Chapter 8

Immediately Richard saw Alyson approaching with the rake in hand, he let go of Lucy and spat into the grass. "Ya two disgust me."

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Alyson shot at him. "Bringing in different women to sleep with on your own matrimonial bed."

Richard kept his face straight at Alyson's words, his face devoid of any emotions.

Lucy shot Richard an angered look, but she didn't want to believe that he could go this far as to bring his flings into their house.

"Did you really bring another woman into my bed? The bed I bought with my hard-earned money." Lucy wanted to walk up to him and hit him again but Alyson rushed forward and held her back.

"I jus came here t git my things. I ain't git time for y'all," Was all Richard said as he walked into the house. Alyson hugged her mother as she cried on her shoulders. "It's okay, ma, stop crying. He's leaving now and I'll make sure he doesn't come back here."

Richard came back out with a few things in his hands. "Jus so ya know, I ain't marrying you agin, you silly bitch!"

"Give me back my money before you leave," Lucy demanded as she tried to free herself from Alyson, but Alyson held her back from going to meet Richard. She didn't want her mother to get beaten up by him, even though she had never witnessed him beating her, she feared it might happen now.

Richard ignored them both as he walked out into the street and flagged down a taxi.

"Get back here, you bastard!" Lucy yelled. "You spending my hard-earned money on those useless prostitutes of yours?! You better don't dare me!"

Lucy continued to rant but Richard was already a long way gone. Alyson tried to drag her inside but she was already causing a scene by continuing to scream her lungs out.

"Let's go inside already, ma," Alyson said, trying to pull her mother inside who wouldn't budge from where she stood.

Lucy collected herself from Alyson and stormed inside leaving Alyson who silently trailed behind. Her father had spoilt both their days but he had done worse to her mother's.

Lucy fell onto the couch and began to cry her heart out. "I did everything for that bastard," she said in between sobs. Alyson came and crouched beside her mother as she had taken up all the space on the couch. In an attempt to console her, she began to wipe the tears and sweat from her face.

"We'll get your money back, ma. You can go to court, they'll know what to do about him." Alyson suggested.

Lucy sat up and stared down at Alyson. "I couldn't possibly do that. They'll put him in prison...."

"...and you'll get your money back. Problem solved." Alyson finished off her mother's sentence.

"Problem solved? Your solution is to put your own father in jail?"

"He needs to be put in far more worse places after all that he's done to you."

"No matter what he has done, he's still your father."

"He has divorced you. So he's no longer my father."

"Alyson!!"

"What? He's gone now so you need to wipe your tears and move on."

"No. He can't be gone"

"Are you being serious right now? He's gone and out of our lives, and I will make sure it stays like that."

Lucy stared at her in disbelief as she shook her head. "You wouldn't get it."

"I wouldn't get what?" Alyson questioned.

"You've never been in love, have you?" Alyson quieted down at her mother's question.

"Rachel would be waiting for me," Alyson said firmly as she stood up to leave while her mother resumed crying. Alyson went in, packed a few clothes, and headed out.

---

The afternoon sun was already high up and the sky scorched everything its radiance fell upon including Alyson. Perspiration had gathered on her forehead already and had soaked her clothes. She decided to walk faster in order to get to Rachel's house on time in order to get away from the sun's harshness as she didn't have any money on her to take a cab. Alyson realized that the more she walked the more tiring she became so she decided to slow down her pace so she wouldn't get worn out by the time she got to her destination. She flung her bag over unto her head as she held it down with both hands, to use it as a shield to prevent the sun from frying her head off at least.

She was already halfway through her journey when a strange occurrence happened just across the road. She stopped in her tracks as she stood to watch.

A Ferrari Purosangue was parked close to a tall building when a man posing with an imposing presence came out from the driver's seat looking all buffed and ripped with a black suit on and sunglasses. A homeless woman with a baby strapped to her chest had ran and laid in front of the car begging for alms.

The car had been honking at the woman to get out of the way for it to park in the parking spot appropriately but she seemed adamant as she drew nearer to the car and held on to the car's plate. The driver had poked his head out the window gesturing to her and saying something that was inaudible to Alyson's ears but from the situation, she could tell that he was asking her to move away.

Seeing that the woman was reluctant, The driver had come down from the car to drag the woman away who still held on for dear life to the car's plate. The man tried to yank the woman's hands off the plate but she resisted and cried.

The man was finally able to get her hands off the plate but the plate had suffered the repercussions as one side of it came off and was dangling.

Out of anger, the man kicked the woman in her back as the woman yelped in pain, got up immediately, and left. Hate seethed coursed through Alyson's face as she saw what the man did. "Did that man just kick that woman with her child?" Alyson asked no one in particular. How could these rich people be so ruthless, these ones were no different from the people she had encountered at Tess God's forsaken penthouse. She wanted to go across the road and confront the man. But when another man came down from the passenger seat looking similar to the first one, she thought it wise to stay back.

Her fist curled in anger as she watched the men observing the car. She was pained that she couldn't do anything.

As she stared on, she noticed that the glass of the car was tainted. The men looked like bodyguards and it was obvious that someone was in the back seat. Her theory was confirmed when the window of the back seat that faced her began to wind down.

Her heart stopped pumping for a moment when she saw who was seated in the back seat. It was the man from the penthouse who had poured his drink on her and embarrassed her. Her face blushed red with anger as she remembered what he had done to her. He had a smile on his face and all Alyson had ever wanted to do was to walk over to him and punch him in his smooth face.

The man gestured to her to come over, but Alyson gave him the middle finger as she mouthed "You rich bastard!"

Seeing that Alyson was reluctant, he signaled to one of his bodyguards. The bodyguard went over while the second one continued to inspect the car. The man in the back seat said something to the bodyguard's ear while pointing toward Alyson.

The bodyguard nodded and began to jog towards Alyson. Alyson turned and began to walk away when she noticed that the guard was heading towards her.

"Hey wait up. My boss wants to speak to you." The bodyguard called as he increased his pace. Alyson did the same and began to run. Had the man in the back seat heard her? Hadn't the man done enough damage to get mental health? What more does he want now? But Alyson didn't wait to find out she cornered into another street and disappeared.