chapter - 9
A quiet, narrow alley covered within the canopy of trees sprinkled with red flowers . At the corner of the lane covered with those trees stood a simple wooden house—not too big, not too small, just ordinary .There was a stillness and serenity coming from this lane But there was no trace of peace in that house.
A middle-aged woman, breathtakingly beautiful, stood inside one of the simple rooms. Her lips were painted with dark red lipstick, and her body was wrapped in a gorgeous, emerald-green silk gown embroidered with delicate patterns. But opposite of that delicacy representing from her dress , her face carried an expression of anger and humiliation.
"I don't understand how you always end up falling behind!"
She stood in a room whose floor was covered with a clean sky-blue carpet with a pattern of floated white clouds , and the walls were painted in a soft moonlight shade that add a touch to it . "She was saying all this with a face filled with expressions of anger , turning her red eyes and angry face towards a thin looking girl who was sitting at a modest study table, looking down and
The girl wore a simple long top with trousers. Her eyes were hidden behind glasses, her gaze lowered, perhaps because she didn't dare to meet the woman's eyes.
The weather outside was slightly mild, with the sun's rays spreading warmth. Outside, there was heat from the sun, and inside the girl's home, there was heat from her mother's anger.
She looked at the frightened girl, whose eyes were lowered, perhaps out of guilt. Her breathing was fast, and if one looked closely, her hands were trembling. The woman folded her arms, her face filled with anger, and in a loud, furious voice, she said, "You always fall behind! Where does your focus go? Once again, you couldn't come first?? Why??"
"I've always taught you that if you want to earn respect and a high position in this competitive world, you must be ahead of everyone! Always ahead! Not second, not third, but the very first!" these words are said with a tone of someone who is reflecting their achievements
She cast a sharp look at the girl, filled with anger and humiliation, and said, "Because of you, my head has bowed in shame again today! "me and your father always felt a sense of shame because of your behaviour. Sometimes look at your older sibling and for once tried to reflect them.
"Your siblings also studied in this house, I taught them the same things I taught you, and they applied those lessons to always move forward!"
The innocent girl's eyes were filled with hidden tears, her throat become dried and deep inside she felt a load of deep hurt unsaid emotions . She looked at her mother with fearful eyes, her lips slowly parting as if to say something. But then, she decided it was better to remain silent.
Her mother seemed unaware of her daughter's pathetic emotions and, with the same furious gaze, said, "In our family, everyone is a intelligent or good in sports and excels in both studies and sports! Your siblings are so brilliant and beautiful, and look at you! You're neither good in sports nor studies!" what even have you achieved – she said these last words in a high pitched voice and words felt like they melt in the bitter sweetness of anger.
"All you care about is playing those sound waves with your fingers! It's those musical waves that have ruined your mind!" There was anger in her voice.
After hearing these kinds of word from her mother , unlike the most of teenage who felt anger at their parents , she feel like someone throw stones at her and led her into the depth of abyss filled with misery .The timid girl finally gathered the courage to speak. Still looking at her mother with frightened eyes and nervous expressions, she softly said, "Mother, but I was only ten marks behind the first ranker…"
Hearing her daughter argue back (even if it was a valid argument), her mother's anger only grew. She stepped closer and said, "Freya! Instead of arguing with me, if you had focused on your studies and left those useless musical waves behind, you would have been ahead by ten marks today!"
After hearing her mother's harsh words, Freya's innocent face was visibly filled with sorrow, guilt, and disappointment, the words feels like a sharp dagger in the form of a gift from her mother. Her face lost serenity and replace it with the expressions of nervousness.
Her mother was looking at her with eyes filled with anger. Perhaps she couldn't bear the weight of her mother's furious gaze and, lowering her eyes, she said in a nervous voice filled with a tint of guilt mixed in the voidness of that nervousness and sureness ,
"Mother, forgive me. Next time, I will make you proud just like my siblings have, and I will completely abandon the melodies of music that I love so much..."
(Which she had already left behind long ago, for her mother's sake, the music she loved the most and feel immense joy through it)
Her mother said nothing. She simply gave her one last angry look before walking out of the room.
Freya sat there alone in the medium-sized, simple room, where a cool breeze drifted in through the window. She is again alone with an ominous serenity. Outside, she could see a beautiful view decorated with red flowers. But inner of that simple wooden house room that beauty is hidden in chambers of guilt, disappointment and sadness.
"Maybe it was my fault that I couldn't come first again. I worked hard, but I still failed to make my mother happy," she thought to herself. I work hard , I done everything but I failed. Maybe I will never became my mother happy
She opened the window and gazed at the scenery outside,
"Today, my mother was so upset and angry because of me that she even forgot my birthday."
A faint expression of pain and sorrow rested on her face, visible only to those who looked closely.
She stood all alone in that silent room, gazing out of the open window at the beauty outside. The calm sky stretched endlessly, birds soaring freely, and the red-flowered trees swayed gently with the wind, their branches filled with joyful chirping. Somewhere, in the midst of all this serenity, she found a fleeting sense of peace against the storm brewing inside her.
"I always try my best to live up to everyone's expectations—to fulfill my parents' wishes, to be a good friend, to be a good sister. I do everything I can to give people what they want from me. I don't feel bad when my mother scolds me—because she is my mother. I don't mind when my father expresses his disappointment—because he is my sweet daddy. But somewhere, deep inside, even if only for a moment, a thought crosses my mind…
Will I, Freya, ever get to live my own life?"
Lost in these thoughts, the reflection of her unspoken emotions flickered on her innocent face.
She was lost in her thoughts when the sudden ringing of her phone broke the silence. The phone lay beside the bed. She turned her gaze towards it, took a step forward, and picked it up.
A frail, withered voice spoke from the other end—like that of a very old woman.
"Freya, happy birthday, my innocent girl".
Freya immediately recognized the voice. It was her grandmother—the only one who remembered her birthday.
Hearing those words from her grandma filled her heart with warmth. The ache she had been carrying within her suddenly felt soothed, as if unknowingly, her grandmother had placed a gentle balm on her wounds.
From the phone's speaker, the voice continued, "Freya, today you turned seventeen. Many blessings to you from me and your grandpa"
Freya didn't know what to say. A wave of unspoken emotions swelled in her chest, robbing her of her voice. She tried to contain the storm within her and, with teary eyes, managed to whisper, "Thank you, grandma."
Her voice carried an unmistakable tremor of emotion. The old woman caught on immediately. "Are you crying, child? What happened?"
Startled by how easily her grandmother could read her, Freya quickly wiped her tears, hiding them away in an unseen corner of her heart. Composing herself, she replied in a calm tone, "No, grandma… I'm just happy."
She was so overwhelmed that she blurted out, "You're the first person to wish me today."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, her grandmother's voice returned, laced with disappointment. "Your parents are so busy that they forgot their own child's birthday? What kind of parents are these nowadays?"
Freya suddenly realized what she had just admitted. Guilt washed over her.
Quickly, she tried to cover up, "No, grandma, it's not like that. They are just very busy. Actually, they planned a surprise party for me… but I already found out about it."
She didn't know if her grandmother believed her words or not, but the next thing she heard was a sharp, displeased voice. "You always make excuses for your parents' mistakes. I don't know when this habit of yours will change. I'll talk to them later. But first, open your door and see what's outside."
Freya's heart leaped with excitement. Was grandma here to see her?
Clutching her phone, she rushed downstairs. Her breath quickened with anticipation as she swung the door open—only to find a small box resting on the floor. It was wrapped in green gift paper adorned with delicate flowers. A small note on top read:
"Happy Birthday, Freya. This small gift is from your loving grandma".
Freya picked up the box with a mix of joy and disappointment. She had hoped her grandmother would be standing there instead.
Her grandmother's voice came again, "Open it."
Freya, still holding the phone to her ear, softly replied, "Hmm." She carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside, she found a simple journal—a plain yellow diary with nothing on its cover.
"Freya, you can write anything you want in this," her grandmother said gently.
Before she could say more, someone arrived at her grandmother's house, and she had to hang up.
Freya stared at the diary for a long moment. Then, she made a silent decision.
From that day forward, this diary would become her closest friend—the one who would listen, understand, and hold all her emotions without questioning or arguing.