Rose and thorn

2

Lia delicately placed the white roses on their mothers grave. White colour was her mother's favourite. She sat their on her knees for a while praying for her mother's soul to be at peace.
She peeked a look at her father he looked as vulnerable and broken as the day they lost her 8 years before.
They know their father try hard not to show his vulnerable, week side but today his emotions surfaced his stern look from outside evident in the form of tears that were cascading down his sunken wrinkled cheeks, he sure has grown older faster than normal.
Maria linked her arm with his father's consoling him at her level best whilst her own emotions getting the best of her.

As soon as they reached back home Lia and Maria decide to convince their father come-what-may before Maria has to go back her home.

Like every other day these three members gathered on the table for dinner. Silence is what filled the air around them making Lia's shoulders heavy with tension and nervousness. She shifted on her seat nervously, totally desperate for her father to agree.

Maria cleared her throat and coughed in order to gain her father's attention. He looked at Maria waiting patiently for her to speak further. 
Maria stayed quite for a while shifting her gaze from her father to Lia.

"If it's about yesterday then let me make it clear my decision will not change. I've promised your mother to protect you two with my life" their father spoke through gritted teeth totally not happy with his daughters to bring over the conversation at the dinner table.

"Appa" Maria addressed him softly, placing her hand above his father's lovingly.
"Don't do this Appa it's her childhood dream you know that. She'll be fine, she's all grown up and it's not like she'll be staying with strangers, Aunt Linda and Chloe will take good care of her. Trust me"

"No is no! I can't let her g—" her father counter argued but Lia stood from her chair making Maria and Appa shocked with her sudden move, tears brimming her eyes threatening to fall but Lia did her best to be confident. She mustered all her courage to speak back to her father it was for the first time she behaved like that.

"Appa, why not?! If mom would have been alive she would have wanted the same for me. Don't you remember how much she aspired me to study in London and become a writer?
I sure am unfortunate that she couldn't live long to see my dream happen to me for real. I couldn't make my dreams come true in this small town Appa then w-why not? Lia's voice cracked at the end as she felt it hard to hold on the tears in her eyes and with just one blink they flowed down her cheeks.
She covered her face with her hands sobbing her chest raising and falling while she breathed heavily and unevenly of all the crying.
Before she knew her father was no longer in the room he had already left the room.

Maria was totally helpless in this kind of situation all she could do was hug sister allowing her to cry in her arms until she stabilised a bit.

Lia felt dizzy of all the crying and without even wishing her sister goodnight she slept. She felt sleep to be the only way to relieve the pain of seeing her dream shattering into pieces right in front of her at that moment.