Charlotte McCartney “You are just going to let her win? Just like that” I heard myself say as Josh wheeled off to his gloom. He paused as I spoke.“What in hell do you expect me to do?” he answered, almost yelling. “Do you know the caliber of men that come to these conferences? These board of directors are considered amongst the most powerful men in the world and they match it in all ramifications. These people feast on the weak, that's what they do. Not comfort them like you're trying to do right now”, he said angrily.“I'm not trying to comfort you or do anything of such”, I replied, calmly. “I just feel our situations are just very similar that's all”.“And how is that so? How are our situations the same? How Charlotte? Tell me!” he said, looking at me pointedly.Everyone was still and quietly staring and equally surprised at how and why I would choose to make myself the centre of attraction especially at a time like this.“My sister Whitney”, I said, “used to do about the same th
Charlotte McCartney “Come on Kelcie, let's go get you some chocolates”, I told Kelcie as I lifted her off the bed we shared. “No mommy I can get down by myself, I'm a big girl now”, Kelcie said protesting and I laughed.“Okay my big baby girl. Do you want chocolate or not? Because mommy is going to get some”, I said, smiling broadly. “I want, I want. Mommy I want some too. Can I have some chocolates mommy?” She asked, jumping excitedly and hugging my legs. “Alright , alright. You can have some too”, I said smiling and she screamed, “yayy!!!” almost immediately.“But only if you agree that you're mommy's little baby girl”, I said, smiling cunningly.“Mommy that's not fair”, she said laughing and I immediately carried her back to the bed and began tickling her making her laugh uncontrollably.“Who is mommy's little baby girl?” I asked as I tickled her. “Who is mommy's baby?” I asked again, still tickling her.“Stop mommy… mommy…”, she said laughing and at the same time fighting to f
Charlotte McCartney “Two rooms, don't you think that's too much Josh?" I asked, as I walked him out of our room while Kelcie slept. “I am happy with the gifts and all but still being someone who has learned the hard way to accept things one at a time, I am still rather skeptical with why and what the intentions behind these gifts could be”, I said.“What do you mean Charlotte? What is so strange about me giving Kelcie gifts?” He asked, obviously confused.“It’s not at all strange Josh that you have done this for Kelcie aside from your new found relationship, you are best friends with her great grandfather making you more like a great god father if we choose to see it that way. So in the real sense of it everything seems completely normal. But I still have to be sure, I still need some level of certainty that I haven't been able to wrap my hands around”, I replied defensively.“Charlotte please! it's my property I'll do whatever I want to do with it”, he said, waving me off again. “Pl
Charlotte McCartney “You want to shave?” I asked, surprised. One thing I had not mentioned earlier probably as a result of the fact that I had not exactly considered this man worth reminiscing about in the first place was Josh's beards. They weren't exactly beautiful nor ugly, there were just aspects that had overtime defined his features. It didn't make him ugly and I did not know what ugly in this respect would mean so it's safe to take it out of the conversation. It just made him look like him.he wore it so well with his misery, it almost became attractive and had a thing to it and now hearing him say he's wanting to trim it had something transfiguring about it as well as something very unfamiliar.“You sound as though you're not particularly happy about that”, he said, seeming quite surprised himself.“No it's nothing…it…it's good you cut.. “ , I stuttered, feeling quite embarrassed. “It's just that I don't know what you'll look like underneath”, I said, smiling shyly.He smile
Charlotte McCartney Finding the shaving kit wasn't as difficult as I had expected. It seemed as though he kept them where he could easily reach like he had prepared to do this all along; it was at the top drawer in his room.“You found it?” he asked where he sat waiting for me. Yes it wasn't hidden at all.“I remember the first time I ever shaved my grandfather, I was eleven at the time. I had watched him do this frequently until this particular day he seemed to not be getting it right and then he called me and asked for my help. This was extremely exceptional. He may as well have just gone out to a barber or something but he never did except when he went to cut his hair. To him shaving had become more like a personal ritual, something that only he could do for himself. He used to say his father always warned him”, I told Josh.“Never let another man shave you when you can do it yourself. It could be maiming. That's what Grandfather said his father used to say to him. So it was part
Charlotte McCartney “Mommy the blue one it matches with your eyes”, Kelcie called out like a hungry spectator.“That's nice honey, but let the stylist do her job, I'm sure she knows this better than we all do”, I answered. “Actually she's absolutely correct”, the stylist replied to me. “I was going to go for the blue one, but hearing her say it made it even more sensible. “How old is she?” She asked turning to have a look at Kelcie.“I'm five years old," Kelcie replied.“Wow… hi Kelcie”, the stylist said, acknowledging her name. “She sure is a smart one”, she said. “Very sharp and observant”.“Oh she is”, I confessed, smiling proudly. “A little too observant for her age”, I added with a frown.“No it's a good thing, very artistic in my opinion”, she argued.This morning I had awoken to incessant knocks on my room door when I finally managed to get up and open the door, Lydia and Kelcie rushed past me into the room.“Mommy you're awake!” Kelcie said in excitement “You're even still
Charlotte McCartney Everyone seemed to pause as Josh wheeled into the room, as though they were all expecting what he had to say, everyone including me.He seemed to be looking around until he caught sight of me and paused. He looked flustered and confused as though the person who stood in front of him was someone he could not exactly recognize.“Josh it's mommy”, Kelcie called out from where she was as though she noticed his confusion. “She looks so beautiful doesn't she?”Kelcie sai“It's me”, I said, feeling somehow elated by his obvious surprise.“Yes I see”, he said regaining his composure “You look… well absolutely amazing, I literally almost thought it was someone else”, Josh said smiling broadly.“I must say Maria really did a good Job”, Lydia added clapping.“Oh I did nothing, trust me, my usual clients take three hours or more to style but she, right here, did not even take that much time. That's because she's a beauty. In this field we create beauty but we also need beauty
Charlotte McCartney The ride to the place was a very quiet one. Just the sound of the revving engine and our soft breaths. After a couple minutes, the chauffeur proceeded to play some soft classical tunes to fill up the empty atmosphere. “Grandfather was an avid fan of classical music, Beethoven was his favorite. He would get the records of his performance and play them in his old gramophone”, I said, and smiled as I recalled humming to one of his favorite songs. “He always said that music was a gateway to the mind,the soul as well as to new discoveries”, I went on.“Yes he did. A really big fan of classicals if you ask me”, Josh replied with a broad smile.“You know, sitting here, I have realized how right he had always been. These sounds are so peaceful, it transports one to a whole new realm”, I said as I closed my eyes to float within the beautiful sound, I was transported to a not so distant past but a past all the same. It was my sixteenth birthday and for some unfortunate re
Charlotte McCartney By the time I opened my eyes, the car had stopped moving. “We have arrived at our destination Ms Charlotte”, Jason said it felt like he had already said that earlier, but I was not sure exactly. “This is where I say goodbye”, he said, smiling warmly. “We are at the airport now”, I said, more to myself than to him. “We are at the airport now ma’am”, He told me. Obviously, he had not heard me.“Wake up baby, we're here now”, I said, tapping Kelcie lightly. “Wake up my baby”, I added, shaking her a little more vigorously.“Mommy”, she said, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her palms.“Wake up baby you'll have plenty of time to sleep”, I told her, smiling calmly.“Are we there now?” She asked, a little more awake.“Yes baby, we are”, I answered calmly.“yay! We are here!” Kelcie said, fully awake now. Jason held the door open for us as she spoke.“This does not seem like the regular airport, Jason. Or am I mistaken?” I questioned, with raised brows.“You are not mista
Charlotte McCartney“Mommy are you okay?” Kelcie asked, during the course of our ride to the airport.In truth, it was pretty evident that I was not very much interested in the whole display that went on there.“I'm fine Princess”, I smiled, trying to conceal the anxiety and fear which had been aggravated after our appointment with Maketov.“Are you sure mommy?” she inquired further as though it was pretty evident that whatever I seemed to be hiding was not all that hidden.“Mommy is fine my baby”, I said, drawing her to myself this time. It was amazingly soothing holding her in my arms as she wondered exactly what was going on. “Mommy is just a little in doubt”, I explained, minutes into embracing her. “Though it's nothing to worry about, everything is going to be alright”, I added, holding her much tighter to myself.The whole appointment was a total displeasing experience. It was not because of any unpleasant situation or that the workers within the establishment were slightly unb
Charlotte McCartney“Oh that's a very splendid choice Madame, but would you mind if I asked you a question though”, Maskatev said, in an exquisite manner.“Oh no problem”, I said. “Go ahead and ask”, The man was evidently not the kind you denied such indulgence.“Why choose the cream colour?”, he asked a simple question, even though it was not one I had anticipated for at that moment my mind had completely gone somewhere else entirely.“I don't know”, I confessed. “I guess cream suits me a lot better. I like it, it's simple and looks comfortable”, I said trying to give an explanation.“But you haven't even tried it on yet”, he said with a little smile on his lips. “Come on, people get her into that dress for me”, he said and almost as soon as this was said, about five or six attendants hurriedly came to my side and escorted me to the end of the room where the dressing room was. The rest of them stayed back with Kelcie.The girls had me in the dress in no time and before I knew what w
Whitney McCartney “Hi mother”, I said, as I approached her. “Whitney”, Mother replied simply, without taking her eyes off the magazine she seemed to be engrossed in. For some reason though, I did not think she was really interested in the magazine. It felt like she was only acting to be interested in it just so she would avoid talking to me. I know this because I know Mother. If there was anything really intriguing about that magazine she would have been happy to talk about it.“Or maybe there is something intriguing in it and she is just too angry at me to want to tell me about it”, I thought. The thought of this cut me deeply. “This is all because of that stupid Charlotte that just refused to stay where she was supposed to be. I still don't know what was the need to do a wedding to solidify their stupid marriage in the first place. Talk more of making a big deal out of it so much as to come all the way here, to this mansion to inform Mother and try to rub his love for her in eve
Charlotte McCartneyMr Peter Masketov himself along with a chain of assistants were outside waiting by the time we got there. “Mommy is that for us?” Kelcie inquired as soon as we got to where the small crowd of people converged.“I don't know Kelcie, let's see”, I replied, “let's see”, I repeated in my heart. “Alright, let's do this”, I said out loud, as the car revved to a halt, talking to myself much more than I was even telling her. We got out of the car. And set to head on to meet with the small crowd that was already smiling at us, a gesture of goodwill and show of an anticipated presence.“Ma'am”, the driver called back as we were about to join the convergence. “What time will be convenient for me to come back? I already have a time set to return but the boss signified that I inquire if you may want to take out some more time to do some other things before I return to take you to your destination” he said, speaking politely.“The boss, Josh” I thought. Up till now, I had not s
Whitney McCartney For the first time in my life I feel so insignificant. This house, this mansion where I was born, where I have always called home feels like a strange land to me. “What is this?” I asked rhetorically, noticing a fading drawing on a small part of the mansion’s entrance. I walked closer to see what it was. “What is this? Why am I just seeing this?” I asked myself as I stared at the fading image of a lion. “Oh it's probably Grandfather's lion painting, the one mother was planning to have redrawn. So this is where it was?” I thought. I had not noticed it in all the years I had walked past that entrance.“Everything feels so unfamiliar. This unusual silence that is screaming so loudly only began after Charlotte’s uninvited and unwelcome visitation. Why did she have to come here anyway? Why could she not stay where she was? Why did she come here? She should have stayed there, where she belongs, with that broken piece of shit that calls himself Josh”, I thought, angrily.
Charlotte McCartney“Weeeeeeee! That's how the plane goes mommy, weeeee!” Kelcie said completely ecstatic. I wondered how it was possible to not have been infected by this cheerfulness. Evidently Josh had made it happen. Her dream of flying was finally coming through and yet I couldn't find it in me to be happy because I knew what happened and certainly what lay ahead may only have looked good but was not at all. “Before I forget, your friend Maddie will be joining you two at the resort”, Lydia informed me. “She will be coming with a couple visitors”, she added.“Which visitors?” I asked, a little worried. I did not mind Maddie joining us at all. She would even be good companion. “But who else would she bring?” I asked myself, not wanting strangers. “It would be easy to face my embarrassment with Maddie and Kelcie alone. Maddie could even defend me if the need arises” I thought.“Don't worry, it's not too many people. She will be coming along with her sister and her sister's daughter
Charlotte McCartney“Mommy! mommy! Get off the bed, we are already late”, Kelcie said, shaking me from my sleep.“I must have fallen asleep again”, I thought, recalling I wanted to shower earlier.“Late for what?” I asked, still very much asleep. Apparently, her shakes were courtesy of the fact that her baby strength had very little impact in doing what she had intended to do.“Come on now Charlotte, you can't still be this sleepy”, Lydia said. I hadn't even noticed she was also here too.“I'm really having a hard time knowing what I'll be late for”, I answered her.“Oh so you really have forgotten then?” she replied even in my daze I could hear the mild surprise in her voice.“Mommy, we're supposed to go and see the dressers today”, Kelcie replied this time.“Oh yes Charlotte”, Lydia joined in,”Your appointment was set for this date, today”.“Oh that”, I recalled loudly. “Is that even still happening?" I thought to myself. Today I was supposed to go to check out my wedding dress, fin
Charlotte McCartney By the time I came out of the bathroom my baby was no longer sleeping. She had turned on the bedroom light and was already out of the room as she usually did in the mornings. I looked up at the antique wall clock in our bedroom, “7:41am”, I said. “Kelcie must be having her milkshakes by now or just talking to Lydia”, I thought, then it hit me like a blow.“Lydia knows”, I said out loud. “She knows. There is no way she doesn't know. She was the one who called Josh to come and conduct the wine tasting. We were supposed to do it together but she excused herself. I'm sure she would have expected me to do the same as soon as Josh arrived but I stayed, foolishly”, I thought.“That's what mother always talked about. This is the same thing mother always said about me, the same reason she's always complaining. I'm so stupid. I never think before I act. I'm just so stupid. I could have left. There was nothing stopping me from leaving. But I stayed. Why? I could have left it