A Twist In Time

Chapter 10

Angela, Sean and I sat on the living room minutes after Sandra slammed her door shut. We decided to talk about her personality problem, which had been Angela and Sean’s burden for years.

“Don’t worry, mom. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” Sean said, comforting her crying mother.

Angela wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

“No, that’s alright. I understand her.” She answered and sniffed. For a moment, I felt pity for her. She had been an understanding mother to her daughter, but she just fooled her.

Angela turned to me.

“Carmel, I’m so sorry for what she had done. I am really sorry for this.” she said, her voice pleading.

I nodded. “It’s okay, ma’am. At least everything is over now.”

“Sandra needs an immediate solution, mom. She’s crossing the line.” Sean suggested.

“Whatever it is that you’re planning to her, do not do it. It will hurt her just more.” Angela said, her motherly instincts ruling over her.

I felt that I need to know more about Sandra, why she had that out-of –this-world attitude. I joined in the conversation.

“Ma’am, why is Sandra has that attitude? I mean, she’s harsh to everyone. Not just to me but also the other maids.” I asked.

Angela sighed before answering me. Sean and I became silent.

“Why? It’s because she can’t get over from an experience that happened to her when she was fourteen. She had a friend, named Janice Wellington. It happened four 

years ago. Sandra and Janice was the best of friends since they met, and they treated each other like they were sisters.

When Sandra fell in love with Richard-they’re classmate; Janice also fell in love with him. Janice didn’t tell her that she was falling in love with Richard. Richard courted my daughter. He became her boyfriend until one Christmas Eve; Sandra found out that her boyfriend cheated on her. His other girl was Janice. She saw them kissing passionately, so Sandra left and threw her gift for Richard.

A single explanation never came to her. Sandra cried so hard to me that she cursed her best friend and Richard. From then on, she has been like that to so many people, even to Sean. I wish I could convince her to forget it, but the more I convince her, the more she remembers it.”

I tried to absorb what Angela said. As the story was slowly piecing together in my mind, I began to understand about Sandra. I understood why she was like that. She was eighteen, like me, to suffer something like this.

“That’s why…” I said to myself.

“Carmel, please understand her as much as I do.” Angela requested.

“Yes, ma’am. I will.” I answered with a smile.

Later that night, I went to Sandra’s room, carefully, so I wouldn’t awake her. I sat on the bedside and touched her hair. She was worth loving for, I know. She just needs attention and a person who would help her forget all that happened to her four years ago. I smiled to myself that carefully tiptoed out of her room.

That morning, I woke up early and started the work right. I made breakfast for the family and cleaned each of their rooms. Sandra was out today, probably shopping or going somewhere. Angela was out too, because she had a business meeting. Sean remained in the house, together with the twenty-one of us.

It was half past ten in the morning, and I was cleaning the portrait if Sean. I was in the middle of my work when Jean called out to me.

“Hey, Carmel! Someone gave this to you." She called out.