Chapter 10: Blessed Daughter

I believed I needed to unwind after the quarterly exam. The exams were difficult; I was grateful for the three-day vacation so we could focus on something other than the difficult exam. I was just here in my small house, wrapped up reading Jill Murphy's novel The Worst Witch. It was a children's book, and I had no trouble reading it.

The entire set was obtained from the school library. I'll be returning this in three days when school resume, therefore I'm in a hurry to finish it. Because the words are simple and the plot is interesting, it's simple to read. Jill Murphy's writing style is equally beautiful.

Mildred was someone I could identify to since I was just as clumsy as she was. Despite her greatest efforts to become a good witch, she makes ill-advised plans that cause her problems. Mildred is the weakest link in the witch academy, and Ethel, a queen bee, does everything she can to humiliate her.

Ethel is one of the sharpest and most efficient students in the class, and she makes Miss Hardbroom and the other teachers proud. But, because Ethel is also a bully, she automatically targets Mildred, the weakest pupil. Mildred has two friends, Maud and Enid, who help her cope with her school circumstances. She enjoys spending time with these friends, and she trusts, cares for, and values them. She does, however, hold secrets from her friends on occasion.

Mildred has a cat named Tabby, who is similarly clumsy and dim-witted, but Mildred adores him since she is such a sweet and devoted companion. But, in the end, something good happens to Mildred, and she helps and saves people in unusual ways. I enjoyed reading this book while sipping a cup of homemade hot chocolate. When my parents noticed me reading this book, they were surprised.

"Why are you reading a book, Daphne? You've just finished your exams. Aren't you exhausted?" My father asked.

"Yes, honey," my mother said, "isn't your brain tired of reading that after a week of grueling exams?"

I gently responded to my parents, "No, mother and father. I appreciate reading this book because it helps me relax. It's a children's book that's a lot of fun. It's also pretty simple to comprehend. In fact, I think I'll be able to finish this soon."

"Uh-huh," said my father. "It's fine that she's reading a book. Rather than simply leaving the house and going to a party."

"However, there's nothing wrong with partying, hon. It's fine if she goes out now and again to socialize with her peers," my mum said.

My mother asked, "By the way, where are your friends Kathryn and Julio?"

"Julio is in Hawaii celebrating his Cosplay competition triumph," I told my mum. "Kathryn is in Mountain Ridge. She and her cousins climbed the lovely and high peak in that quiet province."

My father asked, "Did Julio skip his exams?" He was both concerned and intrigued.

I answered, "No, father. He didn't do it. He actually finished the exams ahead of time so he wouldn't have to worry, and his vacation was well worth it."

"What a fortunate kid," my father exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's very fortunate," I said.

"How about your friend, Alex?" My mother asked.

"Well, he mentioned he was going to play billiards tonight," I explained. “I'm not a billiards fan, therefore I didn't accompany him."

My mother mumbled, "Ahh."

"How did the examinations go for you?” My father asked.

"I think I performed fairly well," I admitted openly. The exams were, of course, challenging. But, because I worked hard in class, I assumed my grades would be satisfactory.

"Don't worry about our daughter, hon.” My mother stated, "She never fails a test."

"However, she must ensure that her grades are above average in order to study at a top university," my father responded.

"I'm confident she'll get in. Is that correct, Daphne?” My mother asked me. "Uh, I'm not sure about that. I'm not a fortune teller," I shrugged.

"Oh, we'll just leave you now," my mother remarked with a smile, "so you may read your book in peace." My parents exited my room and shut the door behind them.

It was a Sunday morning, and my mother was baking maple syrup hotcakes. At 9:30 a. m., I was watching morning anime. It was about Aimee Annesley, a little girl. Aimee is a lovely but impoverished young little girl. She has a dream, despite the fact that she is impoverished. Because of her beauty, she has been told that she can be a child actress. She was also advised that she had the potential to become a beauty queen, possibly the future Miss Universe. She was a bright young girl. She might be able to ace the Q&A portion. She had a heavenly beauty. She would stand out among the others, and the judges would almost certainly choose her.

Aimee's features include an oval face, straight brows, brown doe eyes, a straight nose, and heart-shaped lips. Her beautiful, wavy chocolate brunette hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her angelic face. She was fair-skinned, tall, and slim, and she walked and moved with elegance and ease. She aspired to be a teacher so she could work with underprivileged children in a public school. She was only a kid, but she understood how difficult it was to complete one's studies, especially when one is poor.

She walked two hours in the field every day simply to go to school. She was quite conscientious about her schoolwork. Of course, you must work extremely hard, especially if you are not wealthy. Because nothing positive can happen in your life if you are impoverished and lazy. You will not receive blessings if you simply wait and open your mouth. As if it were a moral lesson from a children's story. You should pick a fruit from the tree rather than waiting for it to fall into your mouth if you want to eat it. If you're too lazy to even pick up the fruit, you won't be able to eat. You will not be able to stay alive. That's exactly what Aimee did. She worked hard. She doesn't care if it's raining or not.

When there were no schools due to a typhoon, most privileged kids were happy. They just had a few days off from school. They spent time with their siblings within their homes. Despite the bad weather, their neighborhood friends would occasionally join them in playing. A typhoon was no problem for the privileged kids. If there isn't a power outage, that is. The majority of wealthy individuals would bemoan the lack of electricity. They only voiced their dissatisfaction when they were affected.

However, for poor individuals like Aimee, the storm is a major issue. She walked home every day on wet and slick weather-beaten fields because he didn't have the money to commute and didn't know whether they had classes that day or not.

Aimee excelled in her studies. She excelled in many areas of her life, including academics and sports. Her teachers praised her performance. Her parents were ecstatic with her accomplishments. Her students and classmates saw her as a role model.

My mother exclaimed, "Come on, everyone, let's enjoy our breakfast!" When they spotted hotcakes, glasses of hot chocolate, hot milk, and black coffee on the side, everyone was ecstatic.

"Wow, mother, it looks great!" My elder brother Simon said. "What's the occasion?" he asked. He sat down at the table, wearing a white shirt that revealed his biceps, which he had worked hard for in a neighboring cheap gym. He was still in high school at the time. He was only a teenager back then.

"Nothing, son," she responded, her voice pleasant and soft. "I was just thinking about making hotcakes."

Our father responded, "It appears you're in a nice mood, sweetie." He kissed her on the forehead.

Our mother said, "Yeah, it's a Sunday, and it's a good day. The weather is pleasant. I was on the correct side of the bed when I awoke."

"It's because you awoke next to me," our father explained. He gave my mother a wink.

When our parents said that in front of us, we were very young. So we assumed they were just being lovely to one another. To tell you the truth, I was relieved that my family was complete. We weren't wealthy, but we were happy.

"Mmm!" My eldest sister Simone exclaimed as she chewed through her hotcake with maple syrup. This is very delicious!”

"Yes, mother," Rico acknowledged, "this is quite delectable.” Rico continued to masticate the hotcakes, savoring the taste of the hotcake with maple syrup and butter as it melted in his tongue.

Serenity, my younger sister, commented, "The fresh berries are a great addition. This enhanced the flavor of these delectable hotcakes!" Serenity ate her food and smiled.

After that, she drank a sip of hot chocolate. "This is great!" she exclaimed. The hot chocolate was topped with marshmallows.

I told Serenity, "You have hot cocoa on your lips." She quickly cleaned it away with tissue paper.

"Mother, this is a really tasty breakfast," I told her.

"Aww, thank you, sweetie," my mother expressed her gratitude.

As he read the newspaper, my father responded, "I agree." He'd just eaten his hotcakes. Two hotcakes were served to each member of the family. In between breaks, my father drank black coffee.

"I love this! This is awesome!" Anthony remarked. He topped his hotcakes with bananas. "Could you show me how to make these delicious hotcakes?" He asked our mother.

Our mother said, "Sure, son."

"Me too, mama!" Neveah exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement. "I'd also like to learn how to prepare this hot chocolate.”

"Sure, honey," our mother replied. Someday, I'll teach you. Mother smiled as she informed Neveah, "I'll wake you up early so I can teach you." She had a beautiful smile on her face.

“Yay!" Neveah exclaimed with glee.

"You're a good baker, mother," Enoch said. "I hope I can also learn how to bake and cook."

Our mother said, "That's nothing, my son. It's simple to learn. You put your heart into it, which is equally vital. I made this breakfast with love."

My family and I went to a church. I paired pearl earrings, a gold necklace, a pink wristwatch, and a yellow handbag with a yellow dress, and white shoes. I bought everything from a thrift store except the dress, which I sewed. My hair was gathered in a bun. I wasn't wearing any make-up. I just applied baby powder to my face and applied lip balm to my lips. My clothes were stylish, but they were also affordable. Simone, my sister, commented on how good I smelt. I didn't wear any perfume, but I did use a sachet of inexpensive shampoo to wash my hair. My entire family was dressed up for Sunday. They were well-dressed and looked good.

We went to a Catholic church that was adjacent to a brook, so it was close to nature. This was a little church. Crape myrtle trees, jacaranda trees, lavender flowers, pink peonies, pink rhododendron flowers, hybrid tea roses, and cape jasmine roses were among the plants in the garden. In the garden, there were white butterflies flitting around.

Inside the church, sparrows were fluttering around and perching on the ceiling. The ceiling of this church is illuminated by golden lights. Sitting on wooden pews, the parishioners were attentively listening to the old priest with gray short hair.

Because he accepted his age and was not vain, the priest did not color his hair. He didn't give a damn about appearances. Father Montague led a humble existence. His sole wish as he grew older was for the number of parishioners to grow, as well as for the youth to be devout, religious, and kind, and to use their intellect for good.

The priest extolled the virtues of simplicity and purity. And that we should keep our virginity till we marry. It was because we were giving our husbands a present.

To be honest, I truly believed that we were in charge of what we did with our bodies, that no one would make us feel guilty if we chose to sleep with someone or not, and that we had complete control over when we slept with someone. Nobody should care about what we do with our bodies.

I didn't give a damn if a person's body was “pure” or not. What mattered to me was that he or she had a clean heart. But that is just my opinion. To put it another way, more power to those who prefer to stay virgins before marrying. Plus, kudos to those who slept with their sweetheart before getting married. It's their body, and it's their decision.

We felt blessed after our visit to the church. We felt as though our spirits had been washed and that God had given us a clean slate as we sang the hymns.

We got fried quail eggs dipped in sweet sauce and ice scramble after the mass. Cotton candies were consumed by my younger siblings. That was probably my favorite part of attending to church. This was the point where we got to eat our favorite goodies.