Rage

Sera POV

It's Monday and a new day, I graduated from the college last week which has been too good and enjoyable for me.

It's a cold Monday New Paltz and this is my first best Monday in my entire life as far as it's not my alarm clock that woke me then it's my favorite cause this is the first Monday I'm waking up knowing I would never attend classes, I look outside my window and watch students scurry to school while I laid on my bed smiling cause it will never be the same for me and in the moment of the rush, one of a student tripped and fell and I laughed so good and hard but not loud, what I don't want is my mum coming to my room to wake me for chores.

I closed my window panes and laid on the bed when I heard my mother's voice from downstairs, I wanted sleeping my sorrows today but no she would never accept that, she arrived at my door step and it was locked luckily I locked it before sleeping, then her voice came in.

"Open the goddam door young lady".

I grumble and turn facing the wall using my pillow as a sound proof and pressing my ears with it and the next thing I knew was that my mother slapped my leg with her slippers and jumped out of the bed.

"How did you get into my room?".

She stood hands akimbo and I looked at my side table and I see my keys staring at me from the table, I blinked to know if I was dreaming or not.

"There's no water in the house, go get changed and come downstairs".

"I want to rest, I just finished school and it's supposed to be a Monday without stress".

"Come fetch water".

She instructed and leave my room but stood after the door.

"Happy birthday Sera".

I paused and screamed out of excitement and she just went downstairs, how come I forgot, I pulled my shabby night gown I was putting on and wore another gown, I brushed my hair and wrapped it into a hair bonnet, I dressed my bed and swept my room clean, I pulled the curtains, I locked the door and checked my small box and saw my wrapped paper and my small remaining dose of cocaine, I looked behind me and kept still and even stop breathing to know if anyone(my mom) is coming to my room and then when I realized it's clear, I pulled one of my old books.

"Bye bye to school".

I took out my ruler, poured out the contents on the book and used the ruler to divide the substance, sniffed the little amount and i didn't feel anything and that's when I heard my mum's voice from upstairs.

"I'm coming ma".

I looked down to sniff the remaining but it was only particles,.so I just wet my finger on my tongue and touch the particles and licked it off my finger, put the book back to where it belongs and rushed out of the room and saw my mother outside my room so if I didn't rush out now, she would have entered the room, I gave a crooked smile and she was even holding a broom.

"You are lucky I didn't come and meet you inside".

I smiled again.

This time she smiled, I always have a way of charming her, she went down.

I followed her down, she's sweeping the floor and I looked at the wall clock and it says 7 am.

"Why am I awake by this time? I'm supposed to be sleeping".

I took a rag and starts cleaning the table and the chairs.

"Today's your birthday".

"How does that have to do with me?".

She stopped and looked at me.

"We have to prepare Sera".

"I needed a surprise".

Now that's a lie, I needed more hours to sleep than any stupid surprise that's coming up, she glance at me smiling.

"You needed a surprise or you need more hours to sleep?".

"Actually more hours to sleep".

"Well you'll be getting none".

I frowned and dust the chairs faster and in no time I was done and started cleaning the window panes

"I'll soon be gone mum and you are going to miss me".

She stopped sweeping and she didn't notice it and I didn't notice until I couldn't hear the broom moving, I turned and saw her lost in her thoughts.

"Mum..Mum.. Mummy".

She finally turned and looked at me and she was already sweating.

"What happened? What were you thinking about?".

"Nothing dear".

She continues sweeping like nothing ever happened, I was done with that and went to the dishes and when I was all done with that, she was on the chair with food stuffs she bought the previous day, arranging.

"I want to sleep".

I muttered so she could hear but not too loud so she wouldn't get mad at me and starts shouting cause she can easily move from zero to hundred in no minute and she's the only one that scares me except God my creator.

She only eyed me and that was my cue to leave before I become her punching bag but not literally what I mean, I mean she would nag till the end of the day, I picked the bucket and went down the stream.

That's where I get water everything other than drinking, drinking water is bought by her in bags well I still carry it.

So the path to the stream is slippery and also a rocky path someplace but I'm very careful as I walk down and fetch the water and it's also a long distance.

I fetch ten times and then I stop, I dropped my water rag, that's the rag I put on my head when I fetch water, I wanted sneaking to my room and the plan was going good and well and one I placed my leg on that creaky old stairs.

"Sera, come here"

My face dropped immediately and I cursed the stairs but removed the curse almost immediately not as if the curse would work anyway but better safe than sorry besides this house is an old house so anything can happen.

I walked slowly to the kitchen.

"Smile a bit, today is your birthday and you are 23 years old".

I gave a forced smile and my mother laughed causing me to laugh.

"My legs are hurting, come cook the meal"

I nod and go to where she was and I became down more.

"You haven't started doing anything yet"

"So as big as you are, your mother should still cook for you, you would be getting married anytime from now"

"Says who?"

She shakes her head and leaves the kitchen, I stare at the ingredients in disbelief, so all this time she's been doing nothing.

I washed the chicken and chop into pieces, seasoned it and covered it up, I parboiled my rice and kept the pot of chicken on the fire to allow it to cook for sometime and then brought the pot down and put my rice back on fire, it's white rice I'm cooking.

I filtered the seasoned water from the meat letting the water drip off the meat completely and when the water has dried off the rice, I place a pot on fire and put small vegetable oil in the pot and fries the chicken, when I was done frying the chicken, I put a smaller pot on fir, add vegetable in the pot, put in my vegetables with little seasoning and when it need water, I added my water stock, so when it cooked.

I brought the pot down and served the food into two plates and kept them on the table, my mother was already sleeping on the couch, I made a mistake serving it, I love my food warm and she loves her's hot, I love it hot too but not all the time.

I ran upstairs and brushed my teeth and took my bath, I pulled out a dress she bought ever since for me but I have been waiting for a special day which is today, let my hair down and I applied some hair cream and brushed the hair, I let it fall on my shoulders pouring on my back.

I applied a little powder on my face, applied a little mascara, and lipgloss, wore my pin earrings and went downstairs.

There was something missing, the food I kept on the table wasn't there, infact nothing was on the table so I hurried towards it and my mother wasn't on the couch neither.

I rushed to her bedroom screaming for her.

"Mum... Mum"

Her room is empty and I rushed outside to the garden and I saw her there with the food, drinks and even a cake and I smiled suddenly feeling shy Infront of my mother while she smiled.

This is the first time I'm going to be cutting a cake.

My smile finally blossomed into a full throatily laugh, I went and sat beside her, she didn't sing the popular happy birthday song cause I hate the song, it's nothing special.

So she prayed for me and she urged me to blow the candles and blew the candle lights out.

I wished to be rich and get married to Troy, my mother pats my head and says happy birthday.

"Thanks ma"

We dig into the food

It's delicious

After we are done eating, I cleared the plates and washed them of course, my mom also got a wrist watch for me since she couldn't afford a phone for me, I pecked her forehead.

My last phone spoilt when I was 22 and since then I've been without a phone and it's not that long though.

We went in since the power came back and then we heard the sound of a car outside which is strange.

Sera POV

Seated in the living room with my mother and hearing a car sound from outside is very strange, can't remember the last time I heard a car sound in this neighborhood, I stood up from the couch and peered outside and I saw a black limousine.

"Are you expecting someone?"

My mother asked me

"There's no one I know that has a car talk less of a beautiful car like this".

That's the only word I could explain the car.

The car finally got a good spot to park and it was almost taking forever for the person or people to come out, I became enraged, I wore my slippers and charged outside while my mother ran behind me.

I went Infront of the car, placing one of my hands on my waist and the other hand, I pointed my finger to the car.

"You better come down her and show yourself or you better leave cause no one is going to give you a grand welcoming if that's what you are waiting for".

My mother held my hand

"Shhh you don't know who