All That I Need

Episode 6

Lily’s POV

After what had happened, I was way too traumatised to go back to classes. Way too scared to spend the rest of the day at school. I was scared that I would see him again.

I was never somebody who was physically violent to people, but in this kind of situation, I had to take control. I hoped that I had ruined him enough so that he wouldn’t be trying to rape any more girls soon.

As soon as I was finished in the toilet, I grabbed my bag and left school, heading towards the run-down house on the hill nearby. My house.

The wood was rotting, there was no water or electricity, and it was full of rats, insects and arachnids of all kinds.

But I appreciated it. It was the very first house we had ever owned.

My childhood was unlike the usual childhood.

I spent most of my days sitting on the side of the street and begging for money, searching through garbage bags for anything that looked alright to eat, and trying to get care for my sick mum, going door-to-door to see if anyone would be able to help. It wasn’t the ideal way to grow up.

But a few months ago, some woman on the street had handed mum $500, telling her that she had won the money.

“I won this from a poker machine. But I have absolutely everything I ever needed in my life. You need this more than me,” the woman said.

Mum’s eyes glistened, and she hugged the stranger tightly.

“Thank you. You don’t know what this means. We can have proper food tonight. And maybe some of this will be enough to buy some sort of shelter. A PILLOW!” Mum yelled excitedly. “Maybe even clean clothes,”

The woman was smiling so widely, and I saw tears rolling out of her eyes.

“I am so glad that I am the reason you’ll get to experience all these simple luxuries that people like me take for granted. I hope this makes life better for you,” she hugged mum once more, and me too, then continued on with her normal life as a person with a home.

The first thing Mum brought us with the money was some food. It was the first proper meal I had ever eaten in my life, and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It was a dominos pizza, shared between the two of us.

After that, mum had $494 left.

We brought fresh clothes, and pillows, and blankets.

Then one day, mum walked past an old, abandoned, run-down house.

“I want a life for you, Lily,” She said, staring at it.

“This is a start. This is beautiful.”

It cost her $300, as it was old and abandoned and nothing was working, but it was everything to us.

When we moved in, Mum cried, and so did I.

“We have a house, Lily!” Mum said, sobbing.

“We’re not homeless,”

I smiled. It really did mean so much to us.

“Outside of that clothes shop a few days ago, I saw a sign Lily. A sign that said they were hiring!” Mum said enthusiastically.

“I will go for this job! I will get it! I will make money. Enough money for me to visit the doctors and enough money for you to go to school one day,” She smiled, thinking of the future that this random lady on the street had given us.

“That sounds amazing Mum,” I said, smiling brightly.

———

Mum had got the job, and was able to send me to school a few months later. Too bad that somebody had to ruin my first day. I didn’t want to go back.

But I had to. Mum had paid for me to have education, to have a somewhat normal life. And I was not going to let one situation ruin that for me.