Aileen
“Bye, Miss Sarah and Mr. Dave Uncle.”
“Bye, bye, young man. Please come over to our house with Aileen someday. We can have some tea and snacks together,” Sarah said, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheeks.
Dave gave a look of disapproval in response.
“No, you don’t”
Sarah stepped on his feet to keep his mouth shut.
Skylar waved at me before walking away.
He really kept his mouth shut and didn’t slip out anything at all. I can trust him without any worries.
“Why did you have to give him an invitation to come over to your house with Aileen? He’s an outsider, you know it right,” Dave murmured to Sarah.
Sarah gave him a bored look in response. “Come on! He’s not an outsider. He’s her classmate and friend. You need to relax a little. You are overreacting way more than you are supposed to. I don’t like this at all.”
“I can’t relax when you are doing stupid things according to your will. Why bring an outsider to your house whom you don’t know properly?”
“Come on! Stop with the outsider thing!” she retorted, a bit loudly. “He’s her friend, your insecurities are going way too far. You are crossing the line here.”
“I am? You are the one who….”
They were fighting like old friends or past lovers. It was really a lover’s quarrel seeing how intense it was.
A few minutes later, Dave walked out of the fight and came to stand in front of me heaving a sigh.
“Anyway, Aileen, don’t go out with Dad anymore no matter how much he insists, Or else he’ll keep trying to hook you up with someone other till things work out between you two. Got it?”
I shook my head voluntarily, recalling the scene that took place when they were trying to assault me.
Yeah, he’s truly the devil. I shouldn’t go anywhere he tells me to. I need to be aware of my surroundings now.
“Aileen, your dad is really a doting parent,” Sarah comments, smiling, patting on Dave’s shoulder. “See how worried he is about your safety. It’s like he has an infant to deal with. I wonder how he would act if he ever had a newborn. I bet he’ll be freaking out all the time and wouldn’t let anyone touch his baby. Right, Dave?”
Dave laughed mockingly. “Yeah, right. If I freak out maybe you can do me a favor and look after him/her for me? Then, I won’t need to worry so much.”
“Really? If you allow me to look after your baby, I’ll be more than grateful and consider myself someone lucky. Cause I know how much possessive you are over your things, you narrow-minded mean giant!” she mocked.
“Oh, really? I’m narrow-minded?”
Dave’s baby? Which means our baby? I can’t imagine myself as a mother at all. Will it look like Dave or me?
I’m fainting just at the thought of it!
Amid everything the announcement on the mic drew our attention.
“Uh, Dave, do you mind please coming over to the stage? Your dad would like to see you. Please come here in 10 minutes. Please?” It was Mom’s quivering voice which I recognized immediately.
“Isn’t this?”
“Yes, Mom,” I replied. “Go to the stage.”
“Oh, right! I left your mom standing there for so long when I came to look after you and forgot all about it. I’m so careless,” he said. “Maybe she met Dad next and he told her to make the announcement for me.”
“Yeah, that must be it,” I replied. “Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”
“Yeah, let’s go. Sarah, come with us.”
“Sure.”
Three of us went to the main stage altogether past the crowd that had gathered at the hall.
Mom was on stage beside Grandpa. She looked as if she was forced to be up there.
“I’m going, stick with Sarah,” he whispered in my ears before going.
“Good luck.”
He smiled and gave a wink before he went to the stage.
He talked with Mom and Grandpa and Mom came down the stage. I ran up to her and we went to stand with Sarah.
“You met Sarah already?” Mom inquired, speaking quite low.
“Yes, a while ago.”
“She’s nice, isn’t she?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she doesn’t seem like a fake person. She looks genuinely kind.”
“I know, right? She has known Dave for a long time. But, I can’t seem to get along with her because we aren’t just on the same level. Maybe I need to brush up on my style as well. Don’t you think?”
“Your wish entirely. But”
Dave started his speech, and Grandpa also spoke after him. The crowds applauded for them and then they shook hands together for their new journey.
Even though his dad was smiling on the stage. I could tell it was all fake. Why did you do this Grandpa? Why did you force me to the brink of danger when you were aware of the consequences in the first place?
Why do you consider me your enemy? What have I done to you?