THIRTY ONE
With no idea of what to make of the dramatic invite she just got, Ashley gently took her seat on the gold themed sofa whose softness actually made her feel a bit relaxed.
"Athena..."
The minute feel of relaxation disappeared.
"My name is Ashley."
"Your mother actually gave you the name Athena." The excitement in the man's eyes sort of angered her. The woman he was referring to wasn't a mother to Ashley. Infact, unless Ashley hadn't learnt about being adopted, her so called mother would be just a stranger. Nothing more.
"My mother? Sir, my mother and father gave me the name Ashley."
Running his hands through the short mass of silver and black that was well cut to suit his round face, he sighed. "I know learning all these must be frustrating. But Athe... Ashley, your mother will be really glad to see you. Trust me. It has been difficult for her when it comes to you because of her father. That's why I am glad this day has come."
"What if I am lying and I turn out not to be the daughter she is looking for?"
He let out a hearty chuckle, his hands running through his robe, feeling and adjusting. "I know what you are trying to do. You and I know, at this stage, that Clara is your mother."
Her eyes closed for a second. She had hoped her earlier question would have gotten a response that would have her walking out of the room that second. But that was just wishful thinking. The woman really was her mother. Even by looking at the faces, it was obvious.
Turning her head to face the man opposite her who kept looking at her like she was some sort of artefact, she asked, "Are you my biological father then?"
"No." His face had fallen. "Your grandfather had him killed."
"Why?"
"Because I chose to love a man that didn't suit his image and taste." A feminine voice introduced the presence of the woman Ashley had been waiting for. Making her entry more pronounced with her strong vanilla scent, simple white gown and heeled slippers, the graceful woman walked into the living room and took her seat beside Ashley who was dumbfounded.
Her reality was staring her right in the face with a small smile on a face that resembled her a lot.
"Wow. You guys look like twins."
"Oh please Jude, my daughter looks more amazing than I do."
All the the questions that had been bothering her came rushing but they got stuck and refused to leave her mouth.
Giving a soft smile, Clara reached for Ashley's hands but the latter did not even spare her an inviting look.
Even the manner with which she asked the question that managed to leave its cage passed an entire message. "Why didn't you do anything about it? How could you let your father take away the man you loved?"
"I had to protect you Athena. My father wanted to have you too. True, I should have not let him take Frank away from me especially when I still had his baby inside me. But, your grandfather was adamant to get rid of you, your father had to step up to protect you." Like painful matters of the past should, the dug up topic caused tears to build up in Clara's eyes. Her confident body language was lowered as she became a shivering mess.
Shuddering, Clara grabbed the edge of the couch she was sitting on and squeezed it. "Athena... Frank was supposed to come back. Your father was supposed to come back because we thought the worst my father could do was lock him up. That was not the worst."
Clara shook her head dejectedly, Ashley just had to reach for her hand and comfort her.
"Frank did not come back. He was not there when I about to give birth to you nor was he there when you came out to grace my world."
"Clara. You don't have to do this.."
"It is fine Jude. Athena deserves to hear everything."
As she faced Ashley whose chest grew heavier as her head pictured the story being narrated, Clara reached for the side of her face and ran her slender, slightly cold hands through her cheek.
"Your father didn't deserve me. Neither did you. After I found that my father already had Frank killed through a planned accident, I knew having you around me meant endangering you."
"So you left me," Ashley croaked out.
"I had no choice. With difficulty I left you at the church that took me in when I was in hiding.
I need you to know I left you there to protect you. I could not let my father take you from me like he took Frank."
Ashley shut her eyes again. She did not imagine at all that she would be learning such heavy past. "But..." It was getting a bit harder to make her mind known.
"What is it Athena?" Clara asked eagerly.
"My name is Ashley."
Clara let out a heavy chuckle. "Yeah. Right."
The look on her face did not hide the hurt Ashley's correction gave her.
"You... You had already run away from home. Why didn't you just run away with me?"
"I was eighteen and alone with a few weeks old baby. I could have run away with Frank if he were still around. But being the only one really scared me. With shame, I walked back to my father's house after I had you tucked away."
"Why didn't you come back for me?"
As though the question was wrapped with electricity, Clara jolted and reached for Ashley's hands, "I did. I came back a week after I left you with the church but you were gone. You had been taken by a couple. It hurt me really but it was for the best because I told my father I lost my baby during childbirth."
Shaking her head, Ashley began to wish she hadn't been so determined to ask her questions. "That is not what I mean. Why didn't you come back for me after years had past? Why didn't you look for me?"
Clara sighed, withdrew her hands and looked away from Ashley. "I did," she said with a low voice.
"I found you five years ago. But I couldn't bring myself to face you." Clara gave her shoulders a slight raise. "Who was I going to say I was?"
"So you weren't going to meet me anyway?"
"I was..."
"No. You weren't. Because you will never cease to be scared. Or is it because of your father?"
Clara was starting to look distressed. "I did all I did to protect you."
"I know. But you could done yourself some good and met me when you finally found me. You have been punishing yourself since I was given birth to. But when the chance came to get rid of the pain, you decided to not meet me."
"You wouldn't have acknowledged me Ashley. You had a family already. How was I supposed to just appear that way?"
"I... I am tired of this." Ashley wiped the tears that had fallen quietly as she ranted earlier.
"I will take my leave now."
"Ashley..."
Ashley got up, her back facing her distraught biological mother.
"If you want your daughter Athena, you have to work for it. You have to find her, look her in the eyes and tell her that you are her mother."
"Wait..."
"Goodbye." The two she was leaving behind calling her name incessantly did not make her walk easy. Her steps becoming heavier as she found her way outside, Ashley began to reason the best place to go to so that she could shed some of her heaviness away.
As she reached for the handle of the car door, she found herself picking the place she thought she would be distancing from for a long time.
~
With no sense of particular order, Ashley knocked on the door a bit too hard.
"Who is... Ashley?"
Eyeing her ex-husband who looked like someone who had just been abruptly laid off from his work to his distraught, Ashley successfully ignored the perplexed man who did nothing at first as she walked past him and went into the house.
"Wait... What are you doing here?"
"Where is my mother?"
He tilted his head to the side. "You won't talk about the damage you caused to my room the other day? Or are you going to lie and say you have no idea about it?"
"I am looking for my mother."
"Why? If you lay a finger on my wife..."
Ashley's eyes narrowed.
"Ashley..." Her mother's voice stopped her from giving Kevin the response on her mind.
"What are you doing here?"
"Let's go to your room." Ashley grabbed her mother's hand and led her to the destination.
"What's wrong Ashley? You look troubled," Francine asked as they took their seat on the side of the bed.
"I met my biological mother."
"What?"
"I met..."
"Why?"
"I had to know why she left me."
"The reason she gave was not okay to you, was it?"
"No reason could possibly be okay to me. She abandoned me."
"Ashley..."
She immediately reached for her mother's waist and wrapped herself into Francine's warmth. "Thank you for taking care of me mom."
"I don't really deserve your appreciation. What I have done to you is..."
"Oh... I feel better now." Ashley sat up, a forced smile on her face. She did not want the be reminded of that past.
"What is this?" She reached for one of the envelopes on the bed and opened it.
Her eyes bulging on seeing the content of the hard paper inside, she asked, "You are getting married? Already?"
"Y...yes."
"Isn't it too early? You should be careful with a man that left a woman to be with another."
A huge smile broke out on Francine's face, "I am sure about this Ashley."
"Okay." Ashley swallowed the rest of her comments. "I am glad you and dad were there for me."
Francine wrapped her daughter into her arms, happiness oozing from her. "I am glad we found you."