The Price of being Pretentious

Chapter Twenty: Strangers

I rushed outside the changing rooms. There was no other person who knew my secret, but Paris. How could he do this to me? I felt betrayed by someone whom I trusted. It was my fault for trusting that playboy. His anger must have devoured him whole. I guess he will use that against me one of these days. I have too much on my hand nowadays. It was like the world was on my shoulders. I had to review for the exams, meet my fiancé's parents, and this lost test papers. I should've burned them when I still had the chance. Urgh! Stupid! What was I thinking?!

I stood there with my heart racing hoping that the next time I would see those papers again is when not as evidence for an accusation which I am guilty with. Cheating on the examination.

During the exams, my mind was filled with thoughts about the lost test papers. I finished them on time, but my mind was too occupied to think about anything else. I sat on the grass of the open field. I sighed every ten minutes. Thinking how thoughtless I am. For being careless as I've ever been. I can't find any idea where to start looking. If I would just ask someone casually I would be caught in no time even without revealing those test papers. I would just admit my crimes. I sighed again. If Paris already had them on his hands, then my doom has come. But why is it that no one's reporting me yet? Maybe they were just waiting for the perfect timing. But when is that? My head will explode. Finally, there was something in my situation that I couldn't handle.

'Mind if I sit here?' Some stranger asked pointing at the bench.

'Yeah, sure. I don't mind.' I said absentmindedly.

'Tell me what bothers you, young lady?'

I turned my head on the middle-aged man. His eyes narrowed on the book he was reading.

'May I know your name, Sir? Because today we are practically strangers.'

'Forgive me. I'm Anthony Roberts. But some folks here call me "Tony", which I prefer.'

'I'm London Mojan.' Upon hearing my name he glanced down in my direction, then nodded.

I tilted my head. Confused by his reaction. I returned my eyes to the horizon. 'Mr. Tony, it bothers me. Why do I always have to experience hardships?'

'Hmm. It seems like you are going through a lot. That's fine. It's all part of growing up.'

I sighed. 'But my folks were forcing me to grow up. I'm not growing naturally. It feels like I'm a vegetable sprayed with an artificial fertilizer so that I would grow into something much bigger than a normal vegetable. I look healthy outside, but I'm just a pack of poisonous chemicals inside. Not nutritious.'

'They are not your real parents, am I right?'

I nodded. 'My dad was.'

'That must be hard. But you can learn from that experience. That you must never repeat your parents' treatment on your children or to anyone. Knowing that you've got this far. You must be a strong person. Hang in there, young lady. "To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven".'

'I think my parents don't believe that notion.'

He chuckled and nodded. 'To hear you talk like that makes me think that maybe forcing you to grow up had some benefit. You have made this lonely old man laugh.'

'I don't intend to do so. And I wish this forced maturing would stop. I want to exercise my free will. Why are you lonely? Don't you have a family?'

He shook his head. 'I know I had a daughter. Probably, the same with your age by now. But I don't know where she is. All I know is she was alive.'

'Too bad. Did I try to look for her?'

'Yeah, continually. Until now, actually. But someone was keeping her away from me.'