My father approached my mother and said, "She is not going with you. I will never allow it."
They started arguing. Abigail, Emma, Adam, and I watched. For a moment, I was transported back to when they were married. I still remember their last fight.
I was just a child. I used to wait for my father on the porch when he came home from work. It was cold that day, so I stayed close to the fireplace with my grandfather. But when I heard the door open, I ran to hug him. He picked me up and played airplane with me. I loved it. That day, he gave me just one kiss. My mother appeared, serious, and said, "Luck, let's talk in the bedroom."
They went inside. At the time, I did not understand what the shouting was about, but now I do.
"My friend saw you leaving that hotel with that woman!" my mother's voice echoed through the house.
Meanwhile, my grandparents tried to distract me. When everything went quiet, I thought, Now he will come play airplane with me. But after a few minutes, he came out of the room with two suitcases. He was crying.
"Cami, forgive me. Don't do this to our family," he said.
She did not react and remained silent. I approached and asked, "Daddy, are you going to travel?"
"Sweetheart, your father is moving to another house, but we will still take care of you," my mother replied.
I started crying and clung to his leg. He knelt down and said, "This will be resolved soon. I promise."
And that was the first promise my father did not keep. Nothing was ever the same again.
He stayed in Staunton for a while, but a few months later, my paternal grandparents died in a plane accident. My father could not bear the weight of memories, of a marriage that no longer existed, and of his parents who loved Staunton, so he moved permanently to Florida, near the company headquarters, to manage my grandfather's business closely. My father's life became the construction company. There is still a Hollis Construction branch in Staunton, but one of my father's cousins took care of it.
Even far away, my father was never absent. He called every day, and we saw each other at least once a month. He used to go to Staunton, or we would meet in a nearby city. I wanted to see my parents together again until a year ago, but my mother found Alex. He is nice, and she is happy. I just want them to be happy. In the end, that is what really matters.
But the two of them could not see each other without arguing. I think my mother never forgot the betrayal.
Coming out of the trance, my mother asked, "Mia, are you okay here?" while stroking my face.
"I am, Mom. I don't want to move right now," I replied.
She cried and hugged me. "Get ready, we are going out for a bit."
I agreed, and she said, "Introduce me to your friends."
So I introduced Emma and Adam. She was kind and apologized for the argument in front of them. Then she turned to Abigail.
"Mom, this is Abigail, the housekeeper," I said.
My mother smiled. "A new housekeeper, huh? Your father must have good reasons for hiring her and putting his life at risk."
I felt extremely embarrassed and tried to explain, "Mom, she is..."
"Daughter, she is young and beautiful. I hope your father thinks with his brain from now on. After all, I already know it was her ex-boyfriend who kept you hostage," my mother said.
My father intervened. "Her ex-husband. And she is an excellent employee."
"Mom, let's go to my room. I'll get ready," I said quickly.
I took my mother by the hand, and we went upstairs. When she saw my room, she laughed.
"What is this? This does not suit you."
I laughed and replied, "Mom, I know, but I did not want to upset Dad."
She approached the window and saw the flowers Chad had given me, already wilted.
"Your father always liked flowers to make up for his mistakes," she said.
I said nothing. I did not want to tell her about Chad because I was nervous. I got ready quickly. Adam and Emma stayed at my house with Abigail. My mother and I spent an amazing day together. We had lunch, and she took me to a museum—she has always loved museums. I told her all the news.
At the end of the day, she drove me home. When we arrived, Pitter was already there. Everyone was having dinner.
"Cami, have dinner with us," my father said after my mother greeted everyone.
"Stop calling me Cami. And no, thank you," I replied.
He smiled sarcastically. "Mom, stay here tonight, since your flight is only at five in the morning."
She kissed me and said, "Daughter, no. I prefer a hotel."
She said goodbye to everyone. As she was leaving, she ran into Brandon and Jhenna. Brandon was holding flowers.
"Oh, so he gave you the flowers?" my mother said.
My father got up and asked, "What flowers?"
Brandon hugged me and said, "Mia, I was worried."
"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.
"The whole town knows. This news spreads," he replied.
Jhenna added, "Adam told me too."
Emma looked at Adam with an unfriendly expression. Adam lowered his head. Pitter let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Now I am leaving. And boy, Mia is too young to date. I hope you are just friends," my mother said.
"Yes, ma'am," Brandon replied.
My mother then went to the door and ran into Chad, holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. She looked at him and said, "Another one? I hope these flowers are for Emma."
"No, Emma is dating Adam. These are for Mia," Pitter said.
Jhenna looked at Adam. Mrs. Ruth got up and hugged Emma. "I am so happy. You are a golden girl."
Pitter looked at Jhenna with a sarcastic expression. I thought, Is he still upset about the orange juice? If anyone is more sarcastic than Adam, it is Pitter. I need to be careful.
"You must be Camilly, right?" Chad said. "Nice to meet you." He extended his hand.
"How sweet. I like him," my mother said. "Well, now I have to go. Bye."
My mother left. The mood grew tense. Brandon and Chad stared at each other.
"Mr. Luck, I want to invite Mia out on Saturday," Brandon said.
I looked at him in disbelief. Chad stepped forward and said, "No, she is not going out with you. Man, back off."
Everyone watched. Brandon stepped closer to Chad, looked him in the eyes, and said, "I better leave then. Bye, Mia, we will talk later. Come on, Jhenna."
Jhenna said goodbye to Adam.
"There are other people besides Adam here," Emma snapped.
"Yes, and if you allow it, I will say goodbye to everyone. Bye, everyone. Good night," Jhenna replied.
Emma did not respond. Brandon tried to hug me, but Chad stepped in front.
"Better stay away from her. Who knows, you might set my house on fire like you did with your father's," Brandon said sarcastically.
Chad gripped the bouquet tightly. Everyone went silent. I did not understand what Brandon was talking about. Chad let go of the bouquet and pushed Brandon.
My father stood up and said, "Enough, both of you. Brandon, good night."
Brandon and Jhenna headed to the door, but before leaving, Brandon said, "When people find out what you are capable of, maybe the one who should leave is you."
Chad looked at me with tear-filled eyes. There was something there, something beyond anger or wounded pride. Maybe it was pain. Maybe it was fear. Or maybe it was the ghosts of a past I had yet to discover.