The waitress returned with our order and Aunt Mary looked up smiling again.
"This is fun, we should do this again" she smiles. Fun? Is she delusional or what?
"Yes I really missed you" I smiled.
"Awe Lizzy, thanks my child your mother should learn from you." Excuse me! I chuckled to hide my annoyance. How could I not have seen this side of aunt Mary before? Mom must have seen through that good sister and aunty facade of hers.
"This restaurant is lovely" I said not being able to take the silence.
"Peter brought me here on our first date" Gloria smiles meeting my eyes for the first time.
"Where did you guys eat? I think I saw a roof top here?"
"Yes we ate there, I wanted us to go there but mom's afraid of heights so" she shrugs picking back her fork.
"Yes I am. Did you know, when we were younger Morgan use to pull pranks on us all the time. He was a very naughty kid" she laughs. "I don't know how he did it but one time he got Marcel on board in one of his stupid pranks and it was at my expense" she smiles. It looked so genuine I smiled too.
"I'm sorry, I won't have known dad is always so serious" I chuckled.
"Yes. He changed after Selina left him" aunt sighs sadly.
"Selina?"
"Yes, she was your father's first love and high school sweetheart. It was always Selina this and Selina that. When they got to college she broke his heart to go date a rich frat boy. Your father was never the same after that. He buried himself in his studies while also working hard. I think he built his first hotel in college" aunt says unsure. I just realized I didn't know much about my father's life before mom, ofcourse he had fallen in love before.
"Oh! That's cruel."
"Yes ironically he married a rich brat and to think we all thought he hated the rich" aunt scoffs.
"Mom isn't like her family." I felt the need to defend.
"Oh Lizzy she's your mother so I understand your need to defend her but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, they are all the same" aunt gave me a sympathizing look.
"Mom that's enough please" Gladys sighs.
"You will respect me young lady and I'm only telling my lovely niece here the truth." She turns to smile at me. The truth! Please! I know my mother and she's nothing like her family. I don't say anything though. Aunt Mary was still dad's elder sister and I couldn't disrespect her but I'm definitely taking this up with dad. He can't allow his wife to be disrespected this way. The rest of the lunch date was so awkward and no one tried to break the silence this time. Aunt Mary looked contented eating the fancy dishes she ordered, while my cousins were probably embarrassed for their mothers behavior, I held nothing against them though. When I agreed to this I was not expecting it to turn out like this. I thought our family was perfect and loved each other dearly but after this, I'm not so sure. I wiped my mouth with a tissue before tossing it on the empty plate.
"I have a class to attend" I lied. I couldn't stay much longer.
"Oh! I thought we could visit a boutique we drove by on our way here" aunt pouts. A fifty three years old woman pouting?What world was I in?
"I'm sorry aunt maybe another time." I smiled, gathering my things as I got up to leave.
"Lizzy lunch."
"Umm?" I questioned confused.
"You haven't paid for lunch."
"Oh! Sorry."
"No Lizzy it's my treat I'll pay." Gloria gave me an embarrassed smile. She frowns alittle later and I think her mom pinched her.
"Bye." I pecked Gladys cheeks.
"We'll talk later." Gladys whispered in my ears before I stood back up. Today was so off the charts. I've known my aunt all my life and she has always being this sweet lady. But you really can't know someone by just spending Christmas holidays with them. She could have being faking all along. Did dad know his sister thought he didn't care for her enough? Where in the world was it even written to buy siblings a house? And from what mom told me, aunt Mary didn't want to go to school. Only dad from the three siblings was interested in furthering his education. So what did she mean by ' she forfeited her education for him?' When I got home, no one was around, so I took a shower before hanging out in the living room. Few minutes later, Gladys texted me that she was leaving Gloria with their mom and coming over. I didn't reply. What was she going to say? Defend her mom. Because if she was I rather she didn't come. How did she even know I didn't go to class or that I was back home? I'll have to ask her if she came. Love me harder by Ariana grande came on the mp. I sang along, getting up to do some light moves, I needed to go out more, I missed dancing. The door bell rang, causing me to turned the music down before getting the door.
"Hey sis." Gladys hugs me before side stepping me into the house. I shut the door turning around to lean on it. Gladys stood there in her coat before she took it off and placed on the coat hanger. I watched her not knowing what to say. She sighs crossing her arms in a protective manner before facing me.
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"I know what my mother said hurt you and I'm sorry." I nodded moving away from the door. I turned the music off completely leaving us in an awkward silence.
"Why was she acting like that?" Gladys scoffs.
"She has always being like that, she's just really good at hiding it."
"Oh!"
"Yes. I wanted to tell you when I saw how much you loved her but I couldn't, she's still my mother and some part of me just likes to turn a blind eye, Gloria too."
"I understand."
"No you don't." She sighs standing up. "She lied to us about my father's people. She said they abandoned us but when Gloria turned 18 they reached out to her and told her the truth." Gladys father died when they were really young and I don't even remember him much. "I didn't want to believe it Lizzy. I didn't want to believe that my own mother kept my family away from me" she cries. I walked towards her, embracing her,
"She kicked them out of our lives because they were poor and instead leaned into your father. I owe uncle Morgan everything I am today."
"Don't say that Gladys, my dad just wants you guys to be happy."
"Yeah I know. I wished my own mother wanted that though" Gladys scoffs pulling away. "Do you know the first thing she asked Gloria when she said she was getting married?" I don't reply because it sounded like a rhetorical question. "Is his family wealthy?" Gladys laughs bitterly.
"I never knew it was this bad."
"Yeah she's an amazing actress and she can be attentive when she stands to gain something from you." Gladys shakes her head. I led her back to the couch and I changed the topic entirely.
♥️♥️♥️♥️.
