Stuck in reality

Chapter Two: Coffee

Madeline tapped her foot impatiently, and the sound that was created had a mind-grating effect on Charles, the butler, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. Madeline, accompanied by the butler, was waiting for her father to arrive, who apparently wished to speak to her with regards to an important matter. It was 6:45 AM already and she needed at least 45 minutes to reach the school. She had finally obtained permission to go to school and a few other places, after her argument with Arthur. Unfortunately, she hadn't got exactly what she wanted. She couldn't go anywhere on the weekends and could only visit her favorite book store, a few restaurants and parks and this small coffee shop she had never even heard of before. Regardless, it was better than not being allowed to leave the house. A house that she was sick and tired of, by now. 

Madeline checked her watch once more. 6:50 AM. Anger coursed throughout her body when she thought of her father. He was a busy man, she was aware. But was he really so busy that he had to make an appointment to meet his own daughter? She just didn't understand him. He had been an enigma to her from the very start. Always busy, always working. He never had enough time for her. He only agreed to have a child for her mother and then she’d died. He vanished after that, thrusting her into her grandfather’s arms. She would've been sad about that, but up until recently, her grandfather had been there to fill the void. And now - now, she was alone. She shook herself away from her thoughts. Don't even go there right now.

Finally, her father walked in through the ornately carved doors that had been opened for him the chauffeur that had most probably escorted him to the house. "Mornin' kid," He said gruffly, as a method of acknowledgement before he walked briskly down the corridor towards the drawing room at the end. Madeline sighed and hurried after him. The corridor was narrow and long. It had been decorated by various antiquities. Madeline knew that many of these were considered rare and priceless, but she had never really cared. They reached the drawing room and only a few seconds after a man in his thirties rushed over to open the door for them. 

The drawing room, like the rest of the main house, was furnished in various shades of brown and beige, and had the cadence of an earlier century to it. Nigel Cross marched in and settled himself comfortably on a plush leather couch before gesturing towards Madeline, telling her to do the same. She complied, and once she was seated, she regarded her father cautiously. She had not seen him in a few weeks, for he was rarely found in the premises of his own home. He had blue-gray eyes and a square-jawed face that showed only slight signs of ageing, framed by a shock of brown hair tinged with grey. Wearing a pale blue button-down shirt with a navy blue tie, and black coat and trousers, he looked like a typical business-man. 

“So, Arthur told you ‘bout the limits and stuff?” Nigel asked, with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Yes, father,” Madeline murmured, staring fixedly at a point just above his shoulder.

“If you break those rules…..” Nigel began but his sentence was immediately cut short by Madeline who said, “I know. I won’t.”

Nigel assessed his daughter’s face carefully for a second before leaning back in his chair, seemingly satisfied, and saying. “Good. So….have you though of what you’re going to do with the money?”

Madeline sighed internally. So that’s why he was here. The money. Always the money. “No, father, I haven’t really thought much about it yet.”

Nigel clicked his tongue in disapproval and said, “You’re almost eighteen. You need to start thinking about your future now.”

“Yes, father,” Madeline intoned blankly, still not looking at him.

As Nigel started at his daughter, who refused to look at him, he felt a sickening wave of regret wash over him. What had he done? Pushed her away until she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him? Was he really that inhuman? What would Addison think if she saw how unhappy Madeline was now? He opened his mouth, intending to apologize. For all the years he’d ignored her. But the only words that came out of his mouth were, “Well, I better get going now.”