Since I ate with Marie on our way, I make my way upstairs instead of the kitchen, my heart thrums in distress despite the fact that he isn’t home but for some reason it can’t settle down.
When I reach upstairs, I see the door to my room is half open. Ineverleave my door open.
Chills freeze my spine and I straighten like a rod.
In panic, I move forward, push open the door and stand in the doorway as my hands tremble at the door knob.
What I see inside makes me let out a loud gasp.
The mattress on my iron bed is hanging off the edge, exposing the surface underneath where I stashed the money from the sales.
All that money, it’s gone.
Every single penny.
No bills lay around, that I know I put there.
Something drops dead into my stomach. A weight so heavy that it sinks deep, tearing apart everything in its way as it hits the ground.
Time stills.
A freeze, cold and sharp, climbs up my body rooting me to my place. I can hardly move a muscle.
Money. My money. All of my money.
It’s gone.
All gone.
Not a dime is left in its place—the spot I know where I left it.
Oh my God.
It’s not there.
Air escapes my lungs as panic starts building up in the pit of my stomach.
Footsteps creak on the floorboards and a figure comes into my line of vision. The fact there was someone in my room, and I didn’t notice, makes sweat gather at the nape of my neck.
Dad turns his head and looks at me. His hands are full with wads of cash that belong to me. Money that I worked hard for so I could buy books. I spent hours, days and weeks to make those bracelets.
First, he tore down my books and now he has my money.
I can’t breathe.
Why can’t I breathe?
“You lied to me,” he says slowly, in a tone that is deadly serious. “And not just once.”
I gulp hard.
“You mind telling me, how you got all this cash?” he asks, his eyes narrowed on me.
I just stare at him like a statue.
I can’t move.
Not because I’m scared, but because I’m deeply upset over losing another thing that was important to me. I was planning on buying books—the ones he ripped apart in front of me and felt no ounce of regret over. I was also looking forward to pay for food and buy things for the people who are important to me and do so much for me.
