Volume 1: Twelve Years Was A Long Time (5)

VOLUME 1: TWELVE YEARS WAS A LONG TIME

 

 

CHAPTER 5: THE LIVING ARRANGEMENT

 

“No childhood need is as strong as a need for a father’s protection”

PREVIOUSLY...

 

"Princess!"

"Dad."

Suddenly, I found myself engulfed in a bear hug.

"Princess, I missed you so much!"

"Look dad,"

He looked at me curiously. I gulped and took a deep breath. I looked at him with a solemn look.

”We don’t really have to do this. We both know the only reason I came here is because I need you to sign the-"

"Oh, look. Our meal has arrived."

“You look just like your mother when she was your age.”

I bit my lip and crossed my ankles under the table. My back stiffened at the mention of my beautiful late mother.

“And yet you are so different from each other. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if you took after me.” He smiled sheepishly and shook his head.

“So, tell me. What were you up to these last few years? Your studies? Any boys I should look out for?”

“Mom died.”

“Yes. I’ve heard about that. I was in business overseas.  I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. I wished I could come.”

 “Just forget about it. You don’t have to explain anything.”

I traced the rim of the cup as if they were the most fascinating thing to do.

“About the papers…”

 “I already had them signed.”

That perked me up. Finally, something good coming from this meeting.  

“Really?”

He regarded me with a cool and calculating look.

“I’ve decided to give you the papers.”

 “Let me get this straight. You’ll give me the papers. That’s it. Just like that?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You know. No catch or anything? Nothing?”

 “Trust you to be shrew to catch on that.”

I was right.  There is a catch.

“I will give you the signed papers but only if you agree to live with us for a year.”

And here it was the final blow. The dreaded feeling coming true.

All other notions breezed through like a spectral. All but one thing to voice out. 

“What do you mean by ‘us’?”

 

 

AND NOW...

 

The whole patio went silent.  The servers and the rest of the staff turned around to check what happened. Meanwhile, the other customers were  craning their heads, peeking from high above their chairs, and even the stone-faced maître d’ stole a glance from his podium. Just in time to witness me standing and leaning on the table.

I felt heat flushed in both of my cheeks at the attention. I could feel their curious stares at the fallen cutleries on the floor and the big coffee stain on the mantle.  I bit back a curse at my sudden actions.

It wasn’t like I did it on purpose. I don’t exactly go into fits or tantrums or knocking down table wares every day for fun. In fact, I never go into outbursts - ever. Which was why what my father had told me was that big of a shock.

“Princess, we already talked about this.”

We did? A memory formed in my head. Right. It must be the thing that he was rambling about earlier. The time I purposely ignored him. Apparently, they weren’t as irrelevant as I once thought. Great.

“Yeah, we did.  But, could you just repeat what you said that time?”

“Okay, what part?” he asked, thoughtfully.

“Uhm… All of it?” I gave him a sheepish look.

He frowned. He was probably wondering if there was something wrong with me. I waited for a moment before he started talking.

“Princess, I’m not sure what you’re trying to do. I know the idea of me getting remarried,” wait, say that again. Remarried?! How come I never heard of this earlier?! “Would be a shock to you but I thought we already got passed it. You seemed to take it so we”-

“Okay, hold up! Remarried?!” I exclaimed each syllable.

God. That’s a real kicker. It was like an 67-yard field goal.

“Sweetheart, I just don’t see any problem”-

I cut him off.

“You got remarried! That’s the problem!”

“But I thought - you seemed to take it well earlier.”  He sputtered, completely bemused.

Was he kidding me?

I looked at him. He seemed flummoxed. He rubbed his temples. He actually doesn’t get it. I groaned.

I breathed in quick and heavy breaths.  God, this can’t be happening.

An image of my mom and dad looking happy together ten years ago flashed into my mind. They looked so happy then. The looked so in love.

I folded my hands over my mouth.

Another image appeared. The back of my mother huddling in front of the dinner table as gut-wrenching cries echoed throughout the motionless. I remember the sound of a cab driving away. I quickly dashed outside the front yard, hoping to catch up to it. I stumbled. I fell and bled.

I blinked back the painful tears at the back of my eyes.

 I’ve sworn to myself that I would never think of that night ever again.

“Sweetheart, listen to me. It’s gonna be fine. You’re gonna love her.”-

I cut him off again.

“That’s not the point! You can’t exactly say you got remarried without telling me and expect me to just accept it. “

Just please stop telling me everything’s gonna be okay - because they’re not. They never will be.

“But, princess.”-

“When?”

I needed to know how it happened. I needed to know if it was the reason why he left mom in the first place. I wanted to know how he could just forget my mom and marry another.

  “Eight years ago.”

Mom hasn’t even moved on then. She never showed any interest in other men - much less dating. Instead, she worked almost every hour and whenever she thought I was asleep, she would stare at the picture of her and dad that she kept inside one of her drawers. The last time she did that was the night before the accident.

It was so unfair.

“So much for going back in time, huh?” Or was he just lying back then?

“It’s… it’s complicated.” And there it is again! His favorite word.

“Of course, how else could it be? I mean, why leave us? Why didn’t you call once in a while? Why remarry? Why bother coming back after all these years - when mom’s gone over a year? Why? Of course, everything is just damn complicated �" right, Dad? I asked, bitterly.

“Alyce, I’ve loved your mother” I tuned at the serious tone in his voice. As if he sounded sincere I scoffed. He continued.” But it was also that love that kept us apart. While, Caro, we’ve known each other much longer before your mother and when I went back to find you both gone, I figured you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore.  I was heartbroken. “

I blinked. He came back for us? I looked at him, seeing the truth from his eyes.

Suddenly, something inside me warmed up. It’s like the time when I fell in our front yard, twelve years ago. I stood up despite my bloody knees and ran after the cab, believing he’d hear me and stop. Still hoping that he would come back for me.

And here he was years later, sitting in front of me, doing so.  

 “Look I could tell you - again �" what happened after that, but only if you want to. If not, we could just reschedule another meeting with the agency when you’re ready.”

I shook my head vigorously, wanting to get this over with now. “Tell me. Please.”

 “Okay, where was I? Oh yes, Caro and I met a year after. I was in London, overseeing a few of the company’s branches my great uncle left to me.  I bumped into her. We met a few times after that that. I found out her husband had died a few years earlier, leaving her with their ten children. Ten children! Even I was surprised by that number. And of her, of course. I mean, how could I not? I admired her strength, her grace and her dedication to her family. I had met her sons later on and found them to be fine young men.  And so, I did what I never expected to do. I fell in love. With her and her family. It wasn’t long until I did the next craziest thing and asked her to marry me. And another crazy thing was, she said yes! We moved in the city after the wedding and nine months later, we were blessed with a child - your  brother. It was only recently when the Child Services got a hold of me a few months ago. Caro already knew about you. She was actually the one who suggested we move here so that I could be together with you again.”

“I see.” I nodded again. I could tell from the way he spoke and the way he sounded that he really loved her. The way his tone shifted in exasperation and how his eyes held hat twinkle at the mere mention of her, I’ve never seen him like that. Not even with mom, I added sadly.

“So, what do you say?” he asked.

“About what?”

“Moving in with us.”

“What about Caro. Is she okay with this?” I asked hesitantly.

Why did I feel so anxious to hear about what she thought? I frowned.

“Caro did suggest we move back here so you could be with us.”

My body slightly relaxed.  But yet, another thought occurred to me.

“What about her kids? Were they on board with this too?”

Would they be expecting a confident and glamorous sister that could easily fit in to their world and get along with? If they are, I hope they get used to disappointment.  I wasn’t exactly sociable by standards.  I don’t even do crowds - never mind eleven new brothers.

“Of course.” He replied.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked.

Not that I really need to hear what he would answer.  Dad did say he would give me the papers. His wife didn’t seem to mind she did suggest I live with them. And her kids couldn’t be that bad if my dad spoke so fondly about them. Plus, it didn’t hurt to try and reconnect with my dad. Somehow, the idea of moving in might not be such a bad one after all. 

“I trust them to be grown up about this and I’m sure the Knight boys would be on their best behavior. After all, you are gonna be their sister.”

Or maybe not.

“I’m sorry, did you say Knight?”  My mind must’ve been playing tricks on me. I’m afraid the heat must be getting me considering it was summer and I have been too long under the sun, not to mention, getting involved in a biking accident and hitting my head earlier. 

 “Yes, I did.”

 I froze.

Okay. Maybe the spelling’s just different. I reassured myself.

“Yeah, but is it a Knight with a ‘k’ or  just ‘n’?”

Please say ‘n’.

“With a ‘k’.”

My heart gave a frightened start. I gasped.

“Why? Is something wrong?” he asked, worried.

Yes. No. I hope not.

Maybe they just coincidentally had the same name. Or maybe they’re distant relatives. That must be it. This time for sure.

“Caro’s first husband wouldn’t happen to be Xavier Knight. Was he?”

“Why yes, I’m surprised that you know.”

Strike three and you’re out!

I slumped down on my chair. My body was still frozen. My gaze settled on the table in front of me, staring blankly into nothing in particular. My mind was pre-occupied in keeping up with the brand new set of information my father had just told me and pretty much everything else after that.

“Xavier Knight. Legendary tycoon.  Owner of Knight Industries, what-not” He rolled his eyes, though I wasn’t exactly paying enough attention on what he was saying to process them into my mind. “Although, Edward, one of his sons, is the president now. And let me tell you, that young man is brilliant - just like his grandfather and his grandfather before that. It won’t surprise me if he made an even bigger empire of Knight Industries in the near future. You’ve actually met his brother, James. I asked him to help you get ready this morning. He’s such a nice kid, too.”

Were my ears deceiving me or is my dad actually praising the Knights?

The Knight Brothers. I gritted my teeth. Why couldn’t they just stay put in that old part of my life?

Now they’re back. As my step-brothers. Who I’ll be living with. 

And here I thought I was free from that childhood nightmare. An experience that couldn’t get any more traumatic. I was wrong. Now, it won’t be just traumatic. It was gonna be apocalyptic.

“So, I’m assuming that you’re agreeing on this?”

I could feel his anticipation.  His assurance that I would agree.

This was all too much. I thought it wasn’t a bad idea but knowing now that I would be reuniting with the demons from my childhood, living with them and even being related to them sent shivers down my spine and nausea curling at the base of my throat. Just the thought of seeing their handsome - yet brimming with unfathomable evil �" faces stoked my temper to flare in unimaginable levels.  Forget one year. I doubt I’ll survive an hour without tearing their faces off. Sorry dad but the answer would be definitely absolutely without a doubt, positively 100 percent loud-

 “NO!” I cried out of the blue.

In a course of clumsiness and rash behavior, I managed to find myself standing up. My thighs bumped into the table as I leaned forward. My palms shot out and connected to the table with a loud thump. I barely managed to register the cutleries along with my napkin falling off the table and unto the ground. My untouched coffee merely toppled off from the force, its contents spilling on the clean white mantle.

“I am so sorry. Here let me clean it up.” I grabbed my fallen napkin from the ground and began to dab it on the stain.

“No, miss. It’s alright.”  The young waiter from before was instantly by my side. He placed his hand on top mine, prying the cloth from me. 

“But, I insist.” I said.

I began to dab at the spot again, his hand still holding mine.

“Princess, let the man do his job and sit down.” 

My dad, who’d been quiet during my sudden outburst, finally spoke. He eyed the waiter’s enclosed hand and stared at him with narrowed eyes. 

I ignored him and faced the waiter, not liking the idea of someone cleaning up my mess. Moreover, I’ve had my share of cleaning tables worse than this so there wasn’t anything hard about wiping a simple coffee stain.

“I’m really sorry.” I apologized again.

“Happens all the time miss. Don’t worry.”

He looked like he was about to smile but with a glance to my father he paled and hurriedly released my hand. He then signaled to a fellow waiter to come over. Together, they quickly took the tableware along with the mantle. They approached a nearby dining cart and took out a neatly-folded cloth and spread it evenly on the table.  As soon as they were done, they excused themselves and took the dining cart back to the kitchen. The waiter gave me a final glance near the kitchen door. I tossed him an apologetic smile. He gaped for a moment before entering.

Dad cleared his throat. I sat back down.

“As I was asking, you are agreeing with this? Now, remember I won’t take n-”

“No! Not now, not ever.”

Geez, how many times do I have to point it out?

“Just think about this more rationally. I could give you the life you never had- you should’ve had.   I’ll make sure you get nothing but the best. You’ll be pampered and set for your life. You don’t have to work anymore. You don’t have to worry about the bills. All you just need to worry about is what college you want to go to. Dresses… jewels…shoes… cars… You could go shopping or travel the world on my expense. Max out your credit cards? Be my guest. Just let me take care of you. Let me give you a home.”

“Look, I’ve been living just fine on my own without a father or the sparkly dresses and the shoes and the jewelry and the cars and travelling and the credit cards and the high-rise mansion that you mentioned. In fact, I’m happy without them. Just as I’m sure you’ve been happy with your life, too. You have your family. I have my friends. You have your business, your empire or whatever and I have my job, my apartment and my life-plan. I know t’s not much right now but I’m gonna work hard on that. All I need from you is simple. I want my freedom without having foster care or guardianship. So can’t you just give me that and let us continue to live our own separate ways?”

“No.” He firmly replied.

“Why not?!”

“Because I won’t let you. Listen well, Alyce. You may not want me or need me as a father anymore but that sure as hell won’t stop me to be there for my daughter - whether she likes t or not.  Understand?”

“No! Why can’t you just leave me alone?! ”

I was on my feet again, with my hands table. Luckily, there wasn’t any coffee this time.

 “I’ve tried to do this peacefully young lady but you’re making it too hard not to. You are living with me and that’s final.” He gritted out in a tight voice.

“What makes you think I would go with you?” I scoffed. He can’t make me do anything.

“You don’t want to test me, princess. I still have a few aces up my sleeve to make you agree.” He said his voice severe.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

He regarded me for a moment and sighed. And then, like a mask, his face appeared cold and distant. This man meant business.

“Your neighbor, the one who calls herself as Brenda. Her green card says she’d been dead for twenty years. Which makes her stay here illegal. I wonder how the agency would think of this once the information leaks out. Not only that she’s unfit for guardianship, she’ll most likely be deported back to her own country. You don’t want that to happen, do you?” he asked in a soft silky voice.

I shuddered at the blatant promise of his threat. I sat back on the chair.

“You wouldn’t.” I said shakily.

He knew Brenda was the only thing stopping me from going back to the center. He also knew that my conscience would eat me if   Brenda would be deported or arrested just because I won’t live with him. He had planned this all along. He knew I wouldn’t live with him.

I swallowed.  This cold hard stranger was different from the warm and gentle father I’ve known. 

“But I could. Just try me. One call is all it ta-“

 “Fine, I get it! I’ll live with you.” I mumbled.

“Good girl.” He replied, satisfied my choice.

“For one year. That’s the deal. And you have to make it in writing and notarized.” I added, looking him straight in the eyes

 “Of course. Once the one year is up I’ll hand you the papers.”

“I also want you to back off from Brenda or any of my friends.” I don’t want him to pull the same thing on me again. 

“All right. Anything else?” He queried.

“And, I get to keep the studio and my job.”

“Then we have a deal. “ He stood up and offered a hand in a professional manner.

“I guess we do.” I bit out and reached for his hand, ready to shake it.

Without warning, he pulled me in a tight hug. He laid his head on top of mine and exhaled. I simply stood there motionlessly.

“It’s great to have you back, princess.” He breathed.

And just like that, his warm and gentle self returned. He hugged me tighter. My hand found their around his back and stayed there. It had been too long.

Twelve years was a long time.