Proverbs 21:23 (KJV) Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 15:1-3 (KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.35Please respect copyright.PENANATYvtvirS1U
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The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.35Please respect copyright.PENANARsiELRRnyr
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The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
"Give her to me" Esther opened her eyes and found herself staring into turquoise shaded orbs. She furrowed her brows in confusion "Give her to me" Emmanuel repeated, his head motioning towards Gabriella that slept soundly in Esther's arms.
At the realisation of what he was saying she let Gabriella go. Her arms rejoicing as the weight was removed from them. Emmanuel held Gabriella's sleeping figure on his right arm as Isreal slept peacefully on his left.
Esther watched silently as Emmanuel took Gabriella and Isreal into the house with a crying Thomas trailing behind him. Guilt overcome her as she stared at Thomas bloodshot eyes.
She hadn't a clue what had gotten into her, it was if she had been in the backround, a bystander, as someone else took the lead controlling her to do things she hadn't imagined doing.
She had even swore at poor young, adorable Thomas.
She never swore.
Ever!
She was tired. Drained to the core. Everything was a cause of her exhaustion. The whole aspect of living drained her.
Of inhaling and exhaling.
It was all too tiring.
She just wanted to be happy for once. To at least have a sincere smile on her face even if it lasted a second. She had forgotten long ago how it felt to have peace in your heart. To not worry about what would happen next.
She was only 16 for crying out loud, she didn't deserve this.
The tears she had been fighting won the battle as they cascaded down her cheeks. A blow of the cool air swished past her, causing a shudder to erupt in her. Her hands shot to her side as she rubbed vigorously trying to contain the little warmth she possessed.
Her legs buckled beneath her causing her to stumble to the ground. The faint sound of gunshots far away brought shivers down her spine. She brought her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
A sad smile made its way to her face as she pondered...
Somewhere right now someone was being brought into the world
Someone was eating food that was poisoned by their in-laws
A couple was being joined through matrimony
Someone was commiting suicide
Someone was commiting fornication or adultery...
Esther stopped her thoughts from wandering for they were getting her nowhere but depeer into the pit of dispair.
"Esther?" She heard Emmanuel's voice call out to her, she looked up and noticed his bewilderment just before he tried hiding it. She must have looked like a ghost with her eyes swollen and her face red and blothcy, she quickly wiped her nose hoping there wasn't any snot running down her face.
Emmanuel sighed wholeheartedly and walked towards her. Stoping right in front of her he crouched down to her level. His hand went out to her cheeks and cupped her face. His thumb rubbed away the tears that spilled out her eye lids. "Come on. Get up" he said softly. 35Please respect copyright.PENANAleWxVOtqXG
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Reluctantly she stood with his assistance. He lifted her jaw as she refused to make eye-contact with him. "Esther come on tell me what's wrong" he urged but she shook her head and wiped her sniffled
"Really. It's nothing." She whispered. His patience was running low and he wanted to shake her in order to get her to her senses. Maybe if he shook her hard enough, her stubborness will flee from her.
But he knew she was fragile, at this point she needed a helping hand and not a dastard. So he wrapped his arms around her and she layed her head on his chest.
He found it alluring that her head reached the top of his chest, she was so tiny and so fragile in his arms.
His to protect.
She shifted uncomfortably and quickly he let go of her making sure to maintain his boundaries, he didn't want her fearing him. He stared down at her as her big brown eyes looked innovently up at him.
For his own sake he took a step backward still staring into her rich,soft eyes. "Let's go inside." She nodded slowly and walked into the house.
He locked the door behind him as he nudged her to the couch.
As they both sat down, he made sure to sit a distance away from here. "Tell me what's going on. Esther I'm here to help you."35Please respect copyright.PENANAeoe3XQz1Rj
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She shook her head rapidly and sqeuuzed her eyes, refusing to cry in front of Emmanuel. He tapped her as he handed a tissue over to her.
Her tears of sorrow soaked the tissue as she clung to it trying in vain to stop the flow. She felt arms wrap around her and she reciprocated the gesture as her arms wrapped around his waist. He placed his chin on her head as they wrapped their arms around eachother.
As a comfortable silence enveloped them Esther found herself nuzzling her face in his chest as his hands stroked her head. "I don't know." She began but stopped immediately after her voice cracked.
"It's ok" Emmanuel reassured, he eyes were closed and a lazy smile plastered on his face as he found it hard to contain his happiness. He had wanted nothing more than to hold her and here he was doing just that
"I..." She sniffled " I went to get the kids and them we went home... I..." She moved from his hold and sat upright "The gate was wide open. I thought that maybe mom had left it open but she wouldn't be back for the next hour or two, so I doubted it was her. And then I saw the door... It was broken in two. And... And then a van pulled up and I knew we had to hide so I took them and we hid. Two scary men walked down the van and entered the house then after some time they came out again followed by 4 more men and a beautiful petite woman. They left and when I went into the house." She looked down at her fidgety hands and shook her head slowly, biting her lips slightly. "What I saw... Emmanuel..." She sighed and shook her head "It's to much for me. I can't handle it. I'm only 16."
"We all in the same game just different levels, dealing with the same hell, just different devils" Esthers eyes glistened as she turned to him with a small smile
"When did you become the intellectual?" She teased
He turned to her with a sly smirk on his face, happy that she was smiling again "You're calling me stupid?"
"Hah. I wouldn't dare" he noticed her sarcasm and rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.35Please respect copyright.PENANASxXw4Jpewb
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"You wanna go outside?" Esther suggested, he turned to her his eyes roaming over every feature on her face.
She lowered her eyes and looked off avoiding his gaze as he scrutinized her. A stupid smile made its way to her face as she unconsciously hugged her arms to her body feeling a warmth grown in her.
"Why do you wanna go outside?" He questioned as she shrugged feeling her composure return to her "Ohhh I get it. You don't want your siblings to hear us moaning as we make out" her head snapped up to him, her eyes set in a silent warning. He rolled his eyes "Ok Virgin Mary. Let's not desecrate your holy body since it's going to carry our saviour" He muttered as he got up.
"I'm not going out with you. If you're gonna be shirtless" Ester announced. Emmanuel rolled his eyes as me entered the room and re-emerged with a hoodie.
"Happy?" He squealed with a fake girl voice as he clapped his hands dramatically
It was her time to roll her eyes. "Are we going or not" she nodded and got up
"Ladies first" she said with a petulant smile
"And then they say woman are the ones being emotionally abused." He muttered as Esther giggled behind him
∆∆∆∆∆∆
They layed on the grass looking up to the sky. "Where's your mother?" Esther asked as she turned to her side, staring at Emmanuel.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead "Probably with one of her flings"
She hummed softly sensing the tension that grew over them due to her question. She tried to keep her mouth shut, but up to no avail. Her curiousity got the best of her "The last time you told me that she had introduced one of them to you, claiming they were getting married." She said softly
"Yeah..." His answer was short and Ester thought he had stopped talking just before he continued "I had actually liked the guy, excluding the fact that he tried filling in the gap of a father. F*ck him for that." Esther winced as she punched him in the arm, he frowned "what was that for?" He whined
"What?" she questioned him innocently
"You hit me" he whined, rubbing against his arm
Esther gasped " I would never even think of such a thing35Please respect copyright.PENANAxdyWMMfEob
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for that would surely would surely be animal abuse" Emmanuels jaw dropped as Ester erupted into giggles
After a silent pause Emmanuel continued feeling the urge to let it all out of his chest 35Please respect copyright.PENANAwwJlD2pKIA
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"But he wasn't a bad guy. Can you imagine his name was Humpty" Emmanuel chuckled
Sensing an inside joke Ester nudged him. "What's funny"
"How do you mean what's funny. You're the nursery lady. Don't you know the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty"
"Oh" Esther said blankly " that's very funny" Emmanuel turned to her and shook his head. He got up into a sitting position. He shook his head lightly and looked up into the distance.
"Just a week after their engagement. Imagine the pain the poor guy went through, walking into his bedroom to find his soon-to-be wife on the phone claiming her love for another man. His fiance begging and pleading for another man to accept her while their own wedding was going to take place in a month's time "
"What?" Ester gasped
"Yeah." He nodded with a sorrowful smile on her face.
"Why would she even think of speaking to another man. How could she do that to Humpty." Esther raved
Emmanuels head snapped to her, anger swimming in his orbs "She wasn't speaking to another man. She was speaking to my father."
"It doesn't matter Emmanuel she couldnt do that to Humpty" Esther responded, feeling her own anger rising
"How doesn't it matter Esther? She had a child with him, the least he could do was take care of his own child"
"It's not his fault. If she hadn't done what she had done he wouldn't have left her" It felt as if a knife had struck him in the heart as he stared up at Ester, a wearing pain developing inside making it hard to breath.
"She hadn't done anything to cause him to leave her and the child they had made together. She didn't deserve that type of treatment." He defended
"Everyone knows what she had done to him Emmanuel and you know it too" Esther shot back. The pain in his heart grew deeper at her words at the point that he was at a loss for words
Slowly he looked into her eyes, wincing at the emotions he saw in them "What had she done?" He asked her softly
Not giving her words a second thought she opened her mouth to say "I know. You know. The whole community knows. That she slept with her husband's brother and that's the only reason that her husband left her." Emmanuel looked away from her and into the horizon. He nodded slowly and licked his lips as they quivered slightly.
He cleared his throat afraid that his voice would appear shaky "No matter what she had done. Or what he thought she had done." He stopped, gathering himself as he rubbed his hands over his eyes "He had no right. Absolutely no right to leave her when he knew fully well that his seed was growing in her." His voice was soft at the edge of breaking. But Esther paid it no heed as she continued her ranting .
"There was no assurance that the baby in her stomach was actually his. It could be his brothers for crying out loud. Why would he still want to stay after that gruesome revelation. I really don't blame him for leaving. If I were in his shoes.I would leave as well." She stated as she shrugged her shoulders
Emmanuels lips quivered slightly "So you're saying the baby is a bastard" he questioned her
"Obviously he's a bastard. Emmanuel. Who knew who he's father was. He could be calling his father,uncle. Or his uncle,father. For all we know. And it's shameful to say the least.The baby had come to this world a shame to his parents. A ridicule and an embarrassment" she sighed and shook her head. "But I don't blame the poor thing it was all his mother's inability to close her legs."
Suddenly, in a matter of seconds he was on his feet his back turned to Esther as he laid his hands on his waist. He shook his head slightly and bowed them down. Ester heard a sharp intake of breath and she furrowed her brows in confusion.
She didn't understand what caused his sudden change of emotion, weren't they in the middle of a very interesting discussion?
She stood up and walked up to him. She tapped on his back gently and in a flash he turned to her. His eyes were cold as they glared down at her. His face set in a permanent scowl. She took a step backwards the unfamiliar feeling of fear setting in on her. He looked murderous and a whimper left Esthers mouth .
"So that's what you think of me! That I'm a bloody shameful bastard. BORN OF A PROSTITUTE? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS. IM A BOOODY SHAME TO THE WORLD. A BLOODY MISTAKE? IS THAT IT?" he screamed in her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she feared to look at the man before her, this wasn't Emmanuel anymore.
It couldn't be. His eyes were a dangerous shade of blue instead of the light blue sky colour thalt they always were
This was someone else. Somone she had never seen before but she didn't understand what had sparked such tremendous anger
Then it dawned on her. That the woman she had claimed was shameful and couldn't keep her legs shut was actually Emmanuels mother. And the baby...
The baby she had said came to the world an embarrassment and ridicule to his parents. The baby she called a bastard with no father to call his own.
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Was actually Emmanuel 35Please respect copyright.PENANAeIBuQiOiMu