HIS CAGED QUEEN

chapter one

The two women standing facing each other near the extremely crowded gate at the airport would not have been taken as mother and daughter.
Susan Danielle was on her late fiftys and rather than blending in the crowd she stood out with her expensive clothing that attracted more eyes than a mere person could afford.
Her daughter Becky slightly taller and younger by twenty years and looked more exhausted than her tired mother as though she had suffered so much in her life and almost gave up . Her oversized trench coat hid well without revealing how much weight she had lost. She blended in the crowd but occasionally one or two passerby gave her a second glance. She was one of those women who define beauty, no one suspected she was quite unconscious of her power.
The farthest thing from Becky's mind was her effect on the opposite gender. She said to her mother, "You sure don't want to stay longer here I know it's more exciting and you are too tired, but you are welcome to stay with me if you want to. "She said knowing very well where she lived cramped her mother's style. Susan cleared her throat and looked lazily at her daughter and said, "oh no need Becky, you've had me long enough, how long , two days, right? It's time I leave you to continue with your life. What was it you told me you do again?. " As if you really did care."Becky whispered to herself as she looked away from her mother. "Now Becky, no need to go into that." Susan placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder and looked into her daughter's eyes "I'll only say this once, there are things I regret in life and there those I don't. I can't repay all you've done for me for the past years, l'd still be in....... I'd still be drowning in drinking if it weren't for you to move heaven and earth in search for a good rehabilitation center for me to be in. Probably I should be underground by now but you did save my life. Thank you so much. I do regret one thing though, my search for love. Hope with you, it does you good than harm." She put her arms around her daughter and and hugged her with the same awkwardness in her speech, her daughter despite her unfeeling heart, felt a little twinge of love but quickly shoved it away. "You are my daughter Becky, I neglected you for years and your father wouldn't have wanted that, I don't deserve you at all." Becky stood looking down at her mother though her hands were craving to smooth down her mother's hair she just couldn't. "You are my mom," she said. "It's not like I do have another choice, I'd still do it again if I have to." Susan managed to smile, trying to relieve the tension, " I know you love helping people Becky, going to places to help them ,but it's time you look after yourself, you help yourself and let love find you." Becky looked at her mother and without saying anything she stepped out of her mother's arms who was now absorbed in a young couple exchanging a passionate teary embrace not too far away from them. " You know I still haven't got over your father. He is the reason I still haven't remarried. Had no desire to since I kept hoping he would come back to us. You were young and loved your dad, I never had the heart to tell you he wasn't coming back. When I saw you everyday sitting beside your window waiting for him to come back but he never came it broke my heart. The day I didn't see you on the window my heart broke, I thought you forgot about him so I let out my frustration on you, got into drinking and abandoned you in the house, deep down I knew I was chasing you away but I couldn't move on, I was broken and I let it out on you." Susan said looking at her daughter's eyes for any emotion but when she saw nothing, she sighed silently at what she had done, she had made her daughter to become a beast, a beast with no emotion but she was wrong, Becky felt everything, the only difference between her and her mother is that  she was a master at hiding her emotions. Years of practice made her what she had become. Becky looked down at her mother's boarding pass, she was to board in five minutes. "Mum, you have to go through the security since you will be boarding in five minutes." Susan looked back at the security then to her daughter, "remember this Becky, love makes you, if you let it destroy you it does it with pleasure." She whispered to her daughter but before she could turn away, her daughter pulled her back and whispered back. "Oh but it destroyed you, am not weak and will never be. Love is for the weak and that's where I triumph." Susan looked at her daughter with pain in eyes and gently turned away picking up her leather bag and headed for the gateway. The attendant checked her boarding pass and with one last look at her daughter who stood with her hands crossed on her chest she mouthed 'I love you' and disappeared from sight. Becky sighed tiredly and clutched her bag more tightly before pinching the bridge of her nose to release the tension and slight ache she was feeling due to her  tired body. She started walking down the terminal away from the taxi stand since she preferred walking when she always felt worn out and it always helped her to think. Maybe along the way she could figure out what the heck just happened earlier with her mom and all that love and emotional talk. She also had a strange feeling that maybe she was waiting for something, or maybe someone. She just shook her head to clear it and quickly walked away so she could reach the hospital and find out the ' important ' issue her friend Lizzie insisted on earlier.