“Freya, what do you call that round thing with the cream in it?” Lotty asked.
Freya was no longer angry and got excited when she saw the delicious bread. “That’s probably a cake.” On her birthday, Sophia usually brought a cake, lit the candles, and made the other children sing happy birthday to her. She hardly ever gave such precious things to the children to eat, so it was a real treat for them, and they’d all be happy at that moment. While cleaning, Freya used to lick the cream under the candles and remembered how it melted as soon as it touched her tongue because that was how sweet and soft it had been. Freya looked ecstatic as she basked in the memory of that time, and her mouth watered.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Damn kids! Why don’t you go away?” A fat lady working in the bakery came out with a whisk and swung it in front of them. Then she looked pitifully at Lotty and sucked her teeth, “Now they’re even taking advantage of children.” The snickering lady disappeared behind the counter for a moment before handing Lotty a large, glossy piece of bread. “This was leftover from earlier, but it’s still good enough to eat.”
She held out the bread, but Freya and Lotty, whose faces twisted in confusion, didn’t reach out. “We can’t take it. We don’t have any money,” Freya said quietly.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t able to sell it. I’ll take care of you whenever you come by,” the plump lady said as she sighed.
Freya was in shock at the display of kindness from the lady, and she stood frozen as she held the delicious-looking bread, unable to say thank you. When the bakery door was closed, she was able to speak again, “What now?”
The two kids nodded as soon as their gazes met one another. They knew that they weren’t supposed to take it, but the freshly baked smell of the bread tingled their noses, and it was reason enough for them to break the rules.
“Lotty, let’s go over there.” The two hurried into a dark alley to hide, and Freya’s heart was beating so hard that she forgot the pain from the beating she’d received earlier. “Take this.” Gasping for air, she handed the entire bread loaf that she’d taken out from under her arm to Lotty.
Safely out of sight in the dimly lit alley, Lotty gleefully hopped around holding the long bread loaf and wiped her nose with one hand. “Freya, we can eat together,” she said as she handed the bread back to Freya. After receiving it once again, Freya broke it in half and gave one half to Lotty. Her eyes didn’t move from her half of the sweet-smelling bread.
Holding the bread, with her eyes wide open, Lotty whispered, “Freya, mine is bigger than yours.”
“Please eat it. I am not that hungry.”
“Okay.”
The two children shoved the bread into their salivating mouths without saying another word. The bread from the bakery’s owner was opposite to the dry, moldy bread they usually ate at the orphanage. They got a rush from the soft, sweet taste and the crispy feeling as they bit into it, and although their stomachs were full, their hearts were fuller. Freya and Lotty looked at each other as they ate and smiled broadly for the first time today.
“That was delicious,” Freya said, sounding satisfied.
“Freya, today feels like my birthday!” She said as she grinned from ear to ear.
Freya wasn’t one to get too excited about her birthday, and she just nodded when Lotty spoke so joyfully. “That’s a good thought.”
Freya and Lotty would remember the happiness and excitement they’d felt this day, forever. After wiping the crumbs and cream off their lips, they returned to the streets. With no regard to who started it, a song with unclear notes flowed out of their mouths.
By the end of the day, they’d made a lot of money, and so they were confident that nothing terrible would happen later in the afternoon. But as soon as they returned home, Sophia glared at them with an icy look on her face. “Freya. Lotty. Stand up straight,” she instructed as she snatched their money bowls away and then immediately slapped Freya across the cheek.
“What’s wrong?” Freya shrieked as she rubbed her burning cheek. She had never confronted Sophia before, but today she felt awful and frustrated. Not only was she still injured, but she had worked as hard as she could to make money for her.
“Disgusting little brat. Is this how you repay me for raising you with grace?”
“Auntie, I messed up,” Lotty apologized as she knelt on the ground, grabbing onto Sophia’s ankles. They didn’t know the reason for Sophia’s attack, but they knew that it was best to pray at times like this, and Lotty started to cry as she was terrified.
After swiftly kicking the young girl, Sophia said coldly, “You’re going to cry on me? You have betrayed me.”
An older boy sat in the corner laughing as he watched Freya and Lotty, and Freya knew now that they had been spied on.
“But the bakery owner gave that to us for free. It’s the truth,” Freya raised her voice to justify her actions.
“I don’t remember raising a child who makes excuses!” Soon, there was a flash of fire on Freya’s other cheek. When she placed both hands on her red cheeks and looked at Sophia defiantly, a dreary voice flowed from her, “Did you know? I’ve never liked you from the beginning.”
Her words made Freya cry with resentment. Did I do something that bad, Auntie? She bowed her head in a subservient manner as she said, “Auntie. I messed up.”
Sophia continued the beating despite their pleading, and Lotty passed out from getting hit one too many times. Freya could only cry while looking at Lotty, who was lying motionless on the floor. After a few whips from Sophia’s rod, she couldn’t feel her butt anymore.
“Look at you, you little b*tch. You never cry,” Sophia said, sounding irate as she stopped to catch her breath. Perhaps that was because the beatings were so frequent, and she knew that she was powerless to stop them. Freya tried her best not to faint as her two hands gripped the brick wall behind her. She will hit me with more force if I cry. So all she could do was endure it, and before long, she became a tough girl.