Chapter 53 Silent Humiliation
Godiva POV
“What is this madness?” Mr. Young thundered as he walked toward us. I froze for a little bit. I didn’t expect that Mr. Young would see me raising my hands to slap his son. “Thank God his son was equally raising his hands to hit me,” I thought to myself.
Two minutes later, we sat quietly like children being scolded.
“What did I just witness now?” he asked the three of us who were now sitting on his very beautiful office chairs and facing him in his office.
For a while, the place was quiet. None of us said anything before Lis broke the silence. “Mr. Young, this girl always picks on Jerald and me whenever... when... Sir... even in school…”
Lis stammered but kept rambling on. “Just now she was ordering us out of the study in an authoritative manner before you came in and saw her... sorry, them raising their hands,” she ranted, giving a satisfying smile.
“Is that what happened?” Mr. Young asked, looking in my direction. I kept mute for a while. I was wondering if I should shut up about what they were doing, since it might attract Jerald another round of punishment from his father, which I didn’t want to happen. On the other hand, I decided to say it so I didn’t end up being seen as the bad person.
“Sir, I walked in on them in the study playing around with their tongues in such a disgusting manner not fit for a child to see, and Jenny was there. That was what made me ask them to leave the study.”
I remained calm, then I added the last part. “Sir, Jerald called me a ‘slut,’ and you walked in when I was about retaliating,” I said in a low tone.
I thought that would trigger him. I thought that would switch a button on his strict parenting code of conduct, but he seemed unfazed. He wasn’t moved by the statement, not in one bit.
“What they did in front of Jenny wasn’t appropriate since she’s just a child, but they are betrothed. In Chinese culture, it’s more like marriage, so you should have no problem with it to the extent of ordering them out,” Mr. Young said, deliberately ignoring the part where his son called me a slut.
Then he saw my vengeful gaze and finally spoke. “I apologize that he called you a slut, but this is his father’s house. The study is also his...” Mr. Young turned lazily.
I wanted to revolt, wanted to fight with words, but I knew my pride might cost me my job. “Sorry,” I said, looking at the both of them. “Sorry, sir,” I said to Mr. Young.
I could see the triumphant smiles on their faces. Without a response from any of them, Mr. Young dismissed us.
Walking away from Mr. Young’s office, I sighted Ben on the staircase. I quickly took my eyes off him and walked away. Ben didn’t do anything wrong, but this incident slowly brought back the resentful memories I had for the Youngs before our trip and how they humiliated me. I didn’t feel like talking to Ben right now.
All through tutorials that day, I could barely focus. I anxiously waited for the two hours to be over so I’d leave that place that felt like hell to me. The only thing that stopped my tears all through was Jenny’s constant checking up on me.
I burst into tears immediately I stepped out of the gate. Unknown to me, Jerald was sitting at the rest area in a garden opposite the house. I couldn’t care less about him since I wasn’t going to see him again until after the weekend.
..............
“Welcome back, tutor,” Dina teased. Ignoring her, I threw myself beside her on the bed.
“What are you thinking of?” she asked. When I ignored her for the second time, she suspected something was wrong and turned my face toward her. Looking Dina in the eyes, I finally let my guard down and burst out crying.
“It’s alright, girl. All these are a phase, we’d definitely pass,” Dina said, trying hard to stop herself from tearing up after I told her all that transpired at the Youngs’. “After all, if we win the competition, you won’t have to teach in that crazy house,” she continued, chuckling.
I woke up at her house the next morning, feeling a little better, though a little shocked Mama didn’t force me up as she always did.
“Did you tell Mama what happened?” I asked Dina, who was lying beside me, panic clearly written in my expressions.
“Mum told her you weren’t feeling too well,” Dina replied, still sleepy.
I heaved a sigh of relief. If Mama knew what transpired there, she would have definitely stopped me from tutoring ever again, because she wasn’t totally in support of me tutoring all along.
But I had to tutor so I could save up for college. Dina didn’t need to work to save up for college because her parents were already doing that for her. I guess that’s the importance of having both parents.
I spent the rest of my Saturday wrapped up in Dina’s blanket, either eating, studying, or sleeping.
“Come on, girl, let’s go unwind at the skatepark. We’ve been studying for a long while,” Dina said, dragging the blanket off my body.
“I’m not interested,” I replied coldly.
From my reply, Dina knew I was still not in my mood. “Alright then, I’ll have fun without you,” she said playfully, walking out the door. I simply smiled and waved her goodbye.
“You sure you don’t wanna tag along and just watch?” Dina said, swinging the door open after a while.
I burst out laughing. I knew Dina was going to give in her best in convincing me to tag along.
“Don’t push it, I’m really not going,” I said, pushing her out the door and locking it.
She returned from the park not up to an hour after, acting a bit weird, looking too excited and nervous at the same time. When I asked what was wrong, she simply told me she was just nervous and concerned about the choir singing at the big Valentine’s program the next day.
It was the next morning. I began feeling nervous. Being behind the stage and looking at the multitude congregation we were going to sing for made me suddenly shaky. There were lots of dignitaries present and people who weren’t even church members. What made me more anxious was the fact I had to take a verse.
In the midst of the tension, I sighted Jerald sitting in the congregation.
“What!” I exclaimed, tapping Dina on the shoulder to confirm my suspicion.