Chapter 32: I'm Tired of Being Afraid
1964 Words
At the miller manor it was a Sunday morning breakfast attended by the nuclear family only. Lucas was concentrating on a plate of pancakes and sausages in front of him, he woke up feeling super hungry and also because it was awkward to look at Rose feeding David like a baby, how romantic. The parents were still in their pajamas while Lucas was in shorts and a V-neck t- shirt. Audrey was surprisingly not awake yet and...
"Where is your cousin?"
"She wasn't in her room I thought perhaps you sent her somewhere?"
"No, you know we have the lousy staffs for that where is the wretched old man"
"It's Sunday hunnie be nice" David cut her short, "Ivy is a grown up, she is probably outside basking in the sun"
Audrey's arrival once seemed to send shivers down Rose's spine. Perhaps it was that silent movement, one minute she wasn't there and the next she was like some sort of a ghost.
"Good morning" she mumbled clearing her throat and taking her seat on the table.
"Good morning sweet heart, I had the butler prepare hangover coffee for you"
"I don't have hangover though"
"You didn't party last night?"
She looked so lost, frozen as though she was thinking for a minute before she served her plate with pancakes ignoring the hangover coffee set up right in front of her and her step-mother entirely.
"Are you okay sweetheart?" David finally intervened, "I called yesterday"
"Tina told me. I didn't call back sorry"
"Perhaps she forgot, you know last night I found her sleepwalking in the hallway"
"Oh, you guys haven't heard her talk in her sleep, weird"
Now that was Lucas in the flesh, back to factory settings, he wouldn't have passed on an opportunity to mock her and make her the center of attention for the bad and ugly stuff only.
"We can get you some help"
"I don't think there is a cure for sleep walking and speaking in your sleep"
"Shut up Lucas" Rose shushed him, "so you remember walking around last night?"
"No, I just remember coming in late-sorry, taking a shower and sleeping" she said without making eye contact.
"See" Rose said confidently to a still confused David, how comes he didn't know his daughter had a sleep walking condition? The two women had him all worked up for something that was not even true, but again while trying to make Audrey look bad she was opening David's eye. Sigh. I know, you're tired of buying into the idea that David was witnessing the injustice against his daughter and actually planning to do something about it but hear me out, one day he was going to sit down and revisit everything he missed, everything that was right in front of him...until then...is that another sigh? Patience please.
The family enjoyed breakfast silently, there was still no sign of Ivy and from Audrey's analysis she was either good at keeping her bed neat or she didn't sleep in it the previous night. Either way, it was none of her business, she had a bigger fish to fry in the name of her Step-mother.
"You're not going to take that coffee? You know this one time you are allowed to drink and it's also a gift"
"From the butler and am also not thirteen"
"That's rude"
"She is actually right on this one" Lucas had her looking in his direction, was the act continuing or perhaps the white lady had finally managed to make him a slave to humanity and good vibes? But with Lucas, she couldn't trust anything that came out of his foul mouth. Back to Rose, she was in fact angry at Audrey's open show of disobedience as for the latter, now even the food on her own house was not safe because she was not sure to what Rose was up to. Do you senses change?
"It's not every day I see the kids gang up against you"
"They still love more than you, right?"
"Is this a trap? You know whatever I say would land me in trouble kind of arrangement?"
"Clearly they don't...there she is!" David said happily looking in the direction of an approaching Ivy, she had tights and a black hoodie with sports shoes on her feet.
"Next time invite us, some of us need the exercise"
An obvious jab to an unconcerned Audrey. Ivy washed her hands and sweaty face at the sink before she joined the rest of the family on the table. It was Sunday and most had nothing to do but hang around except Rose who had church. Surprised? She was a staunch Christian oozing with nothing but the grace of God as she always said in church. If religion had a face, apart from that of Jesus we see in movies then it would have had her face.
"I'm off to church" Rose left her seat, "anyone wants to take mum to church?"
Silence. Everyone was avoiding eye contact, her eyes roved at all of them before she cracked a smile when her gaze rested on David.
"Baby"
"Actually, Lucas and I have plans, right bud?"
They thought she didn't see David knock Lucas with his leg under the varnished mahogany table. It looked as though she was going alone, not that she was complaining but the duty of taking care of her family spiritually was hers, financially was David’s. No one knew where her salary went, not that her millionaire husband cared that much anyway. In fact, he was not even aware how much she was earning and that was just the beauty of it. Why tell him how much she was earning when the word broke was just but a word but not in his dictionary and vocabulary?
“I’m going to consider making church compulsory for everyone in this family”
“Wait, we don’t get to vote?”
“No Lucas, this is a dictatorship regime now”
Lucas looked at David for some help and at the time he wished to be repaid his favor David pretended to be busy reading the e-paper on his iPad.
“That’s settled, good day everyone”
“Good day” they all mumbled, Not Audrey, she was alternating between eating and scrolling on her phone which was unusual, Rose stopped to face her and she was not even shaken. Something had changed overnight about her attitude and general body demeanor, “I hope you didn’t scratch that car”
“Since when do I drive?”
Surprise was registered on Lucas and David’s faces, as for Ivy she couldn’t be more proud. Her shy distant cousin was finally taking the power back, the power she had unknowingly donated to those around her and it was amazing to see Rose get it first-hand. She wasn’t going to church a happy woman unless she left a fire burning between father and daughter…save me the irony in that sentence.
“That’s rude”
“Yeah, don’t talk to my mum like that, you fat creep”
“Call me fat once again and I’ll send this spoon down your throat and watch you drown in your blood” she threatened glaring at Lucas.
“I’d love to see you try” Lucas left his seat and Rose rushed to calm him down, David and Ivy were just looking on as though it didn’t concern them if the two ripped each other apart.
“I’m tired of being afraid. Whatever comes you dare touch me trust me you will regret the day you moved into this house because I’ll turn it into a hunted habitat for you. That car was a gift from Ben Richards to my mother, she is dead and I am my mother anyone with a problem?”
Who would have a problem? Clearly something had happened to her at that party, might have been the alcohol that boosted her self-esteem or just the ability to reach a point of no return and decide that enough is enough and one is not taking bullshit anymore and the ability to believe in that.
“You are not going to say something?”
“What do you want him to say huh?”
“Shut up Audrey”
“Go to hell!”
“Audrey!” David shouted angrily banging on the table.
“You can follow her too” She said and left the table with her sandwich.
Ivy was withholding that laughter until she couldn’t and she just laughed leaving the table except that Rose held her hand and shoved her back.
“What on earth have you given her. That’s so unlike Audrey did you see how she talked to her father, this is not a laughing matter”
“There you go again with your accusations”
“I’m not accusing you why on earth do you think your mum brought you here?”
“Be careful with your next words aunty, unlike Audrey am not so respectful”
“This is my house you do what I say” Rose bellowed, the focus had shifted from Audrey to Ivy who she was very well convinced had everything to do with Audrey being rude. And Ivy was doing so less to prove her wrong with those laughs of mockery, going all smiles at a funeral…like she had to share her aunt’s sadness. Barely days since moving in she was already being a rebel.
“And what do you want me to do, Rose?”
“I want to know what you gave her”
“Nothing, she is not into drugs like your son is. Now that we are talking drugs, hey Lucas have you told your mum who taught you how to do coke, coz it surely isn’t me”
“What is she saying” Rose turned to face her own son, that right there was a reality check that had her heart pounding, David was lost of words and he was not different from the employees who were eavesdropping from every crack in the massive manor.
“Don’t trust anything that comes out of that b***h’s mouth”
“You know this b***h is telling the truth” Ivy broke free from Rose’s loose grip and walked away, why loose? She was disappointed because for the first time, reality of her irresponsible parenthood sank in. It was true her son was doing drugs, she gave birth to him and she could tell whether or not he was lying and at that breakfast table he was lying.
“Is it true?”
“You believe her over me?”
“Let’s do a test, David call the doctor”
“Sorry buddy it’s for your own good” David dialed the doctor.
“Why don’t you test all of us then huh?”
“I don’t give a s**t about the two girls”
He let that slide in case you’re wondering how David reacted to his wife boldly admitting she didn’t care about his daughter. Church was officially cancelled and on the agenda was getting their boy back. Meanwhile for the new union of Ivy and Audrey it was upon them to decide what they were going to do with their day.
“Whatever you’ve taken this morning tell me your dealer” Ivy joined Audrey in the back porch.
“It’s a new drug called confidence though currently it’s on clinical trials”
“I’d love to try it”
“You didn’t sleep in your bed last night”
“Yes, because I went back to the Klein Manor and had a memorable night with Mason”
“Ha-ha so funny”
Joke or no joke. Time would tell.
- Writer
