Friend and Foe

Chapter 2: The Revelation

*Chapter 2*

(Taylor’s POV)

As soon as we enter our house, my parents noticed the absence of my brother. The two of them looked into each other’s eyes with concern and irritation in their eyes. They then told me to go to my room, but I didn’t. My parents went outside and sat in a bench in front of our little pond. I hid behind the kitchen’s counter and saw them steadily looking at our pond. Dad shook his head and held mom’s hand. Though their heads are against my vision, I can sense their disappointment.

“I should’ve known that he would do this,” dad spoke with a light voice. I almost didn’t hear him but thank God for my height at that time which allowed me to sneak closer to them.

“Don’t blame him. If Mikhail wants to go that way, we’ve got nothing to do with it,” mom said as she looked into my father and put her hand in his shoulder.

“Mikhail is irresponsible. He’s our only child and I never wanted this kind of life for him. Yes, I accept him for who he is but to see that he’s destroying another person’s life? I cannot handle that,” he said. Wait, did I actually get it right?

Dad said “he’s our only child”, and what about me? What do they actually call me? I’m their baby girl. I am the youngest child of the Lindsey family, and yet my father considered Mikhail as his only child? What is wrong? And what is exactly did I miss in this conversation? I was already ready to go outside and ask them the questions swarming around my brain until I heard mom’s quiet sobbing.

“I hate to see our son like this. He wasn’t ready, Mark. He wasn’t ready to have Taylor in his life yet. And the more that we hide it from her, the more that it hurts our son. He wants to takeover in caring for Taylor, but he doesn’t know how. And now he left us for good to find what he’s looking for. Oh, Mark, how can we even tell Taylor that she’s not our daughter?” Mom said. I’m not their daughter? I moved closer just in case I’ll miss something. Miss another piece of the puzzle.

Dad looked at mom and shook his head, “We can’t tell her, Rachel. We cannot tell Taylor that the brother that she’s admiring is actually her father!” He said in an angry tone but still in a hush voice.

And so this is why all these years Mikhail has always been very protective and concern about me. With Mikhail, I always feel safe and complete but whenever I’ll be with my parents―or grandparents indeed―I always feel like there’s something missing, something that only Mikhail can give and maybe my unknown mother too. I was only ten, and I went up to my room and started crying. I can’t stay in my room and cry all night because definitely Mom and Dad will go up here to check on me. So what I did is to lift the blinds of my window above my bed and, like a ninja, jumped out of the window.

They kept that secret from me for ten good years, and I never had any clue about it. Now that Mikhail left me, I don’t know what to do. He’ll be back by morning, I convinced myself. He’ll be back by morning and he will explain everything to me. But I don’t know if that will ever happen. Mikhail needs to go home now, but he never did. As I run to the village’s park, my salty tears dripped from my eyes also. All I wanted at that time is to run and run hoping that when I come back to our house, I will see Mikhail in our house and explain these things to me. But for now, I needed to be alone and to free all my thoughts. As I reach the park, I sat on a swing and started crying out loud.

Our village is squeezed inside the Overlook Road and Mickley Road. Outside, you will see the Jordan Creek and the “norms” of our town. Jordan Park is also near our village but that it still too far and it’ll take a very long walk to get in there. So I stayed in our good-old Whitfield Park. The silence calmed me a bit, but not until I heard a young boy speak.

(Jefferson’s POV)

I was walking to this park called Whitfield Park inside the Berkshire Village to release my irritation of my father trying to push me to Taylor. Dad likes her because she’s the daughter of the owner of this prestige village. I sometimes hate my dad because he likes to be friends with people who have great benefits, just like Taylor’s father. If people knows that my dad and her dad are friends, this could help him to build his social status. Geez, I don’t know when my father is going to stop this. He actually sounded like he wants to betroth me to Mister Mark’s daughter which I can’t do.

I decided to take a slide in this humid night. After that, I saw a monkey bar and started crossing it. When I was already in the middle, I heard someone crying. My bike was lying on the ground and I can bike my way home, but something inside me and my curiosity aside that made me go down and follow the noise. Behind the slide is a seesaw and after that, there’s a pair of swing. And that’s when I saw her. I looked closely into the girl whose back is against me, and it was Taylor.

She was crying, and boy does she cry. Taylor wasn’t saying anything but her tears are clear enough that she is sad and hurt. I don’t know the reason why she’s crying and I want to comfort her so bad. She might just tell me to go away and leave her alone but still a voice inside my head tells me to go closer and talk to her. When I was two inches away from her, I saw her face is literally soaked with her salty tears. She still looks so beautiful aside from the fact that she’s crying. Her rosy cheeks burned red the more she cries. She’s an angel and a daredevil like me won’t make anything better.

From her back, I extended my right arm and offered her my handkerchief and said, “Miss Lindsey, you can have this if you need it.”

She literally jumped from her sit when she heard my voice, and then she looked at me with those tears-soaked eyes. She took the handkerchief and told me “You can sit with me if you want to.” And so I did. It was normal, innocent too. We were just two ten-year-olds sitting in the swing. She then started swinging fast and I did too. The tears are finally gone and she was finally in her old self again.

“You beat me in surprising people, Jefferson,” she said as she swung, her wavy golden strawberry blonde hair swaying along also. I smiled and pushed the swing harder.

“At least now we’re fair even. You surprised me back there in my house and I surprised you back here in the park. One all now,” I said as I keep on staring at her beauty. She looked at me and gave me a full smile. Why, God why?

“I guess I’ll agree with you. But I can’t tell you the reason why I’m crying. That’s definitely none of your business,” she said. Taylor must have this naughty and snobbish attitude, but I like her. I then looked at her with a questioning look, and then she added “Sorry about that. But I hate to leave you all alone here in the park, Jefferson.” She jumped off of the swing and started to walk away. This is not good.

“Hey, Taylor! So I’ll see you tomorrow here at the park?” I shouted and I hoped she heard, but she did and turned to me with a full smile once again.

“My father will leave for work by 7:30 am while my Mom and I will go to the grocery store by 8:00 am. I can’t make it to our sworn promise tomorrow. Maybe next time, Jefferson!” She shouted back then walked away. After I saw her close to her home, I rode my bike and rushed back to our house.

I saw my father in the living room, sleeping with a book in his chest as usual. My mother was in the kitchen and when she saw me, she smiled and said “And my sugar is back. Where have you been by the way?”

I then ran up to her and said “I went to see the park here in the village. Mom, are you going to run to the grocery store tomorrow morning?” I was beaming and for sure I was smiling as I said those words. Mom’s smile grew wider.

“Why yes of course. I need to keep this fridge full and oh, your brother and your father already made a list. You go upstairs and do the same too,” she said.

“Can I go with you, Mom? Please?” I said in my most convincing voice. Mom studied me and shook her head.

“Okay, kiddo,” she said and then I hugged her and told her “thank you”. When I was about to go up to my room, Mom added “But be sure that you’ll still make your own list, honey! Love you!”

“Love you too, Mom!”

I have the best mother ever!