I STOLE THE MONEY

“Okay aunty. I swear…I swear on my mother’s life that I will marry Xavier…” I said, my voice cracking at the end. “Thank you my dear…thank you very much,” Vera said, her hands trailing my face softly. My eyes closed and I leaned into her comforting touch. Tears gathered in my eyes, and one treacherous drop escaped through, drawing a pattern around my cheek. “It’s okay aunty…I’ll do anything for you,” I said with conviction knowing I meant my words. I will actually do anything for her—she has sacrificed so much for me, even to the extent of going against her own family. I guess I am paying my debt to her, after all, this was only a little compared to what she did for me five years ago. Bile rose in my throat like always, when my memories travelled back to the day she saved my life, sacrificing a very big part of herself for me. Without her, I would not have been alive today, so I owe her my life. Marrying her son, that’s the least I could do. “Are you okay now aunty…could you