Chapter 8: Lonely Teardrops

On a Saturday morning, Elphaba and Boq walked around Munchkinland while Boq talked about his future. "My old man wanted me to be in the navy or be a police. Can you imagine me in cop uniform? Arresting people. Maybe arresting you." Boq said.

"I wouldn't mind about you being a copper, Boq. If you arrest me, at least we can spend more time together."

"Okay, okay." Boq sighed. "Hey Elphaba."

"What?"

"This party your mom's planning tonight... We don't have to go."

"We may go or we may not go, Boq. Let's just wait til tonight, alright."


Later that night, Melena kept the promise to Elphaba's friends that she'll throw a birthday party for Elphaba at her home. Elphaba and Boq were the last ones to enter the party and Elphaba felt a little bit happy.

"Hey, Elphaba. How's it going?" Fiyero asked.

"I'm fine, Fiyero. But thanks for coming though." she replied. Elphaba went to the kitchen and found Glinda playing a song to Melena.

"All I have to do is dream. Dream. Dream. Dream." Glinda sang.

"It's a wonderful song. I never knew you could harmonize like that." Melena told her.

"She maybe a good guitar player in the world, but not a good singer in the band." Elphaba remarked and Melena left.

Glinda gave a look at Elphaba since she understood that her remark isn't directly towards her. "Nice one, Elphaba." Glinda told her.

Melena went to the living room and told her daughter Melanie to play the record Let's Have a Party to liven the up. The record stop playing when Elphaba said to turn it off. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway because it's time for your speech anyway." Melena said.

"No, no! I'm not big on speeches." Elphaba said.

"Speech! Speech!" the guests chanted.

"Alright, alright. If that's what you wish for." Elphaba stood up on a chair and held out a glass of beer as she prepares to speak. "After most of my first seventeen years of my life, this year has got to be the greatest one to date. First of all, I'm reunited with my mother." The guests cheered at Melena after Elphaba mentioned her. "And secondly, I started a Rock and Roll band and we're popular in Munchkinland. But don't worry, give it another five years and we'll surely take over Oz by storm." The crowd cheered loudly and the band thanked and waved to the guests. "It's too bad that Boq told me he's quitting the band right before we arrived in here. Apparently, being a washboard player isn't the most popular member of the group. But don't need to worry, washboards or not, we're still strong and I'm sure Boq will get back into the band someday." Elphaba bowed to the guests and smashed the glass of beer to the floor as she got off the chair. Elphaba then went outside with her mother and looked up in the night sky.

"I wonder if there's someone in another planet having a party just like me." Elphaba said.

"I'm sure there is." Melena said.

Elphaba felt anxious to say something that had been itching her since the day she reunited with her mother. "Where's dad?" she asked.

Melena was surprised and quickly change the subject. "Many people sometimes call other people dad. I have a dad. I don't think-"

"Oh don't you, mom? Will I do. Frex is his name right?" Elphaba asked and Melena nodded. "Then where's fucking Frex?"

"Please don't swear, Elphaba."

"Is that making you feel uncomfortable? Try being me for seventeen years when everyone asks you why your aunt is your mom. Now that's uncomfortable."

"Please don't be horrible to me, Elphaba."

"Oh so now I'm Horrible Elphaba?! A witch known as Horrible Elphaba. Just tell me where he is."

"He's... He's in Besellege alright."

"Not around the corner like you?"

"He travels a lot. He abandons us. Then you abandoned me. Lily said it was temporary thing."

"Temporary thing?! I'm still living with her!"

"I didn't give you up, I swear! She never gave you back!"

"I believe you. But I would love to believe you're right." Elphaba said and started to leave.

"Where are you going?!"

"Away from you!" Elphaba shouted.


When Elphaba arrived back at Lily's house, she saw Lily and Avaric sat quietly together in the lounge."I thought you would be home soon." Lily said.

"I... I just had some unfinished things to take care of." Elphaba said.

"Well, I'm not finished with mine's just yet. It was meant to be a surprise." Lily got up and showed Elphaba a brand new guitar that is sitting on a chair.

"A Gregner!" an astonished Elphaba said.

"Luckily the guitar was on sail when I bought it two days ago."

"Oh thank you, Lily!" Elphaba hugged her aunt, but Lily smelled something unusual on her

"Did you drink alcohol?"

"No, I smashed a glass at a party mom threw for me."

"That's a waste then." They were soon interrupted when they heard a knock on the door. "Go tell your friends the party's over." Lily told Elphaba.

Elphaba answered the door and it was revealed to be her mother. "No thanks." Elphaba said and slam the door. She walked away, but went back to the door to drag her mother in. "We have an uninvited guest." Elphaba told Lily.

"I'm just here to speak to Elphaba." Melena said.

"Oh more talk then. Avaric, why don't head to town for a bit because you don't want to see any of this."

"Okay." Avaric replied and left the house.

"You see, Lily. Me and mom have a bit of 'heart-to-heart' earlier about a man known as Frex and told me that you stole me."

"I never said that!" Melena exclaimed

"You said 'you', as in Lily, 'never gave me back'."

"What in the name of Oz have you been telling the child, Melena?! Did she tell why I 'stole' you, Elphaba? Did she ever mention you had a sister?"

"Lily, please stop." Melena said.

"Stop what? Look at Elphaba. By now, Elphaba is almost an adult and she has the right to know. Including her long lost sister."

"What sister?" Elphaba asked.

"Right before your father left your mother, she gave birth to a baby but had to give it up for adoption because she doesn't want to the baby in the middle of the fight."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Elsa. She was adopted by a rich family from Arendelle."

"But it doesn't explain why my mom left me. Was it because I'm green?"

"It wasn't because your green. It's because of a custody battle. You see, Melena wanted a divorce from Frex because she felt trap by him. The reason you're green is because your father gave your mother green elixir during childbirth. She wanted to find a cure for it, but your father wouldn't let since he doesn't believe in science. When Frex heard about the divorce, he wasn't going to give up easily, during the custody battle..."


Flashback - 11 Years Ago

Lily took Melena and five year Elphaba to the house where Frex was staying. Lily tried to get in but Frex stopped her. Inside, Elphaba was crying as she watched her parents arguing. The two were arguing about who wants to keep Elphaba and where they take her. Frex decided that she should go somewhere far away from Oz while Melena said Elphaba should stay with her in Oz. When they turned their attention to her, Elphaba became scared of what they're going to do to her.

"Elphaba, who would you want to be with, me or your mom?" Frex asked.

"Elphaba, please pick mommy. I promise I will try to help you." Melena told her

Elphaba doesn't know what's happening since she was really young. She hesitated and made her choice. "Daddy." she replied and Melena left the home.

At the same time, Lily was having tea at the cafe across the house while waiting for Melena. When Lily saw her sister leaving and very sad, Elphaba ran out of the house to stop her mother.

"Mom! Please don't go!" the young Elphaba pleaded and hugged her. Elphaba knew that her mother would leave her and she wanted her mother to stay. Melena tried let Elphaba go since she lost the custody battle. Lily quickly arrived and took Elphaba away from Melena.


Present

"...so knowing that you pick your father and knowing that she would never see you again, your mother walked out. Andthat is when I 'stole' you. And if that's stealing, then I'm a thief." Lily said. After Lily explained everything, Elphaba remembered that moment and she felt devastated. "I had no choice!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, you had a choice! You chose to take my daughter!" Melena shouted at Lily, "Oh, Elphaba. I was never going to help you."

"You walked out of the house?!" Elphaba tearfully said.

"Yes, but I was ill."

"You left because you're ill?!"

"I couldn't think straight. I couldn't sleep. I see doctors all the time about my illness and to cure your green skin. Oh Elphaba, please I love you." Melena said and tearfully hugged Elphaba.

"No."

"Please, Elphaba."

"I said no!" Elphaba tearfully shouted and let go of her mother. "Can't you see?! That painful memory isn't going to leave my brain?! I keep having dreams about it! This is all your fault and YOURS!" Elphaba shouted to both her mother and aunt, "So why shouldn't I know about it?!" Elphaba asked them but they didn't answer. "Fuck it, it's over." Elphaba said as she punched the wall and left the house. When Elphaba left, Lily and Melena were silently crying of what they've done to Elphaba.