ELEVEN
*‘You were adopted, Ashley.’*
She had no idea what to feel. Was she supposed to cry? Laugh? Sit in one place for minutes? Eat? What on earth does one do after finding out that the people she called mom and dad for years weren’t really her biological parents?
Ashley did not know to what extent she had reasoned her situation after her uncle had left, but she was on her way to Dave’s company and she hoped she met him as it was already past office hours. She really need some sort of distraction, someone to help her get her mind of things. Dave was the first person that came to her mind.
Ashley hoped he wouldn’t mind her coming around unannounced.
Getting down from her car, she took another look at the already familiar building, she wondered if he inherited the business or something. She had read earlier during her one minute search on Google that there is a factory extension of the company and man, that is a lot of money.
“Hello there. I don’t have an appointment but…”
“Miss. Steve, good day. Please go right up.”
The lady did not even let her finish, “Uh?”
“Oh, Mr. Scott has ordered us to not keep you waiting whenever you come around. You can go upstairs now.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Walking into the elevator, Ashley’s mind went to his secretary and the look on her face the last time. She could tell a warning when she saw one, Ashley just had to wonder if something apart from work linked both Dave and his secretary.
*‘Should I even be stressing about that?*’
The lift tinged as it opened. Stepping onto the carpet, Ashley took a quick look at the office’s reception, her corner eyes sighting his secretary who was busy typing away on the keyboard.
“Hm, hello.”
“Miss. Steve.”
Ashley gave her cold response an almost equally cold smile, “Please I am here to see Dave Scott. Could you let him know that I am around?”
Going back to the laptop she responded, “Mr. Scott isn’t in. Please come back another time.”
Ashley’s eyes flickered to the door separating Dave from them. “Can I have his phone number at least, so I can call him?”
“Miss. Steve, if you really are Dave’s friend, you will have his number. The only people that don’t have his number are perhaps one night stands or something.” Shrugging, her head came up, her eyes on Ashley, her lips lifted with a smirk.
Ashley chuckled within herself. His secretary was indirectly calling her names. But she unfortunately did not have time to deal with her, to put her in her place, so Ashley just nodded slowly to the satisfaction of the seated woman. Dragging out the chair in front of her desk that bore the name Emily Banks, Ashley proceeded to take her seat, majestically, her legs crossed.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“Waiting for you to give me Dave’s number.” The grin on Ashley’s face put Emily off as her false lashes began to blink furiously. “ Or you can do me one better and call him for me and tell him a friend wants to know where he is.”
Gasping lightly, Emily began to protest, “B- but… this is ridiculous. What…?”
“What is going on here, Emily? Oh, Ashley Steve, you are here.” Making sure to send Emily a smirk, Ashley turned in her seat to face Dave who stood in front of his door looking all dashing like he usually did.
“Yes. I was going to get your number because your secretary told me you were not in.”
A frown on his face, he faced Emily, “Emily, what is this? I told you to allow her in anytime.”
“I am sorry, Dave. I thought you had left.”
*‘She actually calls him by his first name.’*
“Don’t repeat it next time. Ashley, please come in.”
“Thank you.”
Closing the door after her, he walked to her side, helped her with a chair and sat on the one opposite hers. “It is surprising that you are here at this time of the day. Did you come to experience more happiness?”
A short smile grazing her lips, Ashley began to play with the end of her plain tee shirt. She recalled the reason she had left her house to come meet him. “So, that was my uncle earlier, my father’s younger brother.”
“Hm.”
“We got talking and at a point he asked me to forgive my mother for what she did.”
“Are you going to?” he asked with seriousness all over his narrowed, studying eyes.
“How can I possibly forgive her?”
“We are going to deal with that later, I have got a feeling that there is more to this story.”
“He then said he might know why my mother did what she did without thinking twice.” It was then Ashley knew what her reaction was to the statement. Looking to the other side to hide her tears, Ashley shook slightly as it hammered into her brain.
“Hey,” his affecting hand reached for hers which was gripping the arm of the chair a little bit too tight. “,what is it?”
Wiping her tears off, sniffing, she replied with a low voice, “He told me I was adopted.” Dave’s eyes left hers to settle on the floor. “I am being silly aren’t I?”
“Silly how?”
“I am crying over the fact that I am adopted, I mean, more shitty things are happening to people out there.”
“Stop it Ashley,” even his eyes reprimanded her. “You are trying to bottle up your emotion and that is not okay. If you feel like crying, cry. Fucking laugh if that is what rocks your boat. Just don’t beat yourself up about how you are reacting to something.”
More tears rolled down Ashley’s face as she gave him a messed up smile in appreciation.
“Hey, you know what you need? Something fun. And I know where that is.”
She wiped off her tears. “Where?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just get up and let's go.”
As she left her seat, she said, “Last time we went somewhere, you took me to the cemetery.”
Dave chuckled. “Don’t worry, this place is not going to be as dead as that place, you are going to have fun. In fact, even the place itself will blow your mind.”
His enthusiasm was so strong, she was starting to catch it. Putting her hand in his, she allowed him to walk her out of the office.
“Emily,” she was so close to his door, it was obvious she had been eavesdropping even though her looking out the other way was good acting. “,I am heading out. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Dave. Goodnight Miss Steve” The bitterness in that greeting was enough to kill an army of ants.