I used to live in the slums together with my parents and four younger siblings. My parents did not earn enough from their jobs to feed seven mouths and keep them safe under a sturdy roof. Their wages weren’t also enough to send all their children to school. Since I was the firstborn, I had the privilege to be in the primary school. My parents decided to support my studies until I finish high school since I have already started being in school.
But their decision changed during my last year in elementary. Life was getting harder and harder each day, and my parents could no longer afford to send me to school. Instead, they wanted me to work already. My father said I will be working in my Aunt Mariana’s business. Although I wanted to finish elementary very badly, I was left with no choice. I had to set aside this goal to prevent my entire family from dying from starvation or malnutrition.
With the little amount of money and the set of instructions my mother gave me, I traveled to Aunt Mariana’s place. She lived in the farther part of the city, where there were more trees than there were houses. I have been there before during Aunt’s birthday, and the first time I got there I thought I was in the next town already. Her house was still the same the last time I saw it: a big one-storey building painted with white and a wonderful roof that doesn’t get blown by strong winds during a bad weather. It was a house I wish my family had instead of a dwelling made out of tin roofs and spare plywood. The only major change noticeable from the outside was the towering fence and gate which I think made the house look even more incredible. As I stood by the doorbell waiting for Aunt Mariana, I couldn’t help but wish that she shared her blessings to our family. After all, she didn’t have her own family. Aunt Mariana opened the gate and greeted me in a casual manner. She was always serious-looking to the point that her face seemed to be in a perpetual frown, and as she told me to get inside I wondered if she ever smiled. I got the answer just a few minutes later.
It was lunchtime and Aunt Mariana had the table filled with food. She told me to eat as many as I could, and got my things then placed them in one of the rooms at the far end of the house. The food in the table was overwhelming to the point that it made me think of how full our stomachs would be if my siblings were here with me. But I shrugged the thought away and started feasting. When Aunt Mariana got back from the room I was already delighting myself with dessert. She just stood where she was looking at me as if I was something she didn't know had existed before. I just carried on with devouring the dessert.
After I had satisfied myself with the delicious meal, she collected the utensils and cleaned the table. Feeling ashamed at being served by the person who was supposedly my boss, I volunteered to wash the dishes. Aunt Mariana calmly said no and headed to the kitchen. I followed her in the kitchen and asked, “Aunt Mariana, what exactly is my job?” It was a stupid question, but in reality I didn’t have the slightest idea what my father signed me up for. Aunt Mariana put her dish-washing to a halt, and then wiped her hands dry. She walked toward me then caressed my faced. And for the first time that day, I saw a smile form in her mouth. It was a smile that I regretted ever seeing. Right then and there she bent over and kissed me in the lips. “You’ll know later, my dear.” She kissed me again, but this time it almost made me puke because she had her tongue in my mouth.
That night was the start of an eternal hell for me.
