Is It Revenge Or Love?

Missing Guest

~Deon~

There are voices around me, but all I can make out are the utensils hitting the plates on the table. I swear I can hear each second tick by, but I know that isn’t the case because there’s no clock in the room. My eyes are trained on the phone by my plate, though I know it’s a waste of time. She doesn’t have my number, and if she did, I doubt she’d call me at this point.

I’m not really enjoying the meal because I keep waiting for her to barge through that door. I’m being foolish, but I can’t help it. I was assured we had a foolproof plan to get her to attend this dinner, yet she isn’t here.

My emotions overcome me, and my hand slams down on the table. All sounds stop, and four pairs of eyes are on me. “Where the fu.ck is Jaylene?” I keep my eyes down, but I know my tone says it all. This is not what’s supposed to happen, and I want it fixed right now.

“Uh, son, are you okay?” I slowly bring my head up so I can look at her.

“This was supposed to be a family dinner. We were supposed to be bridging the gap with the news of Jaylene and me joining together. How the hell can we have this conversation when Jaylene is NOT HERE?!”

“Son, please don’t cause a scene. We are guests in this home and we need to act like it.” I slam my hand on the table, causing everyone to flinch.

“We know what this night was supposed to be about. We all know what’s at stake. I want Jaylene here, and I want her here now! No one is going to interfere with me getting her this time. If she doesn’t come willingly, she will come by force, but either way, she will be mine.” I stand up with so much force that my chair falls backward. “If you two can’t figure out how to deal with your daughter, I will do it myself, and I won’t hesitate to use whatever methods are at my disposal.” I turn and storm out of the house. It’s time to make this happen myself.

~Jaylene~

“Morning, Nancy. How was your weekend?” Nancy smiles as she clicks away on the computer.

“It was great, but I was worried about you. When you missed the rest of the week, alarm bells rang. You don’t miss days usually.” I chuckle and put my materials away.

“It was a crazy week, that’s for sure. My apartment was purchased, and I had to move out.”

“Seriously?!” Nancy rushes up and wraps me in her arms. “Are you okay? Do you need a place to stay?” I hug Nancy back and pull away from her.

“It’s okay, really. My best friend showed up, and now we live together.”

“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun. I remember all the shenanigans my bestie and I used to get going.” Nancy shakes her head and walks back to her desk. She spends the rest of the morning filling me in on what types of things she and her best friend would do for a good time. There are definitely some similarities with Amber and me.

The morning went fast as we dealt with the kids. They are a handful today and lunch is looking more and more inviting. I’m not going anywhere for lunch today, but I plan to enjoy my 30 minutes.

The bell rings, and the students line up. Nancy is going to take them outside for a project, and my fill-in will be helping her. I watch them walk out of the room and then get my lunch out. I spread out at my desk and start scrolling through my phone while I eat. I’m not big on social media, but I do like to keep up with a few things here and there.

The door opens, startling me. I look up to see a lady from the front office. “I’m sorry to bother you, Ms. Mackey, but you have a visitor. My phone slips from my hands as my thoughts immediately go to last week. I swear it better not be Deon again. I don’t have the energy for him right now.

I nod my head and stand to my feet. She steps to the side, and the first thing I see is the orange toe of a pair of Louboutin heels. My head drops, already knowing who it is. This pair of shoes is one of her favorites: fire-designed Louboutins. “Mother,” I sigh out. She steps into my classroom, looking around. She takes a few steps toward me but doesn’t say anything. “What are you doing here?”

“We missed you at dinner.” She runs her hand along one of the desks in the room. Her face immediately scrunches up in disgust. I know how she feels about my job, but I don’t care. I know that I’m making a difference, no matter how small it may be.

“I’m not sure why you missed me. I was pretty clear when I said that I wasn’t coming.”

“The invitation wasn’t a request and you know that. We had guests that you were meant to entertain. Your future in-laws were not happy that you weren’t there.” It took a few seconds for the words to click in my head. The moment they do, I bend over in hysterical laughter.

“Did… did…. Did you just refer to the Gages as my in-laws?” I’d be crying if this wasn’t so funny.

“You heard me right. You will soon be related to the Gages, and there are discussions to be had beforehand.” It takes a bit, but I finally pull myself together and stop laughing. I stand tall and straighten out my clothes. I take a few steps toward my mother before stopping.

“I will NEVER marry Deon or be related to the Gages. You and Daddy no longer get to run my life. Leave and don’t come back to my place of business.” The door opens before my mom can respond. The students come into the room one by one, much to my mother’s horror. She turns and stomps toward the door. A small voice stops her in the doorway.

“Ms. Mackey?”

“Yes, Marta.”

“Who’s that woman?” It’s cute how she tries to whisper her question, but it’s still much too loud.

“Marta, that’s no one. Just someone who I used to know.” Mom stomps the rest of the way out of the room, letting the door slam behind her.

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The rest of the day was just as long as the morning, and I couldn’t wait to get home. As I walk through the door, I take my shoes and bra off. I carry them into my room and put a scarf on. A shower is going to be perfect, but I want to start dinner first.

I walk into the kitchen and start to pull ingredients out so I can get started. Of course, I have nothing pre-cut, so that has to be the first thing I do. A knock on the door makes me almost cut my finger. I rush to the door with the knife still in my hand. I throw the door open without checking the peephole. The knife drops to my feet, and a gasp leaves my mouth. No fu.cking way!