RAY OF HOPE
Vera woke before the sun, as she always did. For a moment, she lay still. Her body felt heavy, sore in places she couldn't even name. Her arms ached, her legs burned, and her back throbbed from bending over floors all day yesterday. She swallowed and pushed herself up slowly, wincing. Yesterday replayed in her mind, the endless scrubbing, the dishes piled high, the heat from the kitchen, the sharp voice calling her name over and over. "Vera! Are you still in bed?" Her body stiffened instantly. "I'm up, ma'am," she said quickly, her voice small. "Then why are you still there? Do you want me to come and drag you out myself?" "No, ma'am!" She scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the thin blanket wrapped around her. Her heart raced. Mornings were always like this, like stepping into a storm without time to breathe. She hurried to the kitchen, careful with every step. The kitchen was still cold when she arrived. She started immediately lighting the cooker, measuring the porridge, and arranging the bowls just the way Mrs. Williams liked them. Her hands worked quickly, but her mind stayed alert. As she poured the porridge, she heard footsteps. Her chest tightened. Mrs. Williams walked in, her eyes scanning the kitchen as if looking for something wrong. And she found it. "Why is this place so messy?" she snapped. Vera froze. "I... I just started, ma'am." "Started?" Mrs. Williams repeated sharply, stepping closer. "So this is how you start? Like this, by this time?, You want my kids to be late for school?Suddenly, her fingers grabbed Vera's arm too tightly. "I'm sorry," Vera whispered quickly. "I'll fix it." "Sorry, sorry... that's all you ever say!" The slap came as fast as lightning, but it didn't land where it was intended. Instead of her shoulder, it hit the side of her head hard. Vera gasped. A sharp ringing exploded in her ear, and for a moment, everything tilted. She stumbled back, her hand flying to the side of her face. It felt warm, wet.Confused, she blinked and saw the red stains on her fingers. It was blood, trickling from her right ear. Her ear throbbed, and the sounds around her felt strangely dull, like everything was far away. "Get up!" Mrs. Williams snapped. "Why are you standing there like that?" Vera nodded quickly, even though her head was spinning. "Yes… " Ma'am," she said faintly concealing the sharp pain she felt from the slap.Mrs. Williams pretended not to have seen the bleeding. Vera didn't cry loudly. She had learned not to. By afternoon, she was on her knees, scrubbing the floor again. "You're so slow," a voice said. Vera didn't look up. Tami stood nearby, arms crossed, watching her like she was something unpleasant. "Do you even know how to do anything right?" she continued. "Or were you just... useless from the start?" Vera's hand paused for a moment. Then she kept scrubbing. "I'm doing it," she said softly. Tami rolled her eyes. "Barely. You have to do it properly, if not, you would start all over" she added walking past the mopped floor.Food time was always worse. Vera stayed in the kitchen, dishing out the meals while the family sat at the dining table, eating and laughingHer uncle wasn't always there. When he was there, there wasn't much difference because Mrs. Williams knew how to turn the situation around to her favor. Seven years had passed and the cycle continued or worsened and Vera had gotten used to it and had grown a thick skin to it.Vera was withdrawn from high school as her Aunt, Mrs. Williams claimed that the family couldn't afford to sponsor her fees despite receiving the money from Raymond."School?" Mrs. Williams had laughed that morning. "For you?" Vera stood there, silent. "There are more important things you need to learn," she continued. "Like how to be useful." And that was the end of it. Vera realized that if she stayed in that house all day, she felt like she would disappear completely. So, she found small ways out. After taking the younger children home from school, she would slip away. Run errands, Clean small shops. Do anything that gave her a little space to breathe and made a little money for herself . Every coin she earned, she hid carefully and kept as savings.One evening, after a long day, she sat outside a small café. Her body was tired. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Just for a moment. "Hey… you okay?" The voice startled her. She looked up. A girl stood there, about her age, leaning out from the café counter. Her hair was messy, and with an easy smile.Vera blinked. "I'm... fine." The girl raised an eyebrow. "You don't look fine." Vera didn't know what to say. Nobody had ever asked her that. "Come sit," the girl said, nodding to a chair. "You look like you need it." Vera hesitated. Then slowly, she stood and walked over. She sat carefully, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to be there. "I'm Lina," the girl said. "I work here." "I'm Vera," she replied quietly. Lina handed her a glass of water. "Drink." Vera took it with both hands. "Thanks""Better?" Lina asked. Vera nodded. "Thank you." Lina smiled. "You can sit here for a bit. No rush." Vera looked around. The soft noise, the warm light, the smell of bread. For a moment, it didn't feel like her world. It felt like somewhere else, somewhere gentle. She didn't realize she was smiling until Lina pointed it out. "See? That wasn't so hard." Vera looked down, a little shy. But the warmth stayed. Later that evening, as the sky turned orange and pink, Vera stood up. "I should go," she said softly. "Come back," Lina replied easily. "Anytime." Vera nodded. "Okay." And for the first time in a long time, she meant it.