Chapter 13 HE IS HERE

“This one looks good, no?” My mother puts on the third dress and asks. I have been sitting here for almost an hour and my mother is selecting her dress with so concern as though she is the bride herself.

“Mom, it’s the same design…” I tell her, she has been choosing the same thing over and over and keep looking unsatisfied with it.

Like I don’t know what mom really wants?

“How about this?” I stand and pick a soft yellow colour dress that isn’t very bright or dull but just perfect matching my mother’s skin tone.

It’s a knee-length straight dress with a little embroidery on the front making it beautiful yet elegant.

My mother looks at the dress, pleased, and then immediately her eyes fall on the tag price. “Tess, dear it’s too much.” She gasps and I shake my hand in dismay.

“Come on, Mom. I am not gonna get married a second time, this is the one time in my life thing. So you have to look the best as the bride’s mother.” I tell her and my mother still looks hesitant.

“We are buying, this,” I tell the working lady who has been hovering over us for a long time before my mother would say anything. My mother sighs and then surrenders, “Fine, as you wish.”

I happily go to the counter to pack my mother’s dress, then we hunt for her jewellery, sandals, and a small clutch. After my mother’s shopping is done, we go for the boy’s shopping. Mom has gone to her favourite and our very old family friend’s tailor shop.

Mom has asked for two black suits for Father and Cyril with a little bow on them, the tailor asks curiously when my mother tells him the details of the suits, briefly, “Is it for a wedding?”

“Uhmm… No... No… No wedding… There has been a little party at my mother’s side that we are going to attend. It’s outside Denver actually so we need to leave early and also need the suits a bit early.” My mother is an expert in making excuses or I will say saying a white lie.

Lol, little smirks appear on my face, I really can’t keep straight face when I know someone is lying. And noticing my smirk, my mother nudges my arm, “Tess…” She says in a warning and I just turn my face away as I start to grin.

After we leave the shop, my mother smacks my head and scolds me, “Foolish girl, can’t you stay quiet for some time instead of grinning. Aldo was staring at you with suspicious eyes, do you know what will happen if someone knows about your marriage, huh? We need to be very careful until Miss Swan will break the news of your marriage with Andrew.”

My mother says in a low whisper as she looks around cautiously, and again I couldn’t help but grin, “Wow, Mom, I have seen that you have improved a lot these days.” I tease my mother and the look on her face tells me I am in trouble as I start to run faster and hurriedly make a fair distance between us.

“Wait a minute, lady. Today I will teach you a lesson.” My mother fumes in anger but I just laugh out loud and run away from her.

By the time we are back, Dad has already been home. He has come early today. He looks at us in surprise, and then raises his brow at mom, Oh no, not again. Before their bicker starts, I quickly slide into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

“I haven’t asked you to buy clothes, Dany.” My father complains.

Yes, Dad didn’t know that we have gone shopping. I don’t understand dad’s weird behaviour, like which father sends off their daughter in old clothes, huh?

It’s too unacceptable.

My mother knows that it’s already a shame to not do anything for me and send me empty-handed to my future house as today she decided to go shopping secretly after my father leaves for the job.

But who knows that today unfortunately Dad has come back early and caught us off guard. Not us actually it’s mom’s doing.

But I know that mom will handle father pretty well without putting my ear near the kitchen door, I start preparing for dinner.

I am half done when my mother enters the kitchen with a dull face, “He is mad.” She informs.

“Don’t tell me you are cancelling the suits we had ordered for them today.” I gasp feeling panic.

“Nah… Will I let him cancel that, huh?” My mother asks back, taking away all my worries and then I smile, “He won’t dare to cancel it by himself, my mother’s terror is too much for him.”

My mother laughs at my statement and I too laugh out, “Mom, it still needs some time, You go and check on Cyril, first. I will handle the rest.” I tell my mom and then push her out of the kitchen.

Today for the very first time, we have left Cyril alone and thankfully my dad is not mad at this. I don’t think he even notices it, he is just too much into his Madam Boss’s commands that he barely sees us nowadays.

Sigh, we can’t change his deep loyalty towards her.

We had dinner in complete silence as father is still pissed at our little secret act of buying the clothes under his nose. I know it’s not about the money my mother has spent but something else.

Since the wedding date has been fixed, the father seems to look too distant, he rarely talks with me and he never looks at me straight in the eyes, strange, I don’t know what has changed.

I stay in Cyril’s room for a long time telling him about my expectations for the wedding, and how excited I am about it, I tell him about his suit and also show him mom’s dress, and he likes it. I think my father too likes it as I notice a faint smile on his lips when I take the dress from Mom and rush to Cyril’s room to show it to him.

The next day I put all my efforts into learning more French words. Miss Swan speaks fluently in French and somehow I am having the feeling that Andrew also knows French.

I don’t want to be outnumbered between them as I also start to learn a few words.

Tomorrow will be the last day of me as Tessa Will, hopefully, I will become Mrs Andrew Jack after tomorrow.

****

I am in deep sleep taking my wedding vows when a shake on my arm like an earthquake disturbs my sleep.

“Tess… Tess…”

Oh no… I groan hoarsely, why mom can’t let me complete my vows every time disturbing my sleep and breaking my happy dream.

“Tess… The car is here to pick you up… Miss Swan has arranged salon services for you… Get up… Get up, Tessa…” My mother yells, her voice impatient.

I open my drowsy eyes, roll on my bed as I pull the curtain away, and try to peek outside. The same car, BMW in that clean white colour stands at the gate.

I know this would be Ron not Andrew and my mood immediately sulks. I get up, wearing my shorts and a plain tee, I walk out, my mother keeps pulling me back asking me to keep a good face and don’t disappoint anyone and neither overreact to the things that might happen.

I don’t understand her at all and just keep nodding my head indifferently.

Wearing my shades I walk to the car with a dull face, I have not put on any makeup nor combed my hair properly because I know that salon people will do everything and besides Ron doesn’t seem to care how I look.

The one who should be caring is always away so why should I bother? Huh?

Grumpily, I walk to the car, Ron greets me politely and I greet him back.

I sit inside lazily, I am still feeling a bit sleepy I should take a little nap in the car, I think, and then suddenly something hard hit my knee.

I frown and as I look up, I am completely stunned.

F**k, he is here… Andrew is here…

My eyes popped wide open and my jaw drops as I look at him with shock and surprise all over my face.