Amanda
I froze in my tracks. Pls tell me it isn't him, I begged. But it was too late.
He looked at me, a toothlesd smile lighting up his rugged features. He looked freshened up, with a bow tie and a sharp white shirt. He was sitting on a stool near the bedside table, meeting my gaze.
I must admit, he looked much more presentable than the clothes in prison that he frequently wore. However, my anger and hatred for him was just as much as before. Or maybe, it even grew just a little bit more, seeing him sitting beside my mother whom he abandoned.
He was still the man that raped me and destroyed my childhood. He was the reason why my sister and I were separated and never found again. He was the most powerful gang leader of all, whom I had never understood.
I'd swore that my life will never be taken away by the concerns of the gang anymore until he showed up. My hands balled up into fists, my eyes already welling with tears.
"Why are you here?" I asked coldly, not meaning for it to be answered.
"Because I heard that something happened to her and I'm expressing my condolences." He replied in a clipped, matter-of-fact manner.
"You're not family anymore." I snapped.
No matter whether he changed or not, he was still a ruthless person to me and I could never forget the way he treated my mother.
Although he was my father, he could never be considered my dad.
Upon hearing my words, he remained cool and passive. I wondered what he was thinking at that point in time, a moment that was so tense for me.
"Amanda, I know you will never forgive me, but I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about the past now but I can frankly say I've thought long and hard about this and I regret my actions." Finally, he inclined his head to look at me.
"I want you back into my family again." He continued, a hint of emotion in his otherwise composed and impassive face.
"So you can kick me out again without any warning and ruin my life? No thanks." I retorted, my voice cold and icy. No matter how hard he tried to persuade me on this issue, I was not going to change my mind on this.
In this small and enclosed room, it felt as if the chill from the air conditioner just overhead was becoming much colder than before. I shivered involuntarily.
Vaguely, I wondered if Vince was overhearing our conversation in the next room. He would have a much better decision to this issue than me, I'd admit.
"I knew this won't persuade you." My father took out his wallet and looking through it for something.
"But this would." He said, taking out a photograph of her.
The photograph was crumpled and faded, as though it had been in his wallet for quite a long while. In the middle of the photo sat a girl that was so similar to me, yet so different in many ways.
She had Liz's soft eyes, and my father's sharp nose. However, compared to me, she was always better.
My sister was always the one who smiled brighter, received more gifts and had much more friends than me.
Although she was considered as the better sister, she never shown an inch of arrogance towards me and was always willing to help.
That was when everything was normal, until that happened. Afterwards, I never saw her again. It was like my closest friend had disappeared from the face of the earth and left it empty and meaningless.
As I was recalling these memories, my eyes started tearing up and I was unable to withhold my tears from rolling down my cheeks.
"Come, Amanda. Come back to us so that we can be one family again. We will get a new house and you can choose where we stay. Everything will be better. I promise to make it up to you." My dad pleaded, his voice a little edgy.
For a moment, I hesitated. Maybe he was right. Maybe we could be one family again and perhaps this could be the one chance I had to let go of the past completely.
I hadn't seen my sister in so long and vaguely I wondered how she was doing now. Feeling a pang in my chest, I really ached to see her again.
"But how about Liz? My schooling?" I asked him.
He stood up from his chair by the bedside. We were now facing each other. I crossed my arms and looked impassively at him.
He looked at Liz with emotion. "She will be taken care of, don't worry. As for your schooling, we can start anew at some school far away from here. Don't worry about it." He continued.
All these things that he was saying, they sounded sincere and true. I really wanted to have a real family again, something that I never had.
However, a hint of doubt was clouding my mind. How could this situation be so good?
I felt as though there was something more to it than what it appears on the surface.
And how about Vince and how would he react to this? If we were really leaving there was little chance I could meet him again. Do I really want it to happen? I really needed time to figure this all out.
"I think I'll have to think about it first." I said hesitantly.
For a moment, he seemed relieved. Then, I could sense his determination to win me over.
"I'll give you today and tomorrow to decide. If you don't leave with us, I'm afraid this is going to be over." He said, an edge in his voice.
Now, he seemed much more like the gang leader that he was. Instinctively, I took a step back. Was he threatening me now?
"Trust me, it's much better that way." A familiar voice spoke, and we both turned our heads.
Vince was standing at the open hallway, staring directly at him with his jaw clenched.
"Get away from her."
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