Chapter 3
1238 Words
ISABELLA’S POV.
"Mommy!" Marianna's happy voice calls out to me and I open my mouth in shock.
"Mommy?" I ask a bit too loud. "Lady Ann, she calls me aunt Belle, what changed?"
"Belle, Mari had a dream and she hasn't seen you to tell you." Lady Ann tells me as Mari moves to sit on my laps.
"Mari baby, I got chocolates for you." I whisper in her ear and she turns to look at me, holding my face between her small hands.
"Really mommy? Shush don't let her know." She points to lady Ann and I give her a smile.
I don't have a child, I'm not even married. I haven't been with a man in the last five years, at least I remember that. Mari calling me her mother gives me joy, but deep down I get a hint of sadness. I should date a couple of guys soon and maybe get married to one who suits my taste and adopt Mari as my child. I don't know why, but I just love Mari, more than I love other kids in this orphanage. I give them all fair treatments, but Mari, I don't know. She's just different I guess.
"I won't let her know." I whisper to her and lady Ann shakes her head with a smile plastered on her wrinkled face.
"Mommy, I had a dream." She gushes as she strokes my cheek with her small hand.
"Tell me." I say to her and she smiles.
"I saw you with my daddy." She says and I look at her.
"Mari baby, how sure are you?"
"In my dreams, we have the same eyes and he called me his daughter. He's so cute, he looks hotter than Barbie's boyfriend. If he is my daddy, I like him for you. You are the best in the whole world and I will be calling you mommy just like the other kids at school always call their mommy." She finishes and I let a lone tear fall off my eyes. She's too adorable and smart for a four year old kid.
"That's a nice dream." I say cleaning my cheek. "I will get more Barbie cartoons for you and you can watch it with other kids here." I tell her, taking out the chocolate I had gotten her.
"Thank you mommy, it's my fifth birthday tomorrow. Come to my school and act like my mom, please. When the other kids were laughing at me, I told them I have a mommy too. I know you and lady Ann taught me not to lie, but I lied because I didn't want to cry." She looks up at me, her perfect dark eyes staring into mine.
"Yes baby, yes I will come to your school tomorrow and tell them I am your mommy." I say to her and she plants a small kiss on my cheek just like she has seen in her Barbie cartoons. She holds her chocolate tightly and hop off my lap, stand and wave at me and lady Ann before running off.
"That child." Lady Ann says, removing her glasses and cleaning her eyes with the handkerchief in her hand.
"I wanted to tell her she didn't lie, because her mom is somewhere. Her mom left her in an incubator and fled, was she scared of accepting this adorable girl?" I ask lady Ann.
"We can't blame her mother much, maybe circumstances warranted it." She answers.
"Whatever the circumstance may be, it takes a heartless mother to leave her premature baby in an incubator and run." I say and she sighs.
"You want to bake Mari's cake. You should start now, so that you can take her for shopping like you always do a day before her birthday." She says, standing up.
"Right. This year, I won't buy her a gown. I will get her a different cloth she would pick out herself."
"What's the dress you have in mind?"
"A blue jean booty short and a halter neck top." I reply, imagining how the dress will look on Mari.
"Belle." Is all she says as she walks away, leaving me to bake the cake.
**
Getting off my car, I turn around and open the passengers' door for Mari, who smiles at me before getting off the car. Holding her hand, I walk with her by my side into the clothes mall.
"Mommy, I want two parties. One in school with the other kids and the second with my friends at the orphanage." She says, looking up at me and I stoop to her height and hold her two hands.
"Of course, Mari baby. We will get two different clothes then." I tell her and she smiles.
"I love you mommy." She says and I smile.
"I love Mari." I say to her and turn to talk to one of the attendants who's approaching me, still holding Mari, who finds everywhere interesting as she looks around.
"What's the occasion, ma? I would like to take selfies with you please, I want my followers to see me with the best actress." She gushes.
"A birthday party and sure." I say and she takes out her phone. Putting out her index and middle finger as she sticks her tongue out and I give the selfie camera a smile.
"Thank you, I'm one of your crazy fans." She says, blushing as she uploads the picture to her i********: page in my very presence with the hashtags #selfiewithstarElle #snapwithMissNewyork/Mexico and more.
"You're welcome. So I need a dress, three actually." I say to her and she shoves her phone into her pocket and smile.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away. I'm a crazy fan, I loved your last movie. You handled the guns like a pro, I thought you were only in for romance dramas until I watched your last year's movie." She rants and I give a fake smile as I check the time and look at a tired Mari.
"Ms..." I trail off to read her name on her badge. "Ms. Charlotte." I complete it and she smiles.
"I'm sorry."
"No problem, I need a gown which is my size and another of the same gown which is her size." I point to Mari and she nods.
"Perfect, we got a mother and daughter clothes stock last week, so you will get to pick your choice. Any color in mind?"
"Red." I say and she nods as she leaves.
"Mommy, carry me. I'm sleepy." Mari says, tugging my dress and I lift her up and place her on my chest, my right hand guiding her back protectively and my left below her butt as her head falls on my shoulder.
"Star Elle, here is a off shoulder knee length red gown for the two of you." She says showing it to me and I nod as I look at it. Even if I'm not with Mari, I will get her cloth size.
"Pack it up and also get a blue jean booty short and a halter neck yellow top the same size as the small red gown with you." I say and she nods as she moves.
I stand looking at some shoes, when the noisy shattering of a bottle fills the air and I turn to look at the cause.
"It's the two hundred thousand dollar worth perfume." One of the mall staff shouts.
- Writer
