Chapter 8
"Mom," I called out.
This time, my voice echoed softly. "Mom."
I suddenly felt an overwhelming longing for my parents, even though I couldn't remember their faces anymore.
It was summer break. Early the next morning, I hopped from a plane to a train, then a bus, and finally squeezed into a three-wheeler, winding my way back to my hometown after a long journey.
My home was a rundown mud hut, swallowed up by weeds.
It had been left to rot for years, and a few of its walls had already crumbled away.
I had no memories of this place, yet somehow, it tugged at my heart with a strange sense of warmth and nostalgia.
I pushed open the creaky wooden door, and was greeted by a dim, dust-choked main room.
A couple of battered cabinets stood around, and a grimy mirror hung crookedly on the wall.
On either side were the bedrooms, their wooden beds little more than piles of rotten wood.
As I poked around, I tried to picture what it must have been like when I was born here.
Maybe my parents were scrambling to take care of me, but at the same time, their hearts were full of joy and pride at my arrival.
I opened a dusty wooden box and found a yellowed photo inside.
It was me, a month old, cradled in the arms of a gentle woman with a round face.
On the back, there was a line of tiny handwriting.
It read: [My Lacey, happy one-month birthday. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.]
In our remote village, where people often didn't give a thought when naming girls, my parents put a great effort in mine.
They gave me my name with the meaning of grand, full, and dazzlingly beautiful.
I loved that name, but David never liked it.
David said, "Lacey is too common.
"Use Lacey.
"It means bright and fiery."
I really didn't want to change my name. That simple name, Lacey, was the only trace of my parents I had.
But I didn't want David to think I was too plain, so when I started working, I began using the name Lacey Mason.
I traced my fingers over the woman's face in the photo, murmuring to her image.
"Mom, I'm not happy. And I don't think I'll ever be happy," I whispered.
Even though she was smiling in the photo, her eyes seemed so sad, as if tears were about to fall.
I wondered if my mother sensed my unhappiness, so she looked sad.
I couldn't believe that I made my mom sad over a man.
I went next door to borrow a broom and a hoe, then spent the rest of the day cleaning up the house.
By the time I finished, it was already late at night.
The place was as empty as ever, but with the frogs croaking and the birds chirping outside, and lying on that hard wooden plank, I didn't feel lonely at all.
I called out again, "Mom."
Still, no one answered.
I pressed the photo to my chest, pouring my heart out about David and me.
I kept talking to her until dawn, and only then did I finally fall asleep.
Before drifting off, I thought that if I had my parents here with me, things would be so much better.
At least I wouldn't have to be scared of these empty, lonely nights.
*****
I spent a long time back in my hometown, chatting with the villagers and digging up more stories about my parents.
I cleaned up the house and hired someone to renovate it.
I made some new friends. I found myself smiling more and more.
It wasn't until the end of August, right before school started, that I finally made my way back to Rohands.
Shockingly, David never contacted me even once during all that time.
When I got home, both of them were there.
David was sitting on the couch, buried in work, while Ashtyn was sprawled at the other end, glued to her phone.
They looked like they were keeping their distance, but Ashtyn's feet were casually draped over David's lap.
I was exhausted from the journey, but David barely acknowledged my presence.
It was as if I'd only been gone for two days, not two months.
David asked, "Done thinking things over?
"Once you've cooled off, go make dinner."
After I'd been gone for two whole months, he assumed I was off somewhere reflecting and cooling off.
I wondered if he would still be waiting for me to come home and cook, even if I dropped dead out there.
Ashtyn didn't even bother to move. She said, "Lacey, grab me some juice from the fridge."
At that moment, they acted like they owned the place, and I was their maid.
As I was about to head to my room, the flash of silver on Ashtyn's finger caught my eye.
That was when I realized the wedding ring I'd locked away in the cabinet was now on her finger.
Noticing my gaze, Ashtyn wiggled her finger.
She asked, "This?
"I found it while I was rummaging through the cabinet. David said it was your wedding ring.
"But he thought it was cheap, so he gave it to me to wear.
"Relax, I'm only wearing it for fun. I'll give it back whenever you want."
David didn't even bother to correct her.
I'd spent nearly a year's salary on that ring, worried I wasn't good enough for him, and picked out something that felt priceless to me.
But to him, it was still cheap.
Maybe that was how he saw me, too.
To him, I was something Ashtyn could do whatever she wanted with.
Right then, it hit me.
I would not make myself miserable over a guy who didn't even give a damn about me.
I pulled up my payment code and held it out to Ashtyn.
"20 thousand dollars. Pay up," I said.
Ashtyn's playful smile vanished in an instant.
She said, "Lacey, your things mean nothing to me."
"Mean nothing? Then why are you living in my house, wearing my ring, and flirting with my fiancé?" I shot back.
Ashtyn kicked David.
"David, your fiancée's throwing a jealous fit over me again," she snarked.
David finally looked up from his work, frowning as he snapped at me.
"Lacey, stop acting up," he said.
I held out my phone in front of Ashtyn again.
I said, "I'm not making a scene.
"This ring's been tainted. Honestly, it disgusts me now.
"So I'm selling it to you for 10% off.
"Do whatever you want with it, wear it, throw it out, whatever."
Mom wanted me to be truly happy.
But if I kept making my whole life about David, letting Ashtyn mess with me, I'd never get the happiness Mom hoped I'd have.