Growing Pains

Chapter 14 - Tommy and Evie, 2013

"We're going to a ball!" James said, dropping the gold foiled invitation down onto the dining table. "How does that sound, my beautiful Evie? You'll get to dress up like Mum," he said, hauling her up into the air and making her squeal in excitement.

It was a charity ball that was held every two years. Tommy didn't know much about it, but he assumed it would be highly exclusive if his parents were invited. Sera Song was a designer and the editor of an internationally recognised magazine. While James owned the Barker airport. James knew they were rich, but he suspected he didn't quite understand how rich they really were.

"Are you excited?" Evie would ask in the lead-up to the event. Excitement perhaps wasn't quite the word he would use. He was nervous and slightly dreading the event. In the past year, he had occasionally met his parent's friends and colleagues when they visited the house, but he had never attended a public event like this with them.

On the night of the ball, the Songs hurried to get ready. Sera checked her makeup in the mirror again, before tidying up Evie's hair. "Sweetheart, how is it already messy? I did it 30 minutes ago!" Sera said in exasperation, before smoothing down her daughter's hair.

"Darling, have you seen Tommy?" James walked into the ensuite bathroom, tightening his tie in front of the mirror. He then patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet.

Sera looked up in surprise. She'd helped him with his suit about an hour before.

They found him in his room, sitting quietly on his bed, staring at his new shiny dress shoes. Sera's long evening gown swished against the floorboards as she walked into the room and sat on the bed next to him. He could smell the softly sweet fragrance that she always wore, but wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the silky silver material of her dress. 

"You don't have to bring me," Tommy said before his parents could say anything.

And he meant it. He was grateful that they took him in. That they were kind to him. But he didn't want to put them in an uncomfortable position. He knew people would talk.

Sera glanced at her husband with a surprised look, which softened as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be silly, Tommy."

James kneeled down so he was eye to eye with Tommy. "You're not a secret, Tommy. We're proud to have you as our son. We all want you there." He looked deep into Tommy's eyes, checking if he understood. Eventually, Tommy nodded. 

Evie's head popped in through the door. Her face lit up with one of her warmest smiles. "Besides, I'd be dead bored without you."

As it turned out, if rich people had something bad to say, they rarely said it to your face. They were perfectly civil to Tommy, or maybe it had to do with the fact that James and Sera were making the largest donation by far that night. They doted on Evie and patted Tommy on the shoulder as if they were much more familiar than they really were. The donation was protection for Tommy, a statement. Somehow at that age, he understood perfectly what it meant. By that time, he had already grown to love his newfound parents and knew that they loved him. But it was at that moment that he realised that they were serious, that they were in it for the long haul. He was theirs now.

Even Evie, whether she realised it or not, stayed by him the entire night, as if daring the other children to question their sibling bond. They had received a few curious glances from adults, and some innocent questions from other children, but Evie waved it off with her usual bubbly chatter, keeping Tommy by her side.

When the waiter came by to ask if they wanted a drink, Tommy wasn't quite sure what to say. "What's your favourite drink?" She asked.

"I don't have one."

"Well, my favourite is lemonade. Want one?" she said.

Tommy nodded, and Evie rattled off their order to the waiter.

"James, great to see you," A tall, willowy woman stopped by their table and stood right behind Tommy. Her flowery perfume was overpowering and sickly sweet, making him lean forward to escape the scent. "Sera, dear, you look gorgeous as always. Evie, my how you've grown!" She continued, leaning against Tommy's chair, her fingers curling over the back of his seat.

"Good evening, Colette," James said, although there was a slightly hard edge to his tone. "How's Bruce?" He asked.

"Oh, he's doing wonderfully! He's doing brilliantly at St. Andrews. He's on the basketball team, the coaches love him," she gushed. Evie glanced at Tommy and rolled her eyes subtly. "Isn't Evie at Riverview? It's no Andrews, but I suppose there are some good programs there too."

"That's right. Both our children, Tommy and Evie study there. Tommy's on the basketball team too, made Division 1 in his first year," Sera said, looking at Tommy proudly.

"I see," Colette said, uncurling her fingers from the back of his chair. "Well, have a good evening," she said, pasting on a fake smile, before sauntering off.

Evie took a long sip of her lemonade. "God, she really can be annoying," she said. "We have to beat St. Andrews now," referring to the basketball game coming up the following week. "Bel's already got a vendetta against them. Now we have even more of a reason to knock them out of the tournament."