Chapter 22: Party day
1946 Words
Saturday morning, the powerful rays of the sun penetrated through the silk fabric of beautiful white curtains on the large rectangular floor to ceiling window, splashed a yellow golden tinge on everything in the room including the toned handsome face of Mason who smiled still with his eyes shut, he inhaled a lungful of air and yawned spreading his arms wide like a pair of eagle wings.
"Thank God am live!"
He sat up and remotely opened the curtains then rolled off his bed and walked to the window letting the sun splash on his whole body. It was party day and he planned to start it with party tunes. He picked up his phone and selected the best party playlist he had, the speakers blared as he moonwalked on the carpet showing his dance moves to an invisible audience, using his toothbrush as guitar, he was having fun. After a warm shower that left him streaming he changed into a pair of shorts and tee then grabbed his phone and went downstairs checking his i********: and w******p stories, trending on both were the flyer invitations to his party, everyone was excited and it left him feeling proud.
"Morning mum, you look lovely" he said happily and kissed her cheek, went ahead to kiss his father which left him frozen like Lot's wife in the bible. He was like, what just happened? And Maryse was smiling with satisfaction, all she wanted was to see her two boys co-exist and not provoke each other.
"You look happy"
"Am alive and my family is fine. Are you fine?" He grabbed a sausage and chewed it taking a seat, "you all look healthy?"
"We're healthy. You are in high spirits today, your team won?"
"Happiness is a choice dad" he poured a glass of juice and served his plate with two pancakes and two slices of bread.
"Okay, if you say so"
Mike was already dressed, navy blue suit and a red tie and so was Maryse. It was going to be their last breakfast for some time and Mason wasn't going to let it go to waste due to petty grudges. Besides he wanted his parents in high spirits if he was going to host that party, a single mistake would have made his mother angry and cancelled the whole thing leaving him with shame and ridicule from everyone who anticipated to attend.
"So, your mum tells me you'll have a party"
He took a hasty look at his mum, the look of a betrayed comrade. She just smiled and shrugged then picked up her cup of coffee, sipped it with her eyes glued at him.
"Don't worry am not going to ask you not have one. I just want you to be comfortable enough to tell me"
"Okay" he said breathing some relief.
"Just be responsible, we've built all this for you and Maeve don't let it go to ashes"
"Don't worry dad We won't be cooking or doing a barbecue party"
"You know what I meant" he checked his watch, "I have to go, hunnie we are leaving together?"
"Yes" Maryse left her seat, she went and hugged her son, "take care of yourself"
"I will mum, don't worry about me"
In a sneaky bid to make the father and son talk she made for upstairs. David was still seated scrolling on his tablet.
"You know she wants us to talk"
"I figured...she is probably hiding somewhere to see if it worked" he put away the tablet, "are you thinking what am thinking?"
"No, you're always thinking business dad"
They both laughed. Even without faking it they managed to find a common ground as the conversation slowly drifted to trending topics in sports and entertainment, Maryse got tired of watching from the cracks, she went to pick her purse and walked downstairs to ruin the father and son convo that had kicked off to a humorous banter.
"Let's get going, you'll miss your flight"
"Tell her dad, you own the flight" mason cracked them up, Maryse was just looking on disappointed outwardly but at heart he was doing summersaults with joy on cloud nine.
"Son, I wish we had more time"
"Don't worry, we can catch up when you come back"
"Yeah, I can't wait for Maeve to come home so we can also brag...let's go" she dragged Mike away.
"Take care!" Mike shouted with his last gasp before Maryse shut the door.
The house was officially Mason's and this time he had the blessing of both his parents. He started making calls right away, they needed to prepare for the party.
****
When Audrey woke up, David was seated on the couch his hands and legs folded, snoring silently with his head supported on a throw pillow. She was surprised to see him there and clearly, he had spent a night in her room to show remorse for what a jerk he had been. Audrey had no intention of waking him up, if the sun rays couldn't then she didn't stand a chance. She rolled off bed and carefully walked to the bathroom opened and shut the door behind her.
"Good morning Audrey" she mumbled to herself staring at the mirror. Without her eye glasses she looked different, more beautiful but that's not what she thought most of the time. All she saw were her sagged cheeks and shapeless body, the beautiful smile faded away but then it came back when she realized it was her first party in a few hours and she had an amazing dress to wear.
She went ahead and washed her face then dried it with a towel and walked back in the room to David seated on the couch, yawning and stretching.
"Morning Dad, got kicked out of your room last night or what?" She teased.
"Quite the opposite...I just don't know where to start"
"How about you start with a sorry Audrey I've been acting all weird as though you're not my daughter" she mimicked him.
David looked surprised, that was not the way he talked of course but it was not the reason behind his surprise. The real reason was her confidence that had gone overboard to an extent she was confusing disrespect for confidence.
"I haven't been acting all weird, you know am a busy man and am not omnipresent or omniscient to know what you're going through. It's upon you to tell me"
"It's hard to tell you when you act like I don't exist"
"For Christs sake the world doesn't revolve around you!" He shouted angrily and sprung up like a bouncing ball.
"Well, I remember when it used to. I'm sorry dad but you have to leave"
"This is my house young lady!"
"Great, then I have to leave" she took her glasses and phone.
"Where can you possibly go huh?"
"Anywhere far from you as possible" she picked her dress and shoes then her bag pack and left the room, not without banging the door.
David collapsed in the chair exhaling sharply his arms spread. Once again, he had just blown it up. But that's not what someone else saw. For Rose it was a perfect chance to help him open his eyes. She crept in and sat next to him massaging his hand, he opened his eyes to look at her and shut them.
"You have seen it yourself how much she has changed, now where is she going?"
"I don't know"
"You know the other day I found her shopping during school hours"
"Hmm"
Speak of disappointment when her attacks barely scratched the surface of unleashing his anger on his daughter. Meanwhile, Audrey moved to the downstairs guest room. Jokes on whoever thought she was going to leave her house for anything, it was the only place that reminded her of her mum and just like the butler they were going to have to kill and drag her lifeless body out of that compound. Her phone buzzed.
"Good morning buddy!"
"There's nothing good about this morning"
"Okay. Give me a name. Who messed up with you?"
"It's just my dad"
"Oh, did that salty b***h tell him about shopping?”
"No... I mean maybe but it's something that has been cooking up for long. Enough about me"
"I'm okay, if that's what you wanted to ask. Can we go out have some ice cream and yoghurt to cheer you up?"
"I'm in, when are you coming?"
"Give me half an hour tops"
"Drive carefully, no need for speed"
"Don't worry, I listen to you every time" she mocked.
"No, you don't, bye!"
After that call Audrey went to the bathroom to freshen up in readiness for Tina who she knew by fact was going to be there in less than half an hour depending on how busy the traffic was. Humming to a tune only she knew, Audrey cleaned her body under the hot shower. Steam escaping through her sweat pores leaving her feeling relaxed. She brushed her teeth and washed her hair before leaving the bathroom, changed back to her clothes and headed to the kitchen looking for breakfast. The cooks were busy working together in synch trying to avoid an altercation like the one that happened the previous night, no sign of the butler.
“Good morning everyone, can I have a glass of milk please?”
Milk was brought even before she sat. Most of them had witnessed the butler returning David back to his senses- though clearly’ he wasn’t back. Their minds were whoever back, they recognized her as the rightful heir to the Miller fortune and their future boss if things went according to plan.
“Good morning! There she is” Ivy crushed the party uninvited hugging Audrey from behind, “you smell nice”
“Thank you, Good morning”
“Good morning…can I have what she is having? Milk and bread please” she finally took a seat opposite Audrey and went straight to her phone typing super-fast, “So, what are you up to today?”
“Going out for ice cream with my friend Tina in the next few minutes”
“I was thinking you could show me around”
“I think Lucas is best suited for that I don’t go around often”
“Okay, how about we go out together? I love ice cream too”
She went quiet. It felt like a trap of some sort. She wasn’t the kind to keep grudges but she remembered the first time they met Ivy called her a pig, a good animal but not such good looking and let’s not even get started on the mud and food they eat. Was she worth a second chance? The last thing she wanted was to cause trouble by leaving with her or even worse allowing the same trouble she was running away from to follow her around.
“You’ll have to take it up with your Aunt”
“You mean Rose? She is cool” Ivy said confidently munching the bread, she took a long sip of milk and rested the glass back to the kitchen slab.
“Am sure you haven’t asked”
“Yes, but am sure she is”
And who was Audrey not to believe her, though not fully, “Okay, you can tag along”
“Thank you, let me go change” she ran off to the staircase and came back, “one last sip”
Audrey and the cooks were left laughing their heads off. Perhaps she had judged her wrong and it was indeed going to be fun having her around.
- Writer
