should prepare some breakfast for us", says Ronny. Hope still can't get over what she heard last night. But, she decides to stay strong and holding back her tears, she says, "Okay, I am hungry. Let's eat and then, maybe we could, emm..go to the mall or something?"
Hope has no idea of how to protect Ronny from her upcoming situation. Apparently, Ronny is still stronger than her. But, Hope makes a promise to herself that she would protect her friend and not let her give up on life.

In the afternoon, Hope, Ronny and Theo go to the nearby mall and grab some lunch togehter. Hope talks nothing about last night, realizing that Theo is unaware of Ronny's tragic childhood. Although, Ronny is back to being normal, there is still something in her eyes, some kind of pain; maybe the fear of facing her so called step-dad after thirteen years. She gets lost all of a sudden, amidst a conversation and stares blankly into nowhere. Only Hope can notice the fear hidden behind those hazel green eyes. That night, Hope doesn't stay back at Ronny's place as her dad is back in town.

The next morning, Ronny wakes up to the voice of her mom, Roselyn. She is terrified to see her mom by her side. It feels like some old curse; some kind of terror, coming back to haunt her. "Good morning, my darling. Look at you. I can't believe you have grown up to be such a pretty lady. Oh, I missed you so much, and I still have no idea why you stopped seeing me. I can only seek forgiveness. I am really sorry baby if I have ever hurt you in any way", says Roselyn. Ronny stares at her mom, shocked to see her so fake. The mother who has never made an effort to see her daughter, in these thirteen years, suddenly shows up one day and pretends to care for her. Had her husband not settled in New York for work, she wouldn't even have come to see Ronny, probably never. "Ronny, are you okay?", says Roselyn. Ronny, annoyed by her mom's presence says,"Yes, I am okay, thanks. And, its okay. Never mind."

"Clive wants to see you, you know? He likes you so much. We both miss you. And we also have to introduce you to our son, Frank. He is 10."

Ronny is disgusted even more. "Oh.. Good for you two. You are living a very good life with your new family, I am pretty sure, huh!", says Ronny with sarcasm. "Ohh c'mon...you can't be so harsh on your mom, Ronny. I really missed you a lot. Anyways, I have come here to invite you for dinner tonight at our new place. I asked your dad.. He is okay with it. So, I hope you will be there at 8." Ronny feels her stomach twirl and anxiety hits her right away. She lies, "Sorry, I have to study for my GMAT. I am actually quite busy these days, studying. So I can't make it."

"Ohh, I didn't mean to disturb you, but can you just come for an hour or two, just to see Clive and Frank? They really want to see you", says Roselyn.

"Okay I am not sure, but I will let you know", Ronny says, hesitantly. Roselyn kisses Ronny on her forehaed and leaves her room.

Ronny not knowing what to do, calls up Hope. She breaks down yet again. So far, Hope has been the only person she is completely free with. She tells Hope about her mother and the dinner plan. Hope says,"Hey, I think you should come over to my place. And then we can discuss about this matter. We will sort it out together, okay?" Ronny agrees to go to Hope's place. But in the evening, as she is about to leave, she bumps into Roselyn, Clive and Frank, standing at the door of her house. Ronny notices Frank's light brown eyes, exactly like those of Clive's. That would make her hate Frank even more. She freezes as her eyes finally meet Clive's. Flashes of her horrifying past cross her mind, leaving her scared and angry. "Hi Ronny, how are you? You have grown up so much, I can't believe my eyes", says Clive with a grin that almost tears her apart. Since Ronny turned down the invitation, Clive and her mom, apparently decided to show up at her place,instead. Clive probably knew that Ronny was trying to avoid him. So it must have been his plan to visit her and make her feel uncomfortable. The whole family sits for dinner, including Ronny's dad. In the meantime, Hope calls Ronny a couple of times. But Ronny doesn't receive and instead, sends her a message saying," I can't come to your place tonight. Caught up with mom, Clive- the devil and their kid, Frank. They have come to my place and we are having dinner now. Dad is here too. So, I can't avoid them right now. He will get angry and I don't want him to go through another heart attack. I am tired of all of this, Hope." Ronny's dad is a gentleman. He forgave her mom even after the massive heartbreak he had to suffer because of her. A single sorry can melt his heart right away. So, Ronny's mom and dad are on talking terms now. Also, he likes his guests to be taken care of. Not only this, Ronny's dad had a heart attack a year ago due to work issues. So, Ronny tries her best to not lose her only parent, by being calm and polite. She would never tell her dad anything about Richie, because she thinks, hearing this, would completely break him down.

After dinner, as Ronny goes back to her room and starts reading a book, she hears a knock at her door. It's Clive. "May I come in, Ronny?", says Clive. "Why have you come here? Is there something? ", Ronny is about to burst in tears. She has never been so scared of a person. After thirteen years, the person she fears the most has made his way back to her, somehow. Clive says," I came to ask you if you are okay. I mean, are we okay? Listen, you are a grown up now, and, emm...I hope you know how much I love your mom and now that we are a happy family, I don't want you to spoil anything for her if you love her enough. You know what I mean, right? Just be wise." So, indirectly, that was a warning. Ronny says,"Okay, please leave now" and Clive finally leaves her room saying, "By the way you look pretty, huh! You should visit our place often." Ronny is speechless, yet again. She has to take a stand for herself, now that she is 21. But she doesn't know what would be the best for her. Finally, Ronny makes a decision after thinking over and over again. She takes a look at her phone loaded with missed calls and messages, all from Hope. Hope is really worried about her and has been continuously sending her texts and calling her. Ronny finally gains some courage and decides to send her best friend just one message, which says, "I will be okay, after this, maybe. Take care and sorry for everything." She throws away the phone and goes for her drawer where she hides all her medicines. Ronny never had the courage to do this before, although she had always been secretly depressed. But, now, she thinks that she has had enough and that she doesn't deserve this kind of life. Without giving it a second thought, she gulps down the sleeping pills at one go, emptying three fourth of the bottle.