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Chapter Thirty-Six
Hurtful Actions
After a week of pretty much doing nothing Esmerelda knew it was time to start getting Ethel out of the flat more, the doctors had told her that Ethel had to keep moving and walking about because it will help her muscles become stronger, even if it will never heal them completely, so when they ran out of food, Esmerelda thought a trip to the supermarket would be the easiest place to start.
They left the house about noon, wanting to get back home in plenty time to cook dinner, walking out the flat was fine, Ethel was of course being slow and unsteady slightly but they made it out in one piece, it was when they got on the bus Esmerelda, and her sisters, realised for the first time that because of Ethel's accident people would treat them differently.
Esmie got on the bus and paid the driver for their fares and then beckoned the girls to follow so they could get a seat. It was already packed on the bus, and there was no seats free. Esmerelda did not really care about her or Sybil sitting down, they could hold on, but Ethel would fall with the bus moving so she looked around for an empty seat but saw none. There was seats at the side which were meant to be for disabled people, but the people sitting on them were too busy looking at their phones, and the ones who were not did not seem to be making any attempt to give up their seat for Ethel. Esmerelda was about to say something, she was not going to risk Ethel falling over because people couldn't be bothered to stand up, but then Sybil spoke so she didn't have to.
"There is a seat at the back" Sybil commented. Esmerelda looked and saw Sybil was correct there was a seat at the back. She let Ethel walk over but the girl needed help on the step so Esmerelda gently helped lift her up onto it before she helped Ethel sit on the seat. Some of the other passengers sitting at the back stated at them.
"Is there a problem?" Esmerelda asked as she looked around and saw people were staring at her and Ethel, when she didn't get a response she shook her head and turned back to Ethel.
"I will be at the front with Sybil, call me if you need me alright? Don't move when the bus stops I will come help you" Esmerelda told her as she walked back to the front so she could hold on, feeling more eyes on her as she did so.
The bus journey was fifteen minutes and Esmerelda felt like she was under a spotlight, people were staring at all three sisters like they had never seen people with blonde hair before, she kept an eye on Ethel, and could tell she was uncomfortable but there was nothing she could do, she didn't want to be thrown of the bus for attacking people. She sighed but looked out the window, not wanting to miss there stop.
When their stop came up she went towards Ethel and told Sybil to start getting of the bus as she helped Ethel down the step. It took a few minutes because of Ethel's slow weak movements but just as Esmerelda had helped Ethel down the step and was walking down the aisle she suddenly felt Ethel fly forward as the bus suddenly started moving again. Esmerelda quickly caught Ethel so she wouldn't fall and then looked outside where she saw Sybil out the window look at the bus wide eyed and start to run after them as it started to move away from them.
"Wait we need to get off, my sister is by herself, stop the bus now!" Esmerelda shouted. The girl was annoyed, he could see in his mirror if anyone was still getting off and clearly could not be bothered to wait for Ethel to walk there. The bus driver did not listen and kept driving so Esmerelda grabbed the stirring wheel, causing him to perform an emergency stop.
"What are you dong!? I could of crashed" the man said. By this point Sybil was in tears thinking she was going to be left behind and her sisters were being driven away from her.
"Are you blind or thick? My sister and I haven't got of yet and you left a little girl at a stop by herself with no way to get to us, open the door this instant, I demand to be let off" Esmerelda shouted, able to tell people were looking at her again, but she didn't care, the man was out or order and had to be told. The bus driver opened the door, even though he was not at a stop. and Esmerelda helped Ethel down, she didn't say thank you as he didn't deserve it, in fact she had a good mind to report him.
The bus had drove about a mile away and Sybil was stood a few feet away from them when they got of the bus, she saw them and started running towards her sisters when she saw they were now of the bus.
"SYBIL WATCH THAT ROAD" Esmerelda shouted at her causing the girl to come to a stand still because she was near a side road and was so upset she was about to run into it. Esmerelda rushed over to Sybil and then told her she could cross because it was safe, Sybil ran into her arms, crying hard.
"I thought he was going to go really far and I wouldn't be able to find you" Sybil said hugging her sister and Esmie turned around seeing Ethel was near them but had not reached them yet.
"I know you did, I am sorry, he was being cruel not stopping" Esmerelda told her stroking her head and kissing it as Ethel reached them and she hugged her too.
"Come on, let's go get some shopping" Esmerelda told them, thinking they might as well now as they were near the shop. They walked the short distance to the shop, Sybil still teary as they did so.
At the shop Esmerelda took a trolley and they started to walk down the aisles to get their food. They walked slowly to keep up with Ethel, but none of them wanted to lose each other so they didn't mind.
Everything was fine, until the shop started to get more busy. There was people behind the sisters and because Ethel had to walk slowly people started to get impatient.
"Hurry up will you, some of us don't have all week" a woman said as she pushed her way in front of them, not caring if Ethel was not doing it on purpose.
"Ignore her, you have every right to be here Ethel" Esmerelda told her as they carried on shopping. Esmie stopped at one of the aisles and closed her eyes, losing her patience as she heard someone groaning.
"Come on, I want to get some cheese" a man said as Ethel was standing in front of the freezers. Ethel didn't say anything but walked off as fast as her crutches would let her.
"You can do it, go on, faster!" the man said in a mocking way. Ethel blinked back tears and Esmerelda stepped in front of her.
"Can you stop being so rude? If she is in the way all you have to do is ask her politely if she can move" Esmerelda told the man, not giving him a chance to respond, she led Ethel and Sybil away, her anger at breaking point, all she wanted to do was pay and go home. She couldn't believe such a simple thing like shopping was going like this.
"Let's finish up and get home" Esmerelda told her sisters as she walked to the last aisle she needed, not wanting to deal with the rude people anymore today.
"I am sorry, it is my fault Esmie for being crippled and so slow" Ethel said allowing tears to fall as she walked.
"Don't cry over people who were never taught manners Ethel, this is not your fault, people just are extremely rude" Esmerelda said, loud enough for customers to hear.
"The thing is I would of being the one laughing a few months ago, I would have joined in with them, maybe I deserved what happened, it is karma" Ethel replied, upset because she knows she would of being as bad as these people making fun of her. She was ashamed of herself in that moment.
"Ethel, no matter what you have done, how you ave behaved in the past, no-one deserves what happened to you, okay no-one" Esmerelda told her not wanting her to believe that. Ethel did not deserve to be unable to walk properly, no matter how much hurt she had caused other people, it was not something anyone would wish on anyone and it causes hurt for Esmie and Sybil too, so it was not something she deserved.
"She is right Ethel, you don' deserve it, don't be so hard on yourself" Sybil told her, not liking to see her upset.
Esmerelda moved a bit faster shopping after that, wanting to get her sisters home and comfortable as fast as possible, they had had enough upset for the day. They were soon paying and the cashier looked at them suspiciously but said nothing when Esmerelda paid, only looked at the money for a while. Once she had they packed and left the shop, but now they had to get back on the bus and they were dreading it.
"Don't worry Ethel, if anyone won't move I will tell them" Esmerelda told her sisters. When the bus came she stayed back to make sure the bus driver was not the man who had nearly left Sybil by herself and trapped them on the bus, when she saw it was a woman, so it could not be the same person, she got on and paid. Luckily this time there was seats so they all sat down and spoke quietly.
Each girl knew in the back of their minds though knew this was only the beginning and incidents like today would be a regular thing, and as much as they all pretended it didn't affect them...they knew it did. They had not had the chance to really go out for an long time since Ethel was injured and there first taste of the world since was proving to them it was going to be much more difficult to do now. Esmerelda put her arms around her sisters, both still upset after the days events and closed her eyes, wishing she could fix it, but this was something even magic could not solve.