I Had a Father

"Do you have a good impression of a person who married a dead man for money?" Without looking back, Opal looked me into my eyes through the rearview mirror. He didn't drive fast. I saw contempt in his eyes. It seemed I was a foul stray dog in his eyes. I felt humiliated for the first time after my arrival at Costsley. A few months ago, Grandma found out that I was a Smith. Then, she locked me in the woodshed and sent word to the Smith family that they would have to make generous compensation if they wanted me back. 200 thousand dollars! I thought that Grandma was asking for the moon. However... To the Smith family, this figure meant a new bag or a family gathering.  Opal had given me 30 thousand dollars as compensation for that broken necklace. Back then, he was as free and easy as if he was patronizing a beggar on the street.  200 thousand dollars wasn't a big deal to the Smith family. However, nobody went to my rescue with the ransom. I had been starved in the woodshed for one week.