The Story of 1000 Sorrows

As April came, a serious oddity was coming into Angela’s life. Her mother, and Shone’s father, often did not come home. During the first few days, Angela would wait outside the front steps with Shone. Their parents would come home past midnight. As time passed, Angela and Shone got tired of waiting anymore, so they just pretended nothing happened.

By the end of April Angela consulted her mom.

“Is there anything between you and Shone’s dad?” Angela asked Rose one morning when they were eating breakfast.

Rose chuckled, flipping bacon over the frying pan. “Anything? Luke is a nice guy. He is a gentleman, he is mature. He has got everything every woman would ask for in a man. He is perfect.”

“Perfect enough for you to want to marry him?”

Rose stopped frying the bacons. She paused, then turned and looked at her daughter. Angela would not deny that her mother was still pretty and had a good slim figure; with large firm breasts and lean legs, despite being forty plus.

“Marriage is between us adults. You just focus on your school.”

Angela felt a surge of anger rising up. She vividly despised being underestimated. She hated how her mother pretended she was still a five year old, when she understood what her mother had been doing. “Don’t consider me as a child anymore. I am turning 14 this year, and going to high school soon.”

Rose looked angry as well, but controlled herself. “Good. So go to school, graduate, find a job and earn money,” she said in a tone that accentuated the end of the discussion. She turned off the stove and was going to remove her apron.

But for Angela it was not enough.

“Where have you been for the past month? You came home later than usual. Where did you spend time with him,” Angela said, dropping her fork.

Rose paused. “Eat your breakfast and we’ll go to school.”

“Answer me,” Angela insisted, gritting her teeth. “Luke had also been going home late… with you. Where were you those nights you came home late? And there have been rumors, even at school. Cassie had been telling me her brother saw you and Luke every night in the bar. And one more thing. Recently your breath has been reeking with alcohol. You have been drinking! Even though you are a bartender, you never drunk that much before! Some nights I noticed you going home, staggering, and collapsing onto the front couch. I had to wake you up every morning--”

“Shut up!” Rose raised her voice, throwing the apron harshly on the kitchen counter. “Do not get indulge in adult affairs. I work every day as a laboratory assistant during the day and as a bartender during the night, all just to pay for your damned expenses. Just shut up and go to school, study, earn good grades and earn money. I will not tolerate any other activities you do under this roof!” Rose banged the counter and left.

That evening Angela shared this story with Shone, crying on his shoulder. They were sitting together in the usual bench in the local park.

Shone said that even he smelled alcohol on his father’s breath as well. They had been drinking. Some nights his father would come home, his buttons undone and his fly unzipped.

Apart from that, Shone had another disgusting news he had just found out about his father.

"One day I entered his room and found porn magazines and blue films lying around. I know he is an adult man with a man's desires, and he has had no one to satisfy his desires with, but tell me Angela, do you think it is wise for a parent to just keep adult matter lying around?"

Angela sobbed even harder. “What shall we do, Shone? What?”

Shone was silent, patting her back. There was no one to tell. No one would listen, no one would understand.