In The Hands of Dominic

3

Molly was on the bed sleeping when her phone started to ring. Upon checking, she saw a call from her uncle. Her heart skipped a beat because it was the wake of dawn and she could sense that something could be wrong.

Her haunch told her it would have to do with Andra but she would not know until she received the call, hence, she picked the call.

"Good morning uncle." She greeted him upon taking the call.

"There is nothing good about this morning." He snapped. "Where is your sister? Where the hell is Andra?"

"She..." Molly hesitated. She was going to speak the truth but could not bring herself to do so.

"She's fine."

"Fine, how?" Duke demanded. "So, this is how you've been supporting her errant ways, right?"

"No, I'm not. That's not true." Molly sat up sharply on the bed, his anger driving home the seriousness of the situation.

"Then, why are you lying to me?" he asked furiously. "Do you know what she has just done? Am I to believe that you've been in support of her stupid actions?"

"No, uncle. How can I do that?"

"You just lied to me. Why should I believe you? You're the closest to her. You know her moves. Why didn't you inform me that she was going to go out again? Do you want my reputation to be ruined? Is that what you want?"

"No, Uncle, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? How will your apologies restore my reputation especially in the eyes of the public, if I finally lose it? Do you know what they are saying about me now because of Andra's latest antics?"

Molly felt tears stand in her eyes. She didn't like seeing her uncle hurt. Ever since her parents died in a crash, he took her in and that's how she grew up with Andra. He had always treated her well and people barely knew that he was not her real father.

"I'm sorry, Dad." Sometimes she called him that, especially when he was mad. It used to melt his heart.

There was a bit of silence as it affected him although she could still feel his anger and she was afraid it might lead to something bad happening. "I'm sorry Dad." She repeated.

"How can a daughter choose to disgrace her father like this and her sister would be in support?" he bit out trying to control his fury. His words broke her heart.

"No, I have never been in support."

"You've never been in support and you let her go out without telling me about it? You greatly disappoint me."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"You had better tell her to be home by the time I get back from vacation this morning because I'm about to do something drastic."

"Yes, dad, I will."

"I thought I could trust you." He said disappointedly.

"I'm sorry." She began to apologize again but he ended the call, ignoring her. This caused her to give in to her tears which slipped down her face.

She dialed Andra's phone number and the phone rang but Andra didn't take the call. She tried again, and the same thing happened. She recalled her uncle's words about Andra and realized something was up, so she turned on her data so she could gain access to the internet.

She immediately saw a trending video on a popular local blog that featured Andra's latest disgraceful display in the club. Now she knew why her uncle had been so angry. She threw her hands up in exasperation.

Molly quickly sent a text message to Andra's phone- IF YOU'RE SOBER ENOUGH, TEXT ME THAT YOU'RE OKAY. THEN START COMING HOME IN CASE YOU'VE NOT KNOWN THAT YOUR FATHER HAS FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR OUTING IN A HORRIBLE WAY. CONGRATS. YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN. YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.

She dumped the phone by her pillow and waited for a response. It took about a minute before her phone buzzed with a response from Andra – OH GOSH, I AM ON MY WAY.

***

One hour elapsed before the door opened and a tense-looking Andra walked into the room, her eyes burdened by worry. The light struggling to enter the room indicated that it was daybreak already.

"How did daddy find out?" she asked with heightened anxiety.

Molly glared at her in frustration as she left the bed, coming to stand before Andra. "Why won't he?"

"Because you're supposed to watch my back."

Molly looked at her with incredulity. "Can you even take the time to see how upset I am? He called me and was furious with me for not telling him you were going to go out. And you know I hate it when he is disappointed in me."

Andra sighed heavily. "Look, I'm sorry." She moved in closer and hugged Molly comfortingly but Molly shifted away from her.

"You reek of alcohol."

"I'm sorry."

"I have no choice but to forgive you."

"Thanks."

"As for having your back, it's no use. Like I said in my SMS, you're on your own because your video from the night is trending."

Andra's eyes rounded in shock and Molly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please." She said. "How do you think he found out?"

"Gosh, please how did I look in the video?" Andra asked worriedly, "I was quite drunk. Hope I didn't look too bad. Was I looking hot?"

Molly's mouth opened in shock.

"Is that all you're concerned about? Your appearance? Your looks or the scandal?"

"My look of course? What scandal? Did I take anybody's husband?"

"How about your father's reputation? People are questioning your father's eligibility to be Mayor when he cannot control his daughter."

"Oh no, but tell me, was I looking, okay? Also, what's your uncle's anger level on a scale of 1 to 10?"

"You think this is a joke, right?"

"No, of course not. But please tell me, what's the level of his anger? Please say something."

"Well, you can always check the video to ascertain your looks. As for my uncle, once he is back, you can see him. Then you can determine his anger level."