The Last Laugh

Chapter 9 - Pain and Kisses

***

I'd turned into a servant in that house. Weeks passed by and things got worse.

Aunt Christina had fired all the employees that uncle Ken had employed and replaced them with people

that were loyal to her. All the former employees I could depend on that were my friends were fired.

Aunt Christina would starve me and beat me up often. I was dirty, pale and hungry. I looked more like a

slave than anything else. Nobody wanted to touch me, approach me or even speak to me. The new

employees tossed me around as much as they wanted to. I'd gone from the little boy with a satisfying

lifestyle to the dirty ranch boy. I didn't even have the right to see Heather. I hardly did. I was always

outside working. And whenever I cleaned the house, she was always at school.

***

One day, I was starving in the stable and I began sobbing to myself. I prayed to God to help me. I

prayed for my dad or uncle Ken to help me. I was hopeless.

Someone came into the stable. I looked up. It was Sawyer.

"S– Sawyer, please. Can you bring me something to eat??" I begged weakly through my tears.

She didn't move but just stared at me.

"Please..."

"And why should I do that?" she asked coldly, folding her arms.

"Please," I cried, "I– I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday."

"That's cuz mom punished you. It isn't my fault if you didn't do the laundry properly. My clothes weren't

properly washed."

How could a nine year old be so wicked?

"Sawyer, please." I crawled to her feet weakly. I managed to grab her ankle.

"Aaaah!!" she screamed all of a sudden, "LET ME GO! You're dirty!"

I didn't let her go. I was starving and I kept on begging. I was only 12 years old and I hadn't eaten for

three days. I was desperate.

"Please..." I cried weakly.

"MOOM!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Fear took over me and I let her go.

Too late. Aunt Christina appeared angrily with a leather belt in her hand. Sawyer reported everything.

Aunt Christina turned to me, as furious as ever.

"Why you dirty little bastard! How dare you???" she growled raising the belt high above her head.

"Noo! Please!" I begged but the belt came down hard on me, hitting across my face and head. I

screamed at the unbearable pain.

"Pleeaase!!" I cried painfully. She didn't stop. She started flogging me with the hard leather belt, on

every part of my body. Everywhere. I couldn't open my eyes or see anything as she flogged me in total

rage. I screamed and screamed for help. She didn't stop. Sawyer stood watching with a satisfied look.

"Aunt Christinaaa! PLEASE! STOP! HELP!"

"SHUT UP!" she growled angrily.

"Mom! Mommy, nooo!!" I heard Heather's voice beg. Aunt Christina stopped flogging me and turned to

Heather.

I managed to open my eyes, though they were as swollen as the rest of my face. I saw Heather with a

painful look in her eyes. She was sobbing as she looked at me, her hand covering her mouth in shock

at my sight. She was only ten years old and had just seen what her own mother was capable of.

"M– mommy, what are you doing to him?!" she cried out.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the house?? Didn't I?!" her mother asked angrily.

"Mommy, he doesn't look okay! What have you been doing to him?! The last time I saw him he was

fine!" she screamed painfully.

"Heather, how dare you shout at me??"

"Mom, you are wicked!!" she cried. Aunt Christina's eyes widened in shock. Her daughter had called

her wicked. Her favorite.

"Did you just call me wicked?? Heather did you?" Aunt Christina growled. Heather stepped back.

"Because of this bastard?!"

"It's because she likes him, mommy!" Sawyer quickly reported, "They like each other!"

"Oh, I see." Aunt Christina turned to me, "So you've turned my daughter against me??"

I shook my head in fear.

"N– noo." I trembled.

"LIAR!" she screamed and the next thing I felt was the hard belt across my face again. I screamed in

pain.

"Nooo!" Heather screamed and ran towards her mother, trying her best to pull her away from me.

"Mommy! No!"

"Get out!" she pushed Heather aside, causing her to fall hard on the floor. And that was when Heather

for the first time, had an asthma crisis. Aunt Christina panicked.

"Heather!" she dropped the belt and carried her daughter, "Follow me with the belt!" she told Sawyer as

she quickly ran out of the barn with Heather in her arms.

I cried continuously. I was red, black and blue. She'd hit me so hard. My legs, arms and face had

swollen. I lay on the hay crying in pain.

Sawyer picked up the belt and looked down at me. No remorse or pity in her expression. She only gave

me a little smirk before running out of the stable. That's how I remained, crying till evening. My whole

body on fire.

***

By night I was done crying. I lay silently on the hay, thinking. Praying for Heather to be okay. I was only

twelve but I believed I loved her. I wasn't sure though if I could call it love. But what I was sure of was

that I really liked her. She was the only one who smiled at me in a very very long time. Yet I was unable

to see her.

*

It was 10pm and the ranch was silent apart from the little noise the horses in the stable with me did.

Everyone had gone to sleep. I thought of going to look for left over carrots from the horses' manger but

I was too weak to move. I closed my eyes. For the first time in my life, I prayed for death to come get

me.

I still had my eyes shut when I felt a soft hand caress my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes and saw

Heather sitting by my side.

"He– Heather?" I called weakly.

"Yes..."

I slowly sat up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking straight into her shiny eyes.

"I came to see how you were doing."

"Won't you be caught?"

"Everyone's asleep. I– I sneaked out."

I looked at her speechless.

"I– I also brought you my dinner."

She picked up a little bowl that I hadn't noticed by her side. She opened it. There was rice and tomato

sauce in it. "You must be hungry." She muttered.

I nodded, speechless. I couldn't believe she was here with me. She'd sacrificed her sleep and dinner

for me.

"C– can I feed you?" she asked nervously, her face reddening.

I managed a little smile.

"Yes. Please."

She picked up her spoon and mixed the food. Then slowly, she put the first spoon of rice in my mouth. I

ate. It'd been long since I'd eaten good food. She fed me continuously. My eyes never leaving her

beautiful face.

I was soon through with the food. It'd been enough to fill me. She then gave me water to drink in her

little water bottle.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Heather."

She smiled shyly.

"No problem."

"What happened to you today?" I asked.

"Asthma."

"Youhave it?"

"Yeah. It started today I guess. Mom took me to the clinic. I'm okay now. I have some medicine I'm

taking."

"Okay. I'm happy you're alright." I held her soft hand in mine. She blushed.

"I stole this for you." she said shyly, taking out some medicine from her pocket.

"What are those?"

"Pain killers. They'll help reduce your body pain. Since mommy flogged you today." she said in a shaky

voice. She was about to cry again. I hugged her.

"Don't cry. Please."

"I– I'll try."

"Please."

She looked at me.

"Promise to take the medicine."

"I promise."

She looked at me in the eyes and then got out of my grip.

"I better return to my room now." she said standing and picking up her bowl and water bottle.

"Okay. Thanks again, Heather." I looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back.

She began walking away and I watched her. But then she stopped. I wondered why.

Heather came over to me again and got on her knees, her face in front of mine. We stared into each

other's eyes and then she placed her lips on mine.

I froze. I didn't know what to do. Before I could react, she stood up and ran out of the stable. I sat up for

up to a minute. Unable to believe what had just happened. I smiled to myself. I'd been shocked to a

point that I hadn't really reacted to her little kiss. I promised that the next time I would be the one to kiss

her. And this time, I wouldn't freeze. Heather's presence had made me feel better that night. For the

first time in a very long time, I slept very well.