# ASC_EPISODE31
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Tony entered Alice’s room carefully. She
smiled at him. Then she stood up and
walked up to him,
‘i’m sorry for disturbing your sleep’ she
said.
‘no problem’ he replied.
‘please, is Maria your biological
daughter?’ Alice asked and Tony
frowned.
‘what kind of a question is that?’ Tony
asked.
‘i’m really sorry. Its just that Maria just
left my room just now and i dont really
know whats wrong with her’ Alice said.
Tony was surprised ‘what did she say?’
‘she thinks i’m your girlfriend, you
needed to see the way she warned me
seriously to stay away from you. Is that
how she has been chasing all your
girlfriends away?’ she asked.
‘sorry Alice. I dont tolerate other people
prying into my private life. Goodnight’
he said and left.
He sounded rude.
******
Maria left for school before anyone in
the house woke up. She was trying to
avoid her dad. She got to school quite
early. The school assembly had not even
began.
‘Maria!’ someone called from behind.
She turned and saw Susan walking
towards her. She waved at her. They
began to walk towards the school
auditorium as they chatted along.
‘Susan, whats up, where is your
brother? He didnt come to school
today?’ Maria asked.
Susan sighed and shook her head in the
negative.
‘he wouldnt come to school today’
‘why?’
‘my step mother refused to let him come
to school today’
‘why?’
‘thats because he refused to wash her
underwears for her’
‘what? You mean your stepmother told
your brother to wash her underwears
for her?’
‘yes Maria. She beat him black and blue
yesterday. If not for neighbours timely
intervention, only God knew what
would have happened to him’
Susan was sobbing at this point.
‘what happened?’
‘my step mother is hell. This morning,
she siezed the allowance father gave
me’
‘why?’
‘she said we were wasting money in the
house. She even refused to give me
food this morning’
‘what?’
‘yes. Life has become a living hell since
our stepmother entered into our house.
She will beat us up, frame us up before
our father, she wont give us any food’
Susan explained in tears.
‘what does your father do about it?’
‘he does nothing. He only tells us sorry
thats all. Daniel and i are regretting ever
letting her into our house in the first
place. We had every opportunity to
refuse in the first place but…. We
thought we were doing it for our
father’s happiness’
Maria sighed ‘when i was telling you not
to let any woman into your father’s
house, you said you want your father to
be happy. Now he is happy, you are sad’
‘you were right Maria. I wished i had
listened to you’
‘i will never let any w—e into my father’s
house. I dont want any problem. And i
dont want father to forget mother’
‘thats true. Dad rarely talks about mum
again. He has forgotten about mum’
‘and they will maltreat me too. I dont
want that’
‘Maria, learn from me, do not let any
woman into your father’s home if you
dont want to end up like me. I am
suffering. I wonder what poor Daniel
will be going through by now, perhaps,
he would be recieving series of beating.
I pity him’ she said bursting into more
tears.
How she wished she had kicked against
the marriage from the start.
The experience shared by Susan made
Maria determined to deal with any
stupid lady who wants to reap where
she did not sow…..
To be continued
