Roses Are Blue

More than friends

One month later...

Mabel woke up missing her little apartment back at olive avenue. The last time she spoke with Alfred he was still working on getting his own apartment and because of Aunt Rita's fractured arm, she had to move back in. Anthony, of course, was no longer there, he promised to visit every weekend which Mabel found less disturbing to him staying under the same roof with her.

  Mabel gazed at her black pumps, these days work was the only thing she found exciting but that morning she was struggling to channel excitement to the same. As she sat on the bus her mind was on what Aunt Rita said before she left the house.

"Please come home early today, I have something important to discuss with you and Anthony." She said with a  serious look on her face.

Many things had changed just in the space of one month. Alfred decided to go back to school. Aunt Rita finally resigned and bought herself her dream car even though she wouldn't be driving it for a while and she made a new friend, Henry Daniels. Amid all these new developments she would have to face the inevitable discussion about marrying Anthony. September was full of surprises. Her day started with a meeting with Mr Daniels and some representatives from another company and ended with necessary preparations for the annual conference.

She was getting closer to facing the nightmare waiting for her at home. She pictured Anthony and his mother sitting on the sofa, waiting for her to accept the marriage proposal.

"This is just crazy." she blurted

"Why?"

The question jolted her out of her thoughts. She was so deep in it that she didn't notice that the third person in the elevator got off on the fifth floor and it was just her and Mr Daniels in it.

"Why are you so lost in thoughts?"

She shook her head "no I'm not sir. I just remembered something."

He stared at her unconvinced. "is anything the problem miss Paul?"

"Nothing, I'm fine thank you."

They got off the elevator and he offered to drive her home, and she agreed.

"I'll be dropping at Prime junction sir," she said as the car entered the highway.

"But you live at olive avenue..."

"I moved in with my aunt after she fractured her arm."

"oh..."

She decided to ask for his opinion. "Sir, what do you do when someone you really adore tries to match make you and her son?"

He laughed "Well I'd tell her I'm not gay."

Mabel chuckled. "Stop... Answer the question."

"Okay... If her son likes me and I'm over thirty and unmarried I'd say yes."

Mabel laughed "Are you throwing shades at me now?"

"No, I wasn't throwing shades at you. I can't even remember your real age because you look twenty-four. You should get married nevertheless. You'll soon be fifty miss Paul."

She mumbled something to herself which Henry certainly knew was a curse word when did they become this close?

"My honest opinion is that you marry him if he's a fine gentleman and if you don't like him don't force it."

There was silence for a while.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked casually

"huh?"

He stroked his beard "Well you must have seen something like it in movies where someone hires another person to pose as a fake partner it works 70% of the time. It might just help you in this situation too."