Part 5 - Toxic Household

...(30 minutes later)...

While talking with her friend through her phone, she started to smell something familiar.

"Wait, I'll be back. I kind of smell that thing again." Scylla said to her friend.

She left her phone on her bed and walked slowly towards their first floor where the smell is coming from.

She immediately familiarized the smell, and was shocked when she found out. She's right, it's the floral scent of cocaine. She went downstairs to her mother when one of the coworkers grabbed her hand.

"You look so pretty, how old are you?" The coworker said.

"I didn't know your daughter is this pretty, like a model." Another coworker said.

Scylla frustratedly brushed off his hand and convinced her mother to stay away from the scent of drugs.

"Ma, let's go upstairs. You shouldn't be here."

"Your father— *coughs* will be mad if I do that." Her mother replied.

Her father stood up from his seat.

He grabbed Scylla's hair and pulled it. Scylla looked him in the eye, she knows that his father is high with drugs and could already be drunk again.

"Who are you to disrespect my coworkers? Huh? And he's older than you. Don't you know that?" His father said.

"Let go!!" Scylla screamed while trying to let go of his grasp.

Her father then slapped her face.

"You disrespectful kid. You have no discipline."

Before her father hit her again, her mother interrupted them.

"Let go of her please, *coughs* and just enjoy your evening. Please, I'm begging you. We're very sorry." *coughs again*

Her father silenced for a while before letting go of Scylla. He quietly went back to his seat and his coworkers told him to calm himself.

Scylla went back upstairs while holding her mother's arm. She caught a glimpse of their perverted look as they went inside her room.

Instead of feeling mad at her father, she feels worried for her mother. She's scared that her condition will worsen if she stays there.

She locked the doors and explained to her mother what his father was doing.

"I know that, Scarlet." Her mother said.

Scylla's eyes widen. "Really?" She asked. "I thought you didn't know."

"It's been 2 years since I first caught him doing drugs. I confronted him but hr didn't listen. I was hoping that he wouldn't do that again, but he did." Her mother replied.

"Just when I thought his smoking and drinking habits were the worst. Now he's doing drugs too? He can't even buy us canned sardines. Have you thought of telling it to the police?"

"I can't... You know he provides us food, right? We can't let him go to jail, and besides, I'm too old to work. I'm already in my 60s and now I have breathing problems."

"What if I work instead? I could look for a part-time job so we wouldn't be dependent on him."

"I wouldn't let you, Scarlet. You're just 17, focus on your studies first."

"Fine, but I've been interested in working part-time lately."

"Sorry, Scarlet. I can't let you make the same mistake that I did. I must've not told you yet, I was a working student back then."

"Really? Yeah, I think you haven't told me that yet. So where did you work?"

"I worked as a waitress when I was in college. Due to our financial problems, I forced myself to work for 5 hours after school. At first, I thought I could handle it both but eventually, I decided to focus on my studies. Then I looked for a job as soon as I graduated."

"Where did you meet him?"

"I met him when I was working at a factory. They pay much more than being a waitress. I was actually planning to live alone back then."

"So, what happened? Was he already an alcoholic back then?"

"No, I think. I only noticed his alcohol habits when we were in our 40s. He was so different back then compared to now, but he's just probably pretending to me."

"What about the living alone thing?"

"I thought it would be better to have someone that can support you financially. Too bad I was one of the few workers who got fired when our factory went to a near-bankrupt. Then, my mother needed to be taken care of so I stopped working for a while and that's also when I became dependent on him."

"Uhm, no offense ma, but why did you still want a child then?"

"Actually, I told him I didn't want to but he said he just wanted to make love... You know what happened next."

"So, what did he do when he found out that you're pregnant?"

"Oh, that fucking bastard acted like he didn't expect that to happen. Acted like he did nothing wrong."

"That fucking bastard."

"Hey! Scarlet, sorry it's still bad to swear. Sorry I said those. I don't want to be a bad influence on you."

"I know, I'm sorry. My emotions controlled me. By the way, don't come back downstairs, ma. Your lungs will worsen, remember that."

"Right. Sleep now, dear."

"Yeah, I will later."

Scylla and her mother stayed in her room while his father entertained his guests downstairs. They decided to celebrate in the most unhealthy way possible—alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.

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