For the next few days, life went about the same usual for Malee and the rest, albeit sense of doom and despair on everyone’s faces. As the day to master’s return got closer, Malee noted that some servants became more active and less noisy than usual. Michael and his father worked almost the whole day in the garden, watering and planting new flowers constantly. There were also much more clothes to wash and hang for Malee. Even George wasn’t as cheerful as before, to which Malee put it down to news of his sister coming back along with the master.
It was the day before his master’s return and Mary asked Malee if she could sleep over that night because they would need to be up very early. Malee insisted her she would still need to go back to take care of her father and promised to come back very early before the dawn. Mary reluctantly agreed and let her go back home, secretly wishing Michael would be as fulfill to her as Malee.
Malee left the gate later than usual, but the roads were still full of traffic. Malee realised she hadn’t walk along the roads that late for a while and smiled at the thoughts of her former life. In fact, in the house, she could barely hear the cars honking non stop and drivers shouting at one another. She felt like she had been a servant for a long time and not just a week she had pushed her cart through the gates. She looked left and right several times before crossing the street into rows of private houses and into the darkness of the night.
The street lights were dim, but she knew the road and there were always vendors and cars, so she knew she would be safe. Soon, she can see the bright lights of the night market and knew she was only a few steps from her home. She stopped by some stalls for a quick drink and chat with her mates and to catch-up on the latest gossips coming out from the slum. The words on the street, she was told, was that there had been a furious lookout for someone to become a finance for a prince of the kingdom. They wondered what would it be like to be chosen as a princess. Malee joined in the fun and wondered if there could be someone living a life better than George because she couldn’t imagine that at all.
It was near midnight before Malee left the group and walked to her home. Her father wasn’t home yet. It was unusual for him to home so late from the gambling den he would venture out with his pals. Malee tidied up the place as she could and took a well-earned sleep. She knew she would have to wake up earlier than usual and would be busy the whole day. She slept well into the night and woke up only when the sound of rubbish trucks coming into the road. To her amazement, her father wasn’t still home yet, but she knew she would have to make a run for the house because soon the sun would be up and everyone would need extra hands.
Just as she was about to leave the place, her father walked into the hut, staggered as drunk and his shirt soaked with blood. His eyes, barely opened with puffiness around, probably from the beatings he had, opened wide when he saw his daughter looking at him. His mouth, with the blood dripping and a tooth dangling at the side, could only mutter a single word to her before collapsing on the floor.
“Run.”
Without thinking, she dashed out of the hut, leaving her father on the floor lying, presumably unconscious. She didn’t know if she was running to get some help at this time of the day for a broken man or running away from the danger her father was trying to say, but she knew something was wrong. Her father was trying to warn her of something with his eyes. For once, he seemed to remember he had a child and how much he loved her. The sun was coming up on the horizon when Malee was at the still running. Then something or someone hit her. It was a bicycle.
“Are you ok?,”