Tamed By Her Kindness [Completed]

Chapter Three

"Can I call you by your first name?" Officer Matthews asked me. "Kieran." I replied. "Okay, Kieran, is there anybody I can call for you, maybe someone you'd want to inform?" "Inform what?!" I yelled. That wasn't necessary, I thought, but I honestly didn't know how to respond to this. I was just told indirectly that my mother is dead. Yes, dead. Gone. Never to return, just like... I looked at Officer Matthews, with tears blurring my vision, he was looking at me with concern etched on his face. "I already phoned my father, he's on his way, but I didn't tell him why. Well I didn't really know what it was about until a minute ago." "Okay then, I'll wait with you." "You don't have to sir." "It's part of my job."

There was a long silence between us as we stood there beside his patrol car. I broke it with only two words, those two words was embedded inside my head ever since the start of our conversation. "She's dead." I breathed it not as a question, but a fact. "Yes." He still answered silently. I turned my face away from him, and a tear rolled down my face, a couple actually. I felt a hand on my shoulder and a squeeze. "I'm sorry." He said. "These things happen right? For some, twice a year apparently." I couldn't believe I actually said that. I hated sympathy and that sounded exactly like sympathy. "Emma Thomas." Officer Matthews said. "What did you say?" I asked incredulously. Officer Matthews shook his head and looked at me. "My apologies." He said sincerely. Hearing her name was like a stab to the gut. "How do you..." I couldn't even say it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say her name, it just popped into my head, staring at you. My daughter knew her, she attends the same school as she did, and she showed me a picture of you, I instantly recognised you." For some reason, I just wanted to punch 'nice' Officer Mark for being so blunt. "Double shock in one year." That was it!

"Who..." I started, but I was stopped by the calling of my name. I looked around bewildered. And standing across from me, behind the yellow tape, was my father. His eyes glistened in the dark and that's when I knew he knew, and no matter how hard I tried to deny it for the past few minutes I stood there, talking to Officer 'insensitive' Matthews, that my mother was still okay, still alive, was stolen away by his shattered face.

~

She was using that brush on her eyelashes again, which made it pop out. She looked at me through the mirror and smiled. "My father wanted to talk to you." "Oo-er! What did you tell him?" "Oo-er? Really? I don't know, but I think he's downstairs watching the Stormers kick the Cheetahs butt." I stood up and walked over to the door . "In your dreams ja."  I opened the door and her father and I almost collided. "Daddy!" She exclaimed and her cheeks turned bright red. He quickly rebalanced himself and she stared at him with her hands resting on her hips like an old madam.

"Hello. I was just coming to ask you what time you'll be leaving." "Of course you were. Can I never have any privacy in my life?!" Her face became all blotchy and her high voice levels caused her mother to enter the room as well. I decided to step in. It was Friday and the cinema was always full on a Friday. "If I may, Emma said there was something needed to be discussed." She snorted and I knew it was for my formal tone, God, I almost snorted. "Okay." Her father said sullenly. We stepped into the hallway, leaving Emma and her mother alone in the room.

"My family has known your family for quite some time now and you and my daughter have... bonded over the years. I don't see why not, my daughter is beautiful and you turned out to be quite the young man, but Kieran, she's still my daughter and if you break her heart, I will kill you. Now, I want her home before ten or else." I nodded like the little school  boy I was. "All right. I'm glad we've had this chat. Besides, you're very responsible I must say, she could have done worse."  And as I opened her bedroom door , I nearly couldn't catch my breath as I looked at her.

"I'm ready." She had said. "I'm not so sure I am." I said and her father glared at me. "Wet behind the ears." He murmured and I couldn't believe how wrong he was. When I looked at his daughter and she said those words I thought of how she would make a perfect  pension partner and how I knew I was in trouble of never letting her go.

~