Aileen
“You aren’t worthless, nobody is making fun of you. Please don’t think so negatively about yourself,” I said, holding her close to my chest.
“Don’t lie. I know you are lying to me!” she sobbed.
“Why do I have to lie to you? I’m only telling the truth here. You are really an amazing girl!” I patted her head while speaking.
“And what’s so amazing about me? Why does everyone hate me if I’m so amazing?”
“Because they don’t know you fully. They didn’t take the time to know you closely. Then they would know what kind of a person you are.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
She went quiet and reached out her hands to clutch onto my back.
“I don’t know what I’ve done. But I definitely don’t like people hating on me for no reason.” Her voice almost cracked up when she spoke.
“It’s easy to hate anyone from your perspective. You don’t need any reason to hate them. It’s an emotion that you can’t force, just like love. As the saying goes, it’s easy to hate something but not fall in love with it. You can’t force anyone to love you. Then, why bother thinking what they think of you? Why should their words matter anything to you? What kind of power do they have to dictate your life like that? Did you give them the right to do it?”
“I don’t want to think about it anymore. Please don’t say anything,” she pleaded.
“Alright then, I won’t say anything about it anymore. Are you happy now?”
She nodded and held onto me like that for a few more minutes. Then she pulled away and told me to leave her room because she wanted to sleep.
I left her room without questioning anything further. But I hope she considers my words and eats the puffs, too.
Heading downstairs I saw a man hanging around the living room shirtless with some sweatpants.
Did Marshall have anyone over? Why would he be walking around like that?
I came down and headed towards the living room, only to notice that Marshall was walking like that.
He looks so indecent without a shirt. Oh no, I shouldn’t be looking at him too much.
I need to tell him I’m leaving before going away. Yeah, it’s a simple task.
“Aileen, why are you standing there?” he asked.
He noticed me first!
I slowly raised my eyes, approaching him. “Uh, I was just….”
“When did you come out of Becky’s room?” he asked, putting aside the can of beer he was drinking from. “What did she say to you?”
“Uh…. nothing much but I sure managed to confuse her for a bit. We had an argument and a heart-to-heart conversation. It was fun.”
“I sure hope she didn’t behave rudely with you, did she?”
“Uh…. she tried to close the door on my face. Does that count?”
He heaved a sigh and fell to the couch. “That girl, she surely is stubborn. I think you should give up on her. She’s not going to change. So, what’s the point of wasting your time?”
Give up on her? What is he talking about?
“It’s not set in stone yet whether she’s going to stay the same or not. So, don’t tell me to give up,” I stated.
He looked at me confused, “You still believe in her?”
I looked up at him with a bright smile. “I do. And I think she’s not going to disappoint me. Cause I’m seeing good progress. I’ll try to make her get out of her room in 2-3 days and she’ll spend her birthday outside. I’ll guarantee you that.”
He observed my face then broke into a smile, “You are really something. Fine, I’ll trust your words. Take care of Becky, I’m counting on you.”
“You can count on me!”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, getting up on his feet.
“Me? Uh…not…. well, I don’t mind a snack.”
“Alright, I’ll make an omelet for you then. Go and wash your hands and face. I’ll drive you home afterward Your mom will be worried for you.”
“Thanks! But, aren’t you cold? Put on a shirt or something.” I blinked twice before adverting my gaze.
He glanced down at his chest, “Oh, I just got out of the shower. Sorry about it. I’ll put on something and make your omelet.
“Sure.”
After wiping off my face with the towel I went to sit down on the table.
I waited for him while he cooked. He came back a few minutes later with the omelet which looked so pretty. He also added veggies and shrimp.
“This looks so pretty. Won’t you eat?”
“Nah. It’s for you only. Eat up.”
“Uh…okay..”
He sat right across me and I started eating. I could taste the flavor of soya sauce and pepper. The shrimp were fresh as well.
“It’s so good. You should try it as well,” I held out my spoon towards his mouth.