They are waiting downstairs
Juliana’s pov
I thought confiding in Stephanie would be the best solution for my troubles until I got home and entered my house. At first, everything seemed fine, but it all started when I undressed and went to the bathroom for a bath. Out of nowhere, a particular thought began to haunt me as I stood in front of the mirror.
“How long will someone hold your breasts?” I chuckled at the thought, shrugged, and replied, “At the right time and with someone I love.”
“Isn’t Gabriel qualified for that? He’s very attractive. He praised your lips,” this made me turn my attention to my lips and press them together.
“Imagine how he would passionately kiss your lips. Have you even thought about it?”
“I just met him today. I didn’t know him before.”
“You crave his touch and affection. You lack nothing except the warm hands of a man.”
“Don’t worry, Stephanie will take me out this weekend.”
“It’s only Monday, can you survive until Saturday? Why can’t you handle your emotional life on your own without involving anyone? You’re already in love with Gabriel.”
“Stop! Stop!” I shouted at myself in front of the mirror and gestured with my hands.
Realizing that the accusing thoughts were stronger in front of a mirror, I left the bathroom and walked naked through my room to the guest bathroom, which didn’t have a mirror. As soon as I entered, it felt like I had outsmarted the system. My mind went blank for a while, and I took my bath. As I closed my eyes and felt the water running over me, it was as if someone’s hands were helping to rinse the foam from my body. I quickly washed the soap from my eyes and opened them. It was just my imagination. I didn’t close my eyes again, and after bathing, I came out naked because I had forgotten my towel in my room.
After drying myself and putting on a black gown, I sat on my bed, and guess what, I had forgotten to eat. It was just me and my thoughts as I tried to silence them. Everything seemed to revolve around Gabriel.
“Do you think Gabriel was just flirting with me? Do you think he’s married? Do you think…” I didn’t know what else to say, so I decided to keep myself busy. I picked up my phone, and instead of calling Stephanie as I initially planned, I changed my mind and called my other friend, Sonia, who was out of town.
“Hi Sonia, how was your day?”
“My day was fine, and I’m driving home right now…”
“You don’t even ask about me. Why?” I interrupted her.
“Please, can we talk when I get home? Please, I’m on the highway.”
“Okay,” I ended the call. I wanted to call Stephanie, but the thought of her being with her boyfriend made me think more about Gabriel.
“Yes!” I exclaimed as a new plan to distract myself entered my mind. I held my breath as I wondered if my plan would make Justin want to visit me or be motivated to call me.
I quickly dialed Daisy’s phone number, and as soon as she answered the call, she was the first person to say,
“Mommy…” Her emphasis on my name showed that she missed me.
“Daisy, how was your day?”
“It was beautiful. Yours?” she asked.
“Perfect! Guess what?”
“Hmmm… you changed your car?” She asked.
“How many times can I change my car in a year?”
“Mum, you know you love changing cars. You love cars.”
“You’re right, I love cars, but this time, I’m not calling you about cars. I am now the CEO of AZ Insurance, where your dad has his insurance money.”
“Wow. Congratulations. You mentioned before you left that you were working towards becoming the CEO of the corporation. I thought you were joking. Congratulations again.”
“I don’t just want mere congratulations. After this conversation, you’ll come online. I’ll show you three beautiful cakes, and you can choose one of them. Then I’ll order it, and both of us will go to the bakery to pick it up. All I want is for you to celebrate my achievement at home and invite the neighbors to be a part of the celebration. I want your dad to feel that he needs me in his life. What do you think of my plan?”
“Cool! I hope Dad will participate in it. Try to get him involved lately.”
“I will.”
“How are things going at home so far?”
“It’s going pretty well, and I miss you.”
“When are you coming to visit me?” I asked.
“Mum, very soon.”
“So come online, let’s choose the cake together.”
“Okay,” she replied, and I ended the call.
That’s how my evening became so occupied that I thought less about Gabriel. Daisy and I chatted about many things, including her boyfriend, who she said has multiple names and I knew as Douglas.
“Mom, you’re my closest friend, and I want to tell you this before I tell anyone else.”
“What is it, babe?”
“It’s about my relationship, my boyfriend. I feel like I’m the one putting in all the effort to make the relationship work. When he’s away, I’m the one who has to call him, and sometimes I feel emotional because I want him to spend the night with me, but he’s never around. Sometimes, I even think about cheating on him.”
After reading Daisy’s internal struggle, it reminded me of what I was going through. I couldn’t tell her, and I was grateful that I hadn’t told her before now. How could she handle both her own and her mother’s sexual needs? It’s quite embarrassing, and as my thoughts swirled around, she was waiting for my reply.
“Mum, what can I do? I’m still waiting for you.”
“I think Douglas loves you. Have you talked to him about this issue before?”
“Yes, I have, but he mostly says that he’s a tourist and his job requires him to travel a lot.”
“My dear, please try to relax and be patient. I understand what you’re going through…”
“By the way, I’ve been able to be myself because my best friend Sadie is here, and I hope she stays with me for a few more weeks before she leaves. Her presence has really helped me, but I haven’t discussed my personal issue with her.”
“That’s smart. I like that. Let me quickly prepare my dinner.”
“Mum, you haven’t prepared your dinner yet. I’m sorry for delaying you.”
“No, you didn’t delay me. You kept me company, and I enjoyed it.”
“I miss you, Mum.”
“I miss you too.”
**********
Author’s pov
It was almost 3:45 pm, and Daisy and Sadie were not at home when Justin returned from a friend’s place. He had left before noon, and when he opened the front door, he was surprised by what he saw. The entire living room was decorated with colorful ribbons.
“What’s going on?” He stepped into the living room, looking around in different directions with each step.
“Is today Daisy’s birthday? No… not today, if I’m not mistaken. We’re in a different month, Daisy was born in July. Or is it Sadie’s birthday? Why didn’t they tell me? I would have helped organize it.”
As he reached the middle of the living room, he turned around to see if there were any “Happy Birthday” banners. Instead, all he could see were “Happy Achievement” banners.
“What kind of achievement is this?”
He left the living room, and the closest room was Sadie’s. When he tried to open the door, it was locked.
“Sadie,” he called out. “Daisy.” No response. He then climbed the stairs and went to Daisy’s room.
“Daisy…!” Still no response. On his way back down the stairs, he heard some knocks on the front door and quickened his pace, thinking Daisy and Sadie were at the door. When he opened the door, to his surprise, he saw his neighbors.
“Congratulations! Where’s the Celebrant?” one of the neighbors asked. To avoid seeming completely unaware of what was happening, he said,
“They’ll be here soon. They’re out and will be back shortly.”
The first neighbor, a woman, replied,
“Does that mean we came too early?” Another neighbor said, “Daisy told me, 4:00 pm.”
“It’s exactly 4:00 pm. Come inside,” Justin said and moved away from the door, and they entered. As he was about to close the door, Daisy drove into the compound. Justin, already feeling annoyed because he hadn’t been informed and his intuition told him that this celebration was related to his wife. He gently closed the door and went to his room.
Sadie and Daisy got out of the car, and in Sadie’s hand was a beautiful cake and on it, “Happy Achievement” was written on it. As soon as Daisy entered the living room and saw her neighbors, she quickly apologized, saying,
“We’re sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m sorry.”
Then Sadie entered and placed the cake on the right side for everyone to see. Within minutes, more people started coming in, mostly their neighbors—first women, then men, and some children.
“The party is about to start. Please give me a few minutes,” Daisy said, and she hurriedly climbed the stairs and knocked on her dad’s room door.
“What?” Justin said. When she entered, she noticed her dad was angry.
“Please, Dad, don’t be mad. It’s what Mom instructed me to do. She said I should tell you at the start of the celebration. My mom is celebrating her recent achievement of becoming the CEO of AZ Corporation. She asked me to throw a small party for our neighbors. Please, you are invited.”
Justin was busy looking at his laptop and slowly typing on the keyboard with his right hand.
“I’m sorry for disappointing you. I’m not coming down. Can you please leave my room and continue the celebration? Your guests are waiting.”
“Dad, please.”
“I’ll tell you later why I don’t want to attend.”
“Daisy…!” Sadie shouted her name from downstairs.
“I’m coming,” Daisy said. Before she could say anything else to her dad, Justin stood up and walked into the bathroom.
“I want to use…” The closing of the door prevented Daisy from hearing the last words.
Daisy walked out of her dad’s room, feeling very sad, and it was visible on her face. Since she was the one everyone was waiting for, Sadie climbed the stairs and wanted to go and call her.
“Why are you upset?” Sadie asked as they met on their way.
“It’s Dad. He doesn’t want to join us,” Daisy’s voice changed, and tears started streaming down her face.
“Please don’t cry.” Sadie embraced her and whispered into her ear,
“Will you be happy if I can convince your dad to come down for the party?”
“Yes! Yes!! How are you going to do it?”
“Go down and meet your guests. Dry your eyes. I want to make you happy,” Sadie said as she walked towards Justin’s room.
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