Fated to You

Chapter 38: A love of the past

Eighteen years ago

"Becky! Becky!" Mrs Armstrong walks out on the patio, hoping maybe the little girl would be in the yard playing in the mud again. She sighs at the thought of having to give Becky another bath when she'd just receive one. "that brat!" Just as she had thought, Becky had been playing with Sabrina in the garden. Proof? She had once again forgot about her two Barbie dolls glued to each other in the dirt.

Mrs Arsmtrong picks up the two glued Barbie and examined the state they're in. Becky had had glued the head so their lips would stick to each other. "I'll be in for a surprise when this girl recognize herself." She says, heading towards the mansion with Antoine waiting for her to come back.

A few feet away, she sees a few more of Becky's toys on the ground and calls for a passing maid to clean up afterwards. This little monster had been nothing more than an overbearing headache during most of the six years she's lived on earth. But Mrs Armstrong had never though she could love a child so much. She was her sun and her light her blessing, the fruit of the love she's had with her husband.

"Antoine," she says, handing over the two glued Barbie dolls.

Taking the two dolls, "Yes, ma'am," he answers.

"Will you find a way to separate these two dolls? Or if you can't, make sure you replace them. I don't want my daughter to be having weird ideas."

"Ma'am, it's not weird. It's simply who she is ma'am. It's only a matter of time before she realizes who she is."

"I know but I wish she wasn't heading in that direction." Mrs Armstrong trots along inside the mansion followed by Antoine who had always been the ma'am's ears, "my daughter might actually be..."

"be what ma'am?" Antoine asks, "the word is not really that scary."

"But how dreadful to think that my daughter might grow up to be 'that word'." She sighs, "I mean, I would like to have grandchildren."

"Ma'am, just because your daughter is who she is, doesn't mean she won't have grandkids."

"I don't know Antoine. I just wished she's be more like other little girls her age. She refuses to wear dresses. She doesn't like tea parties. I signed her up for a beauty pageant, she made a fuss. She hates tiaras. She fights with little boys all the time. Always pulls prank on everybody in the house. She runs away when it's her time to shower." Mrs. Armstrong goes on as if she'd memorized a whole list, "I mean what am I raising? A boy?"

"She's simply full of life ma'am."

Mrs Armstrong's face soothes as she remembers Becky smiling. Becky's laugh is the most alive sound she's ever heard and how it warms her heart when she hears. When she sees her running in the garden, when she sees her playing with her friends.

"Maybe you're right Antoine. Maybe she is just full of life. But for now, I'd rather believe she's just a tomboy." Mrs Armstrong says.

"Is that my beautiful wife I see?" Hank appears at the top of the prestigious staircase that has been the highlight of the entire mansion, "she's already complaining about out little girl to you Antoine?"

"No sir, they are just fond stories as always. No complaints." Antoine kindly replies and then retires, "If you will excuse me ma'am, sir. I'll now see what I can do with the dolls."

Mrs Armstrong watches her husband descending the stairs with adoring eyes. She loves her husband and never regretted marrying him just as her father had wished for her to. She smiles as he finally joins her, "good morning love!"