Carmen was slapped to the ground, a buzzing sound ringing in her ears. She gripped the small ball tightly as Tom and Alyson took turns scolding her.
They hurled insults like "shameless," "disgraceful," and "lowly" at her.
After scolding her, Tom turned his gaze toward Calvin but didn't dare to lay a hand on him, nor did he scold him as harshly. He only said, "Leave. Don't let me see you again!"
Calvin glanced at Carmen lying on the ground, licked his lips, and said, "Think it over before you come find me."
He quickly ran off, not wanting to face her murderous glare.
Upon hearing that, Tom was even more furious. He pointed at her with a disappointed expression. "What? Did you make some dirty deal with that guy? How could I raise such a shameless daughter?"
"Alright, alright. It's not like this is the first day you've known what she's like. She's grown up now, and we can't control her anymore. Just let her be," Alyson said, trying to console him while sneering. "She'll always embarrass us as long as she's around. You'll get used to it."
He gave Carmen one last cold glance and muttered, "You don't need to return. Your brother's teacher is coming for a home visit. Leave for a few days and come back when this blows over."
She picked herself up from the floor and started picking up the bags from the ground.
When she saw that the entire large portion of salad she had packed was spilled and ruined, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Tom and Alyson had already left, and Carmen was alone in the lobby.
After cleaning up the trash, she returned to the market to repurchase the salad, but the city enforcement officers were driving away the stall.
The stall owner was apologizing profusely, nodding and bowing, before quickly pushing his cart away.
Carmen cried again. Why was it so hard for someone like her, who just wanted to live, to survive?
She stood in the cold wind until the redness from the slap on her face nearly disappeared. Then, she picked up her bags of vegetables and started walking back.
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