39

Macy sighed and looked at this so-called sister of hers.
She smiled because she could read the other girl’s thoughts.
Angela has never been happy since she found that she was not a Philips by blood.
Since Macy came to live with them, she made it her mission to make Macy’s life miserable and she succeeded. It was like torturing and humiliating Macy was her favourite pastime entertainment.
Macy remembered this one time their father’s company was having an end of year celebration for all employees and investors because they had made a huge profit turnover that year.
As was given, the whole of the Philips family had to be there because this was a family company and by then, it hadn’t been made public.
Angela was asked by their mother to help Macy choose a dress for the occasion.
She did and asked Macy to keep it hidden as a surprise to the family during the D-day.
Macy going the innocent country girl she was and she didn’t know anything about version, and being very trusting, believed Angela and did as she said.
During that day, Macy was the odd one out as Angela had chosen a dress that looked like she was going for a Halloween ball other than a company’s party where there would be a lot of dignitaries and business men.
Andy, who was Macy’s boyfriend by then, was very embarrassed but he managed to get Macy a dress to change to through his secretary.
Angela, obviously, wasn’t happy about that.
Her plan was to make the Philips family get embarrassed by their own daughter and as a result, send her back to her small rural home in Iowa.
As if that wasn’t enough and when Macy had lowered her guard, they were all seated at the dinner table in the hotel and they were occupying the high table because they were the hosts.
They had prepared some African dishes in lieu of the fact that Mr Philips was an African American and beside each person’s dinner set on the table, there was a small bowl with water.
This water was for washing hands as they would eat the food using their hands.
Angela, who was sitting next to Macy, whispered in her ears that the water was for drinking before taking the food because that’s how Africans do it.
Macy, in all her innocence, took the bowl of water and gulped it down as everyone in the table and the other tables (who were waiting for the Philips to start eating as a sign that dinner had started) looked at her in horror.
“Macy! What are you doing? Haven’t you had enough of embarrassing this family? First it was the dress and now this?
This is a corporate dinner? Where will your father hide his face from now on?
I can’t believe that such a pumpkin like you came from my bowels.
So embarrassing,” Mrs Philips, Macy’s mom, but it was heard by everyone around their table and in the adjacent tables.
Macy looked at Angela wondering what she did wrong but Angela pretended not to see why as she busied herself by washing her hands in her bowl of water the one she told Macy is for drinking.
That’s when Macy knew that Angela was not for her progress but for her downfall.
Macy didn’t care explaining what bad happened because she knew that her mother would believe Angela anyway and so, she swallowed the shame and apologised.
Now, standing here at the suits shop with Angela and her minions grinning like they had won a million dollars lottery, she knew nothing good was coming.
But she also looked at then and smiled, “you sure?” She asked Angela who didn’t seem to understand what she meant by that simple question.
What Angela had failed to realise was that since she came back, everything that she planned against Macy never succeeded.
“Macy, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Afraid that we will find out that you stole a child?” One of Angela’s friends asked and laughed.
“Aunt did steal me. Don’t say things you don’t know, old auntie,” Mel said and Macy found herself laughing at the expression that girl wore when being called old.
“I am not old,” the girl said and Melvin looked her up and down.
“Aunt, it is clear that you are old. That, on your face, grandma calls it botox, you have filled it in to hide the wrinkles,” Mel said innocently and by then, Macy was falling on the floor due to laughter.
The other patrons and ship attendants were also laughing at the innocence with which Mel said it.
“You… you…” the girl began but no words came out.
“It’s okay baby. Please don’t make my aunt laugh like that again. Let’s go,” Macy said and Mel followed her.
“Wait, Macy, how can you just leave? Weren’t you here to buy a suit?
Got a boyfriend?
Or did you steal another woman’s man?
Buy something for him.
Or did you come here hoping that the suits will cost a hundred dollars and now you have realised that you can’t afford it?” Angela mocked and Macy was out at a tight spot.
She couldn’t afford the suits here, that was true but she also could not let Angela humiliate her because she knew that she won’t hear the end of it.
“Aunt, let’s buy that blue suit for daddy. He will love it,” Mel said and started dragging Macy towards that side.
“Baby, we can’t. I don’t have that kind of money,” Macy said and Angela heard it.
“Oh, so it’s true? Why did you come into such a store without money? Did you intend to steal?” She said this in a loud voice so that the others can hear it.
Macy looked at her and sighed, “Angela, you are a famous face, please don’t embarrass yourself,” she said.
“No. No. Don’t worry about me because I know I won’t be embarrassed. It’s you who will embarrass yourself and make my movie a failure.
If you can’t afford anything here,” I suggest you walk out. But not before you are searched because I am pretty sure that you have stolen something from this shop.
You, call me the manager. Tell her that there is a thief here and she needs to be searched,” Angela shouted and an attendant ran to the managers office to do as she was ordered.
Macy looked at Angela and wished that they were somewhere private so that she could smack her but…
After a few minutes, with Macy contemplating on what to do, the attendant came back with a well dressed lady.
This lady was white, middle aged and was wearing a business suit. She looked all business like as she looked at the two women.
“What’s the matter Ms Philips? I was told you were calling me?” She asked with a smile that made Angela beam at being recognised.
“It’s thus woman ma’am. She seems to be a thief and I just didn’t want your shop to go on a loss.
Please search her,” Angela said all serious and the moon looked at her.
“Don’t worry. If she is a thief, I am sure that our security would have alerted us.
As you know, we deal with high end limited suits and as such, there are cameras all over and each camera had a person manning it.
So, if anyone steals anything, out team us usually ready.
Also, she cannot walk out of the shop with a stolen item because the scanner at the exit would alert us that a serial number that had not been marked as sold has just been sent out of the shop.
So, ma’am, thank you so much for the worries but you don’t need to,” the manager said and that was not what Angela wanted but she couldn’t throw a tantrum.
This wasn’t her father’s or her husband’s company where she ruled supreme.
The manager then turned to Macy and smiled at her, “welcome to our shop miss. How can I be of help,” the manager asked and Macy had decided.
“I would like to buy clothes for a friend,” she said and Angela, though humiliated, stood there waiting for Macy’s turn.
“Which ones interest you. Don’t worry, even if you aren’t sure of the size, there is a return policy for an exchange,” the manager smiled and Macy smiled because it was like she mind had been read.
She was wondering what Richard’s size was because she hadn’t checked.
“The blue one there and this maroon one,” Macy chose two suits.
One cost ten thousand and twenty two dollars and the maroon one a staggering twenty five thousand dollars.
“How will you pay? Cash or credit card?” The manager asked as she supervised the attendant who was getting the clothes.
Macy searched in her handbag and took out the platinum card Richard had given her, “here,” she said as she handed the manager the black card.
Angela and her minions couldn’t believe it.
“Where did you steal that card?” Angela asked because even she herself, a CEO’s wife, didn’t have such a card.
“Let me see that,” Angela said as she tried grabbing the card from the manager.
By now, the few people who were shopping had stopped to watch the drama that was unfolding before their very eyes.