Aileen
Half an hour later, we were ready to come back home. But Dave kept talking with Sarah.
Grandpa was seen talking with his group of friends. Mom was too tired to chat around.
When I noticed that he wasn’t going to move any minute, I walked up to him and said, “I’ll wait in the car with Mom. You come back later. Okay?”
Sarah and Dave looked at me surprised.
“Aileen, are you ready to leave already?” She asked, caressing my face.
“Yeah, I’m sleepy,” I replied. “See you again very soon. But, goodnight for now. Bye.”
“Me too, goodnight. Bye.”
“My car is in the parking lot. Here, take the key,” he said, holding out his key to me. “You wait with Emilia. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Sure, take your time”
“Uh, Aileen, please make sure to see off your grandpa for one last time before heading off. Or else he might find it rude I don’t know.” Sarah asserts.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to do that,” I replied. “Do you know where he is?”
“I think he was near the lounge for some smoke when I last saw him.”
“The lounge, okay.”
As soon as I left, I noticed that Dave and Sarah were back to chatting again.
Ugh, why do I have to see that old woman before I leave? He’s so irritating and scary.
I texted Mom to wait for me in the parking lot and went to see the old man.
As I thought he was in the lounge, sitting by himself with a smoke in hand.
The smoke was going off while he sat alone in silence.
“Are you going to keep standing there? Or do you have anything to say to me?” he asked, putting aside his cigar.
I was alarmed by his voice suddenly. How did he know I was here in the first place?
I walked over to his side feeling a bit hesitant and anxious. Still, I tried to pretend to be brave.
I stood in front of him and crossed my arms.
“I’m heading home. So, I came to see you off for one last time.”
“Oh…. you are leaving already? Why? Stay some more.” He chuckled.
“No, I don’t want to stay here just to entertain you,” I replied. Also, I haven’t told Dave about what you did to me by leaving me with all those guys. So, at least be a bit grateful to me. If you can.”
“So…you didn’t tell him about that? That’s so kind of you, isn’t it? But, I never told you to keep it a secret in the first place. Those boys tried to get close to you. It’s their fault. I was not involved in it either way.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You still aren’t gonna admit it? You are never tired of pretending, are you? Always keeping a fake mask. Don’t you get tired?”
He laughed, taking a puff of his cigar. “Nope, I’m not. It’s actually fun to play a different personality around people.”
“You are so fake,” I retorted in response. “I hope you’ll never try to put me in that danger again. Cause, I won’t stay quiet the next time.”
“Are you threatening me?” he asked, looking me dead in the eyes.
I paused for a second before answering, “Yeah, take it however you want to. You aren’t scaring me anymore.”
“Good, good,” he got up from his seat and came to stand right in front of me.
I looked him straight in the eye, holding my breath.
“It seems somehow have managed to raise self-confidence in such a short period. It must be someone from within the party, I guess?”
Is he talking about Skylar?
“You aren’t answering. So, that must be right. I don’t care either way. Cause, you really hold no meaning to me. You are just a stranger.”
What?
“I’m a stranger to you?” I stuttered.
“yes, you were. And will always be, including your Mom.”
Including mom? So, we were the only problem in the first place? That’s why he had set up that trap for me.
I can’t believe how much hatred he has towards us to call us a stranger.
“If I’m a stranger to you, why did you call us to the party?” I asked.
He smiled. “Because no matter how much I hate you, my son loves you two very much. You two hold a special place in his heart. The only way I can get close to him is by making him believe I care about the two of you. That’s why, to maintain my image, I invited you to the party.”
“So, your image is all that matters to you?”
“What else is supposed to matter?”
“You are the shittiest person I’ve ever met.”
He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. “That’s a compliment for me. Yes, I am bad. I won’t deny it. But, I won’t let anyone know about it as well. Cause some things are better kept in the dark.”
“Your personality is crooked. Why don’t you ever try to change?”
“It’s useless to me. I’m going to stay the same.”
“You are lying about it as well. There’s no way you are like this for real. Why do you want to make me your enemy, when I want to be your friend only?”
He heaved a sigh, crossing his arms. “My friend? We aren’t even on the equal ground for you to wish to be my friend. When we’ll be on the equal ground, I’ll think about it.”
“And what do I have to do to be on the same ground as you? Become rich? Is money all that matters to you?”
“Make an identity for yourself. Then, come talking to me,” he interrupted. “Then, I’ll acknowledge your presence. For now, you are a stranger to me.”
My jaws dropped in surprise, confused by his words.
What? Did he really just say that?
“And what do you”
“Aileen, here you are!” My mom came from the opposite direction, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.
“Mom, why are you here? I told you to wait in the parking lot.”
“Yes, you told me to stay there. But, I’d been standing there for over 20 minutes. That’s why I came to look for you.”
“Your mommy is here kiddo. Get going,” Grandpa said, sitting down on the couch.
“Oh, Dad. Are you smoking here? It’s bad for your health. Don’t you know that? When will you quit smoking?” Mom comments, noticing the cigar between his fingers.
“Uh…I only had one smoke. It’s not going to have any effect on my health. Don’t worry. Anyway, go back to the car as she said. Goodnight.” He threw away the cigar the next second in the garbage bin.
“Uh, goodnight. See you very soon,” Mom replied.
“Goodnight, Grandpa, bye,” I said after her, turning away to leave.
He didn’t look back, but I could tell he didn’t hate it.
On our way back to the elevator, I bumped into Skylar again. He was heading home as well.
After saying our goodbyes, Mom and I got into the car. We sat at the back waiting for Dave to arrive who was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, what were you talking with your grandpa? Did he say any hurtful words towards you?” she inquired, scooting closer to me.
“Oh, come on, why would he do that?” I stuttered in reply. “He didn’t say anything like that at all. We were just having some small talk. That’s all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, who do you take him for?”
I can’t tell you the truth, sorry Mom.
“No, I mean…. when we first brought up the matter of our marriage, he was very much upset to the point of yelling at us. That’s why…. I still find it hard to believe he had accepted you so easily. His behavior towards us looks a bit suspicious after all. Don’t you think?”
“Don’t feed your delusions,” I replied, turning to her. “He was acting perfectly normal. And I don’t think he hates either of us. So, don’t worry about anything at all. Got it?”
She nodded with a forced smile.
“By the way, how long is Dave going to take? Won’t we go home today?” she whined, checking the time.
Grandpa, and that woman Sarah, both are mysterious. You can’t tell what is going on in their minds unless they tell you about it themselves.
I need to look out for both of them, cause I’m getting a bad vibe from them.
“Call him to see where he’s at!” Mom said to me.
I took out my phone and dialed his number.
He didn’t pick up but I heard footsteps heading towards our car a few minutes later.
“Sorry to keep you two waiting,” he apologized, opening the car door to get inside.
“So, you finally finished talking? I thought you were going to stay the night here,” I mumbled to myself.
“Uh, I could stay the night. But, I prefer to sleep at home. Are you angry at me?” he asked, adjusting the front mirror angle.
“No, why would I be angry? There’s no reason for me to be angry.”
“Good to hear. What about your Mom?”
I glanced beside me. “She’s sleeping. Fell asleep while waiting. Cause you took so long.”
“I’m sorry. Let’s drive home fast so you won’t have to sleep in the car.”
“Okay.”
He started driving and none of us spoke a word to each other after that.
Seeing how quiet I was, he asked, “Is everything alright? You sound a bit down.”
“Uh…. I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”
“I see me too. A lot. My limbs are sore.”
But still, it took you so long to get back from the hall cause you were busy with Sarah. Your words and actions don’t match at all. Do you realize that?