Love Beyond Control

Ella was lying hopelessly on the cold veranda with her head placed on a worn out "Ghana must go"; a bag which was made up of her old fashioned dresses. In tears, she kept turning and turning on the cold veranda till the early morning cock crowed. With red and swollen eyes, Ella stood still as she was lost in thoughts. Today was her wedding ceremony with a disabled and disfigured man who, according to him, got burned at the age of three.

Ella had earlier made up her mind to run away from Mr. Madison's family. She was a poor orphan who had no background and family. She didn't know her biological parents, any family members or where she came from. All she knew about herself was that she had been working as a maid in Mr. Madison's house as far back as when she can still remember. Apart from this information, she had no idea of who she really was. All her life, Ella had been hated and maltreated by this family and the reason they gave to justify their ill treatment was that her parents owed them a lot of money and so, she was given to them as a ransom.

While she was still lost in thoughts, Maya ran out through the back door and poured a bowl of cold water on Ella, the cold from the water and morning breeze was nothing compared to the cold in her heart for she has never known how it feels to be warm. The next second, Maya dashed into the house and stumbled into her bedroom, she opened her wardrobe and picked up her electric iron and sockets it into the distributor. Standing at akimbo with an evil smile, she looked at the hot iron and said evilly.

"It's not a bad idea for a sister to give her sister a farewell mark so that if they crossed paths again in the future, she will recognize her"

Noticing that the iron was very heated, she dashed out of her bedroom with the iron and vanished down the stairs as though she was being chased by death...

Ella suddenly regained herself and sighed as tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks soaking all the dress around her chest. She had no idea that her face was being targeted with a hot iron but coincidentally, she had turned to walk into the garden and something hit her very hard on her back and before she could even turn to see what it was, she felt the flesh on her back being pulled, and skinned mercilessly. She did not have time to think straight because the pain on her back was unbearable. She tried to creep away but someone was pushing her down with all her might with the same object that seemed to have skinned her flesh. With gnashed teeth, she gathered all her strength and stood up. Maya didn't see this coming so before she could understand what was happening, she landed on the ground with her back hitting the ground so hard. A sharp cry escaped her mouth that ran directly into the house and into her parents' ears who were still cuddling under the quilt.

As if they were struck by lightning, they dashed out of the bedroom barefooted.

Maya, as the spoiled brat that she was, quickly passed the iron to Ella. "Take this back to my room"

Just as she took the iron and was about to turn and walk into the house, Maya suddenly looked at her parents with a sorrowful face and without any question, Mr. Madison landed a deadly slap on Ella's right jaw and she lost her balance. Just as she manages to gain her composure, Mrs. Madison slapped her other jaw pushing Ella to fall to the ground and hit her already burned back. She groaned out in pains and realising that her parents are about to let go of Ella, Maya stood and felt on her mother's chest while crying and cursing;

"Mom, dad; how can you let her go? I only came out to give her some hints about a wedding day but she almost got my face burned with the iron."

"What did you just say?"

Asked Mrs. Madison

With so much hatred burning within her, Maya pointed at Ella.

"Why don't you ask her?"

Ella who was still on the ground in pains suddenly felt a sharp pain on her chest and as though she was about to take the last bullet, she supported her legs with her hands and she painfully stood up and stared at the Madisons with gritted teeth as if she was suppressing her pains to say something. Mr. Madison scanned her from head to toe and asked impatiently

"What do you have to say?"

With eyes as though they were about to be shot forever, the word "I'm sorry" escaped her mouth like a whisper.

Crossing her hands on her chest, Maya pretended she didn't hear anything and arrogantly asked.

"What did you just say?"

Ella had almost by-passed Maya but suddenly came to a halt when she heard her and without a second thought, she forcefully raised her voice in pain and coughed out. "I'm sorry Young Mistress"

Mrs. Madison scanned her from head to toe and covered her nostrils as she yelled out.

"You stinky poor thing, hurry up and freshen up, let's hurry to the City Council for the signing of your marriage."

Immediately Ella heard the word marriage, she suddenly stopped on the same track and without looking back, she tilted her head from left to right in disappointment and walked into a small bathroom in the gate man's house attached to the gate.

After she freshened up, she picked up a faded towel and dried her face gently. She moved to her neck and other parts of her body. When she was done, she stretched her hand and her hand landed on a small but old body cream container. She dropped some body cream on her right palm and after she covered it, she mixed the cream and gently brought her hands to her face while looking at the mirror but her actions soon came to a halt and she wondered aloud.

"Didn't I just wash my face? Where is all this water from? Ella, there's no need to cry because no amount of tears will save you." Without hesitating, she applied the cream on her palms on her body before she picked up the faded towel to wipe her face. An impatient voice rang from outside

"Where is this useless girl? Better hurry up, we can't keep your husband and his people waiting." Mrs. Madison stormed back towards the car.

Meanwhile after hearing that her husband was already waiting at the Civil Council, Ella broke down in tears again but in the next one minute, she was already done dressing up.

With her eyes fixed on her old ballery white shoe, she walked out of the gate man's house in a complete state of abandonment. As soon as she stepped out, she couldn't help but to hold on to the edges of her worn out gown as she took questionable steps towards the Madisons' convoy.

As she got closer, she lifted her right hand to open the car door but all the three cars suddenly sped up causing her to lose balance but couldn't fall because she managed to balance herself with her eyes still fixed on the three cars speeding off.

After she wiped her eye, Ella hurried towards the gate and just as she was about to step out of the gate, she ran into Nanny Ruth; an old lady in her late forties who happens to be Maya's nanny since the very moment she had her first cry.

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With eyes full of pity, nanny Ruth scanned her pathetic cream white gown and sighed. The roughly stitched section on her right side of the gown was very visible and the black thread used to stitch her gown was very obvious. With a painful smile, she greeted nanny Ruth without even glancing at her for once.

"Good morning ma'am"

Without responding to her greetings, nanny Ruth could see through Ella; her fears, worries and all the questions going on in her mind could be seen just by looking at Ella's sorrowful face. "Come with me."

She said and walked past Ella without giving her a chance to refuse but she still managed to decline her request.

"Ma'am, I'm already running late and I don't know what fate holds for me if I keep everyone waiting."

Nanny Ruth turned and scolded her with so much concern.

"Are you going to appear in front of your husband, his family and well wishers dressed like a beggar who has never laid hands on a dollar?"

Tears flew down freely from her eyes as if the question nanny Ruth just asked her were daggers hitting hard on her heart. She fell to her knees and cried out like an abandoned chick while complaining. "Ma'am, where else can a dead man fall from his grave? I... I don't mean to disgrace myself nor anyone ma'am. You know this is my best outfit."

She waved her hand in an approving manner before throwing $20 towards Ella.

"Get a cap and hurry off, you know your masters and what they are capable of doing especially to you."