Dinner with Dad and his wife was even better than I thought it would be, they both received me with love. Rachel, Dad’s new wife, was lovely and treated me as if I were her daughter; kind of like the version of mum I never had.
She asked about school and if it was hard for me, and also how I was doing. I found it easy opening up to her, telling her how I wanted to live a free life, free of the pressure, and doing things that didn’t benefit me. She smiled and told me that things would get better soon and that I should hang in there a little longer.
Rachel told me that dad had been extremely happy when he saw me in his office that day and that he didn’t let her rest a single day when I accepted his invitation to have dinner with them. She also told me of the room he had prepared for me in case I came over.
“Your father said you’d be staying the night. I’m glad because it means we can catch up on things. Come on, let me show you to your room,” She said with a wink.
“Thank you, ma’am, for having me,” I responded.
“Nah, it‘s nothing. You are my husband’s daughter, and that means you are also my daughter,” She said as she led the way.
“How do you feel?” At my question, she came to a stop and turned to face me.
“What do you mean?” She questioned.
“About me. How do you feel about my presence in your husband’s home, a daughter that isn't yours but from another woman and your husband feels happy and special about her? I want your honest answer, ma, please don’t sugar-coat it,” I pleaded, knowing it would be difficult for her to respond, but I wanted to know the answers anyway.
She smiled at me and shook her head, saying, “I’m happy. I can’t have a child of my own, but seeing you and how beautiful you are makes me so happy. I don’t see you as a stranger, but as my daughter.”
She moved towards me and hugged me before whispering in my ear, “Don’t ever think for a moment that I hate you. It’s not your fault your parents got split, it's not your fault that your dad misses you, and it’s fine that your father wants to get to know you. I, too, want to get to know you and be a mother figure to you. That is my wish. So don’t ever think I’m not thrilled to have you here, so don't feel bad when I'm not.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling from my eyes.
“Don’t cry, dear. You’re going to make me cry, too,” Rachel wiped the tears from my eyes before kissing my forehead. “We don’t want your father to wonder what’s keeping us and come in here to find you crying. Let’s have dessert after I show you the room,” she said.
I gasped out as we entered the room. The same way he had painted the apartment, he had also painted this one, plus there were some nicely wrapped gifts by the bed.
I picked one up and shook it, trying to figure out what was inside.
“Because we didn’t know what you liked, we just got a bunch of stuff. I went out shopping, but I didn’t know what your preferences were, so I just bought as many clothes as I could,” She went to open the closet, and I exclaimed in delight.
Inside the closet, there were gowns, trousers, tops, shirts, jackets, and shoes, but that wasn’t all; she walked to a door and opened it, revealing a smaller room with a mirror, more clothes, shoes, and bags.
“This is your dressing room. I’ve always wanted to dress my daughter nicely,” She looks at my shocked expression. “I’m sorry, I should have asked if it was okay with you. I can always return them if you don’t like them,”
‘Woman!’ I thought to myself, ‘who wouldn’t want new clothes, especially ones this lovely?’
I’ve always wanted a wardrobe change, but due to lack of money, I had to manage my worn-out clothes. Now that I’m being handed all of these, how could I refuse?
“Wow! Thank you so much, ma’am. Everything is wonderful, and I am extremely grateful. How did you know my size?” I thanked her before asking.
“Oh, when your father sent me your pictures when I asked about you. I took them to my stylist, and he told me your size. I couldn’t pick just a few because I didn’t know what you liked, so I chose all of them,” She says and I rush to hug her.
“Thank you very much. Could I take a few backs to school?” I asked, fiddling with my hair.
“Of course yes, they’re all yours. However, I’d like to ask you a question,”
“Okay, what is it? I hope it’s nothing bad?”
“No, not at all. I was wondering if we could go shopping or to the spa together on weekends when you’re free? I’ve always wanted to do it with my child, but I'll understand if you don’t. I don’t want to put you under pressure to do something you’re not comfortable with,” She said, and I could see the desperation in her eyes.
“Please let me know when you want to schedule an appointment, and I’ll do my best to make myself available for you,” I told her, and she screamed with glee.
“Thank you for accepting. I was afraid you’d say no, but your father advised me to give it a shot first.”
The joy in her eyes and the way she spoke made me laugh and wonder if I could ever be like this with my mum without it being about school and how she wants me to be a better person in life.
I received lots of gifts, like stuffed bears, a new phone, a laptop, a wristwatch, and a box attached with a letter. I opened the letter and read it aloud: ‘I know I haven’t been the best father to you because of some circumstances that I will tell you about someday, but I want you to know that I will always be a part of your life starting now. I’m not getting you all these gifts to compensate for my absence, but to let you know that I’ve always wanted to be a part of your life.’
When I finished reading it, I opened the box and saw a key inside. Rachel called my attention to a car parked outside the window; it wasn’t there when I came in. It was a black Lamborghini Spyder with a banner that read, ‘To my precious daughter. Thank you for not giving up on me.’
I screamed and rushed out of my room into the living room, where I saw my father sitting and reading a newspaper. I pounce on him and plaster kisses all over his face.
“Woah! Princess, slow down! What’s all the excitement and kisses for?” With a big smile on his face, he asks.
“This,” I said as I dangled the keys in front of his face. “Thank you, but why? I don’t know how to drive,”
“Because your place is far from your school and I don’t want you to take the bus. As for you not knowing how to drive, I have already enrolled you in a driving class. It’s at 5 p.m. every day except weekends, when you want to visit your mother or me or spend some spa time with your stepmother,”
“Thank you, Dad,” I said as I hugged him, “I saw your note attached to the box. It’s all good, though I’d like to know what happened between you and mum someday,”
“I’ll be glad to tell you, love, but not now, now it’s time for dessert,” Dad said and clapped his hands.
Rachel joined us just after the maid arrived with the dessert. We ate while watching Rachel’s favorite show, which was interesting. We then talked for a while, after which I went to call mum just to say hello, and for the first time in history, she didn’t bring up school. Instead, she said she was busy with work and would call me back later. She didn’t call back before I went to bed, so I just let it go.
I spent Sunday with them. Dad was delighted that I had decided to stay an extra day, so we went to the park, then to the movies, before finding a place to eat.
By 5 a.m. on Monday, Dad’s driver was driving me to my apartment in my new car, and I took along with me my new gifts. I had no idea it would feel this good to be showered with things I thought I’d never have. For the first time in my life, I felt truly happy.
My attention was drawn to the buzzing sound of my phone. I checked my phone and saw that it was a call from a friend.
“Hey! Katherine Throne! Where are you?” Katie Cory yells from the other end of the line.
“Close to my apartment, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Didn’t you see the group message? We’re having a test, and it’s starting soon by 7 a.m. I’ll do my best to cover for you, just get your butt here as soon as possible!” She yells in hushed tones before hanging up.
I looked at the time and saw that it was 5 minutes to 7 a.m. If I stopped at the apartment before going to school, I would definitely miss the test, which would be bad for my grade and would make mum yell at me.
“Excuse me, sir,” I said to the driver, “I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but could you please drive me to school? I’m late for class, and we have a test,”
“All right, ma’am. With your permission, I can speed up and get to your school in four minutes,” the driver replied.
“Permission granted. Just get me to school on time, please,” I agreed, and he increased the acceleration of the car immediately.
We arrived at my school in four minutes, giving me one minute to quickly grab my belongings from my locker and get to class on time.
I handed the driver the keys to my apartment and told him to wait there before sprinting off to my locker. When I check, my books for the class weren’t inside, so I assume Katie took them already. I grab the book for the class after and sprint as fast as my legs will allow.
I should have been more careful and focused my attention on the road in front of me instead of elsewhere. I had no idea how I came into contact with him, but all I knew was that I was on the floor and my things were all over the place.
Raising my head, I met the gaze of the last person I wanted to see, Alexander Clinton Xander.
“Watch where you’re going, dimwit!” Alexander snarls.
This was the worst day of my life.