Chapter three
2006 Words
The three story house was very impressive, the front garden was immaculate and as I jumped from the car I could hear the ocean waves lapping on the shore. My mum went bounding up the stairs, ignoring my protests to not run into the lions den. I pulled my cap down slightly over my face. "Anna." The older man that I assumed was Marcus boomed as my mother pretty much hurled herself at him. "And this must be Lilith." I just nodded and looked around at the beautiful flowers in the tubs outside the front door.
"Lilith." My mother hissed in a whisper shout. "Don't be rude."
I rolled my eyes and looked over to Marcus and the younger version on him who were both now staring at me. "Yes I am Lilith." I said in an almost robotic voice. My mother glared at me. "What? I am still not certain I will not wake up in an ice bag with a nasty scar or being force-fed condoms of heroine or end up with some fat guy asking me to apply the oil. I am not giving away anything I don't have to."
The younger version of Marcus chuckled at my words before Marcus glared at him. "What? At least she is not stupid. This is not normal dad."
"Agreed." I nod.
"Well, how about we start with a late dinner and go from there then." Marcus stated as he took my mother's hand and started to walk into the house.
I turned around to go and get the suitcases from the car but Mr. MIB held up his hand. "You just go inside miss, I have these."
"You sure you don't need help?" I pushed, looking over my shoulder to see Anna kissing Marcus making me shudder.
"I am sure." he laughed.
"Just as I was starting to think you got my back Mr. MIB." I shook my head in disappointment, to which he just looked confused. "You know we are the men in Black." I sung a little bit making him chuckle again.
"My name is Jacob." Mr. MIB said as he closed the boot.
"So Jacob, does your boss like to chop up bodies in the basement?"
"Not that I know of." he laughed as he picked up the cases.
"Run a playboy type lifestyle?"
"Anna is the first girl I have seen Mr. Cage with since his wife died."
"How did she die?"
"Nosey much?" Marcus's son asked, making me notice that he was still there.
"I could say the same to you. I am asking Jacob here not you."
"My mum had cancer." Marcus's son said making me instantly regret my attitude.
"Sorry." I muttered, looking down at his very whiney shoes.
"It's okay, it was a long time ago." the man shrugged as he stepped aside. "Is your mother a gold digger?" he asked me in return.
"Honestly, I don't know what my mum is, or what any of this is. I came home from work and she had my case packed and said she was going with or without me. They only met last night, I was not about to let her fly half way around the world on her own." I shrugged as I took in the impressive marble floors and staircase that spiralled to the right. The open space we walked into had two plush sofas and a flat screen TV as well as what looked like surround sound that seemed to be connected throughout the house as I spotted a speaker at the top of the stairs.
"And you chose the coffee house profession or did you just fall into it?" Marcus's son asked as we walked into a grand dining room where the four place settings looked almost lost clumped up one end.
"Excuse me?" I stopped and my mother turned round in her seat to see what was going on.
"Well you can't be very ambitious in life if your dream was to make the perfect over priced cup of coffee that you don't even get to drink."
"Listen to me pal." I gritted out taking a step forward and poking him hard in the chest with my finger. "You don't know the first thing about me or my life, so keep your rich spoilt snobby nose out of it!"
"But you and your mother walk into my life as a coffee girl and a, I don't even know what your mum does, what are you after here?"
"I didn't even want to come here, I am here for my mum!" I yelled.
"Enough!" Marcus shouted, his deep powerful voice making me jump slightly. "Both of you, sit and we will discuss this like adults." I took a few deep breaths, giving Marcus's son the s**t eye before turning and taking the seat next to my mum while he went to the other side next to his dad. "Now, why don't we ask questions like civilized people." no body spoke, I just glared at Marcus's son trying to make his head explode with my mind.
"Why don't you start Lilith?" Anna pushed me.
"I have nothing to say, I don't need to explain myself to these people." I hissed.
"Fine, then I will explain. Lilith is my daughter, she is eighteen, she dropped out of college and got a job at the coffee shop a little over a year ago now..."
"Drop out." Marcus's sun chuckled and I slammed my hand into the table and stood up seething at his words.
My mum grabbed my arm but I shook her off. "Just leave it mum." I sighed as I went to leave the table.
"Lilith dropped out because I was an alcoholic." I froze and looked down at my mother, this was the first time she had ever admitted that. "Her father left me for another woman and I broke and left her to pick up the pieces. I lost my job and we were going to loose the house, but Lilith took charge, stopped going to college, got a job, sorted out the bills, the food, me. She would work all day and then come home and clean me up and make sure I had something to eat before she went to bed and had to do it all over again." her eyes watered as she looked at me. "She took care of me when I couldn't take care of myself. I'm so sorry."
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into me, giving her a hug and kissing the top of her head. "It's fine mum. As long as your okay now, just forget it."
"How can I forget it when I blamed you?" she sobbed, her words muffled by my top. I moved back and rubbed my thumb over her cheek. "I blamed you for William leaving, I blamed you when I lost my job, I blamed you when we got the first eviction notice, I blamed you when we had to eat the same boring meals because I spent all your money on vodka so we couldn't afford proper food."
"Mum." I whispered looking around nervously at Marcus and his son. "Just leave it."
"I already know all this Lilith, we have no secrets." Marcus said reaching out and squeezing my mother's shoulder. My eyes shifted to his son who was still staring at me, a little slack jawed. "Lucas didn't know but I don't want secrets from him either."
"Yeah well you could have told me before I acted like a d**k to her." Lucas grunted at his father.
"And what would you have done? Told me not to bring the woman of my dreams to live with me because her past isn't full of sunshine and rainbows. I love Anna and..." Marcus stood up and rooted in his pocket before getting down on one knee. "I want her to marry me."
I took a step back, completely shocked as I looked to Lucas who had an equally perplexed expression. "Yes Marcus, yes!" my mum yelled.
"Mum!" I hissed, grabbing hold of her and pulling her to me. "You don't even know him, you can't know him, you only met last night and now you want to be Mrs. f*****g Cage. Are you mental?"
"Lilith..."
"No mum! I was the one who had to try and keep all your s**t together for the past year and in a day, you don't drink, we are in a strangers house and you are agreeing to be his wife. What happens if something goes wrong and he leaves? Or you leave? Or you learn you don't like each other as much as you think?"
"Lilith can you just be happy for me?"
"I am happy, I am over the f*****g moon that you are sober and smiling and seem to know what day of the week it is but this is a big thing mum. Are you sure this is what you want?"
She looked over her shoulder to Marcus who was still down on one knee not looking as sure of himself anymore. "I am." she whispered as she moved from me to him. "Yes Marcus I will marry you." she said as Marcus smiled and slid the ring on her finger and I took my cap off to slide my hands through my hair in frustration.
"I promise I will take good care of your mother Lilith, she is a very special woman to me, and I will take care of you of course as well."
"I can take care of myself thanks." I mutter as I throw my hat on the table and retake my seat.
After several minutes of the two of them kissing and hugging, Anna and Marcus sat back down. "Anyway, so before we got distracted, I think you should know a bit more about us too." Marcus said. "I own and run a magazine with my son, Lucas who is twenty five. My wife died just over twenty years ago of breast cancer, and I never thought I would find love again until I met your mother Lilith." I just nodded, this was so crazy f****d up s**t and I was not equipped to handle it all right now. A waiter or server, whatever you call them came out and started to fill up the wine glasses set up on the table. "Just one glass for Lilith." he said as they filled up my glass.
"Why? I'm eighteen."
"Drinking age is twenty one in the states." Lucas laughed to which I just scrunched up my face at him. "What are your plans anyway while you are here?"
I shrugged. "I don't know what the limits are on the visa as Anna didn't show me a copy, but I was thinking of getting a job."
"You will be going to school from Monday, you won't have time for a job." Marcus said in an authoritative tone that made me bristle.
"What? Are you kidding me?" I said looking from him to my mum.
"If you had been born in America you would still be in high school now so that is where you will be going." Marcus said with a straight face, he was not joking.
"But I haven't been to school in over a year, I don't even know what the curriculum is like here. I will be way too far behind." I try to explain.
"Don't worry, Saint Marc's is an excellent private school, they helped Lucas succeed and they will help you too. Plus the private tutors I will be getting you."
"I don't want your money." I said firmly, what the hell was this, he had been engaged to Anna for ten minutes and now he thought he was my father?
"While you are living under my roof, you will follow my rules or you will be punished." Marcus said in a firm tone.
"Punished? What the f**k?" I looked at my mother who was looking a little shocked as well.
- Writer
