Beauty For Ashes (Chapter 8, Part B)

Back Home…
The rate of my heart beat increased as I approached the entrance door. I walked into the sitting room to meet Mother sitting on my favourite couch. She had this blank look on her face, making it difficult for me to ascertain her mood. As I stood before her, she stared at me for what seemed like eternity, and then turning to Samson, she said, 'You can go home now. You’ve closed for the day'.
‘Okay, ma’am. Goodbye, and see you tomorrow.’ Mother nodded, and he walked out of the living room.
‘Ese,’ she began spontaneously. ‘Have you forgotten who you are? You took such a big risk without thinking. What if one of those kidnappers had recognised you? I’m a lawyer, and I know how dangerous the world is.’ She cleared her throat, and continued, ‘there are wolves out there. Ese, you are my only child. Don’t ever forget that.'
I had become used to Mother’s ‘you are my only child’, and could tell when a discussion would lead to her emphasising it again. You are my only child. You are my only child. I heard those words every day, not necessarily from Mother. Of course, she didn’t say them to me every day. She didn’t have to. I heard these vocables in my head- loud and clear.
I wish I had a sibling so that I could at least lose the identity, ‘my only child’.