Chapter 111 - The Burden Of Life

This drunk man looked scary in Selena's eyes, before the man's finger dropped to her shoulder for the second time, she immediately rose from a sitting position with her bag in her arms, her body was shaking, her face was scarred.

Working on the night shift turns out to be very scary, especially in tourist areas. Many drunk men can't control themselves, Selena often hears strange stories from her coworkers but she didn't think that tonight she would experience it.

"Hey miss, don't sell too much, who do you think you are," the man started babbling with an annoying smell of alcohol in the nose.

Selena did not want to reply, she immediately stepped foot in a hurry, she was about to leave the bus stop.

"Hey!" The tug of the hand felt rough on her wrist, she gasped with a pale face.

The man brought Selena closer to his body, those red eyes stared at Selena's naturally beautiful face, he smiled.

"Why are you waiting here, a woman with a face like yours shouldn't be selling herself on the roadside, aren't you not getting any customers tonight until you can't afford the taxi fare?" he sneered with a smirk on his lips, the perverted face looked disgusting, his tongue stuck out and wetting the surface of his lower lip, scaring Selena even more.

His words sounded unreasonable.

"Let go of my hand!" Selena tried to struggle, she pulled her hand but the man's grip was too strong, so Selena's body-slammed and got closer to the drunkard's face.

She got goosebumps.

"Well, look, what do these pink lips taste like." The man was getting impatient, he grabbed Selena's chin with his finger, his half-opened eyes seemed to want Selena so badly.

Selena pulled her face away from the fingernails of the drunken man in front of her, she was about to cry now, if she screamed would anyone help her? It's late at night, the streets are very quiet especially when the weather is drizzling.

"Hahaha… don't be shy, what's your fare? I think if you're still peddling on the side of the road it means you're a cheap whore," he reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and took out a few dollar bills. He held up in front of Selena's face with a sinister smile.

"Here is this money look enough for you? Oh yeah, I'll also pay for the hotel room and buy condoms, you don't have to worry, I have money!" The drunk man said in an indistinct voice, he staggered under the influence of alcohol, but the grip on Selena's hand didn't loosen one bit.

---

"Dad, why haven't you been coming home these past few weeks? I missed you so much, I have friends at school, two people, one a girl and the other a boy who--" Sarah's voice stopped suddenly making Jonathan suspicious, he started teasing his daughter.

"A boy who-- what is it, my dear? Is he bothering you? Is he avoiding you? Tell dad, I'm coming to your school and pulling the boy!"

Sarah's breath hitched. "No dad, it's not like that, he doesn't bother me at all, he's nice! I'm so excited to go to school, I don't think I want to go back to our house, I don't feel at home, I--" Sarah's voice trembled and made Jonathan feel sorry for his only daughter.

"Sarah, dad can't go home because dad's work is very busy if dad comes home too often, dad's work will take a long time to finish, dad has to work hard and faster so I can go home and accompany you again," said Jonathan biting his lip, he exists deed very busy working on the Broto's resort project, but to hurry home Ias a big lie, just like Sarah, Jonathan also doesn't want to go back to their house.

"Yes dad, I understand you, dad, I have to tell you, another friend of mine looks a little weird, but she's very rich and smart." Sarah resumed her story in a cheerful voice.

"Wow, isn't that great, you can learn a lot from her, you're also very smart and beautiful, I'm sure you'll be top of the class."

"I'm not sure dad, because my classmate is very smart and talented. Her mother told me if I should be good friends and always take care of her. What do you think? Her mother also invited me to stop by their house. I want to stop by the rich girl's house, dad, but I'm afraid my mother will find out and scold me." Again and again, Sarah's voice sounded depressed.

Jonathan feels sad about Sarah's condition, he thinks one day he and Sarah will have to get out of Michelle's circle of life but is it possible, after all, Michele was Sarah's biological mother.

"You have to get permission from your mother first, honey," Jonathan said.

Sarah's breath was heard over the phone. "But dad, mother - mother is always angry, she never listens to me."

hearing Sarah's sad voice made Jonathan speechless, his eyes focused on their video call suddenly interrupted, his brows furrowed tightly at the sight of Selena and a man in front of them.

"Sarah, I'll call you later, now I have something to do first." Jonathan immediately threw his cell phone, he opened the car door in a hurry, his breath seemed to rise and fall.

"Dad, dad, did something bad happens to you, dad…" Sarah's voice was faint from the car seat.

----

"Who are you calling!" Michelle's rough voice startled Sarah, she immediately hid her cell phone behind her body.

Her mother had already glared with piercing eyes from the doorstop, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Michelle looked angry.

"Mother, aren't you sick?" Sarah asked in a trembling voice. "Why did you get out of bed?"

Hearing Sarah's question made Michele's face even redder.

"Why do you think I had to get out of bed and eavesdrop on your trashy chatter!" Hissed Michele entered Sarah's room, she took her daughter's cell phone which was stored behind the body.

"Since when did you have this!" Michelle's cynical voice as she picked up Sarah's cheap cellphone, she looked at her daughter with fierce eyes.

Sarah just looked down in fear. "Dad, daddy gave it to me." She answered in a low voice.

"Haha .." Michelle's laugh sounded mocking. "Oh, so your dad already has the money and gave you this phone?" She stared at the phone in her hand with a sneer. "I can buy you better than this!"

Prang!

The sound of a cell phone slamming to the floor.

Sarah could only stare at the fragments of her cell phone which shattered into pieces on the floor, it was a gift from her father, so she could exchange news and tell each other about daily activities, but now it's shattered.

Sarah tried not to cry even though, in the end, her tears fell too, she immediately wiped her cheeks in front of Michelle.

"What are you sad about? I'll give you a better one. What did he say on the phone? Doesn't he know that tomorrow is the due date for your school payments, water and electricity arrears, vehicle taxes? Did he deliberately avoid all that and delegate all financial obligations to me!" Michele hissed with a furious face.

"Did he send money?" asked Michelle again.

Sarah didn't know what to answer, she never asked her father about money, she was only given a card for school purposes, and for the other things she didn't know, after all, she was just a five-year-old child.

Seeing Sarah silent, Michele just massaged her forehead.

"You and your father are the same, you are the burden of my life!" Whispered in an annoying voice, she turned around, stomping Sarah's cell phone on the floor.

"Hurry up to the kitchen and warm up my porridge," Michelle said to Sarah.

After Michele's going, Sarah crouched on the floor and picked up her shapeless cell phone, tears welling up in her eyes, remembering the last conversation she and Jonathan had.

"How is dad going to call me when this cell phone was ruined like this," she whispered in a trembling voice, she couldn't hold back the tears that fell uncontrollably.

Sarah picked it up slowly until Michel's voice made her jump in surprise.

"Sarah! Hurry up!" shouted Michele from outside Sarah's room.

"Yes!" said Sarah, immediately throwing the cell phone back on the floor, wiping her tears with the seam of her arm clothes, she hurriedly ran towards the kitchen, doing her mother's orders.

"What are you doing? I always tell you, if you are called, you must come immediately! quickly heat my porridge! Get me my medicine, my head hurts so bad right now. You and your father made me like this! You're just a burden, a living burden!" Michele kept nagging.

"I'll lose my job if I keep going like this. Ah!" She shouted as she threw the bill that filled the table where she stretched her legs.

"Damn Jonathan, why hasn't he sent me the money!" Michele tossed the bill in the air, tumbling on the floor, massaging her aching head.

"Sarah!! Hurry up!!" She shouted again toward the kitchen.