Becky's POV I tried to pull myself together. “Where is mom?” I asked quietly.“She went shopping,” Wendy said nervously.“Guess I better get going,” The blonde girl said. “See you at school tomorrow, Wendy.” I watched her go, wishing I was as cheerful as she.“Your friend?” I asked Wendy, for want of something to say.“Yeah, we go to school together. She was just here to assist me with my assignment,” she said awkwardly.“I remember it used to be me doing it for you,” I said softly. “May I enter?” “Sure!” Wendy stood back and I went in.The living room was just as I remembered it. It felt bittersweet being in my childhood home.“Becca, I know you are mad, but I can explain,” Wendy began, sitting beside me. “Mom asked me not to tell you that we hadn’t moved, so you won’t think of moving back in. I know it was wrong, but I agreed because I didn’t want to hurt you. Please don’t be mad.”“I am not mad at you. I just want to know why you guys didn’t move away.”“I don’t know exactly. Mom
Becky’s POV “Hey, are you okay?” Looking, I saw Phillip. His eyes showed so much concern.I wiped my eyes using the sleeve of my shirt, while sitting up at the same time. “Yeah. I am fine.”“No, you are not.” He sat next to me. “What happened?”“It is true,” I mumbled and began crying again. He pulled me towards him. I lay on his chest crying, my tears soaking his shirt.“Take it easy.” He lifted me from the floor, and led me to sit on the sofa.Then he allowed me some minutes to calm down before he gave me a tissue and a cup of water. Then, again, he asked me what happened. Still sniffing , I told him everything, as it had been at my mom’s house.“I really am sorry about that,” he said. “Any idea why she is behaving this way?”“No, she was never like this before.” I sniffed. “She just suddenly changed.”He had an amazed look. “Was it after your dad died?” he asked.“Before that. After Wendy, my sister, was born.” I sighed. “It was as if all the love she showed me went to her.”“W
Becky’s POV We were silent for a long time, but there was a question that nagged me. I needed to ask.“Did you ask Linda to move down here permanently?” I asked him.He frowned. “Ask Linda to move down here? No. She wanted to because she was hoping we could start a relationship, but when she saw it wouldn’t be possible, she changed her mind. Why?”“She said you asked her to move down here.”“Linda sometimes tries to force things to be the way she wants them,” he said.Meaning she lied. Which meant she had lied when she said Phillip told her he wasn’t interested in me. We watched movies till nearly midnight. I began to feel sleepy.“Want me to go?” He asked.“No. I want you to stay.” I looked up at him. “I love that you are here.”We kissed. He lay me down gently on the couch, and we continued kissing. My phone began ringing. I ignored it, not wanting to stop the kiss I was enjoying. I knew it would soon stop ringing.But it didn’t. It continued ringing till I woke up.Groaning, I ro
Becky’s POVAfter we said goodbye to Brenda and Linda, Larry drove us home. On the way, I noticed Anna seemed very sad.“Cheer up Anna. I will make sure you talk to her every day.” I promised.“I know you will, dear. I just wish she never had to leave. Almost all my family, friends and those I love have gone,” she said sadly.“Don’t say that, Anna. You have Phillip and Frank and a lot of other loved ones left,” I told her.I do not like to see her sad, so I thought of what could cheer her up.“Maybe we should not head home yet, Anna, we can visit the park,” I suggested.“I will prefer that,” Anna said.We headed for the park. We sat on a bench watching the birds.“How are your plan
Phillip's POV When Celine and I entered the dining room I noticed Rebecca’s smile froze. I sighed. I hadn’t wanted to bring Celine to dinner, it had all been Frank’s idea. Celine had come to my office this afternoon looking tearful. “What is it, Celine?” I asked, irritated.“You haven’t bothered to call or text me. You don’t care how I am, and yet you know how much I love you. Why are you treating me so cruelly?” She asked.“I am not. It is just that right now I am busy, you know that.”“Busy? That is why you walked me out of your house last time? Or was it because of Linda?”“Don’t start Celine. You were making a scene. I was trying to stop you.”“So Celine is the evil one. Everyone else is good. You choose Linda and even Rebecca over me.”“That is enough, okay. I don’t have time to waste. I am working.” She burst into tears.“For goodness’ sake, Celine, stop. You are making a scene,” I said.Frank came in.“Phil I-“ He stopped and looked at us.“What is going on?” He asked.“Celi
Becky’s POV Throughout dinner, I played with my food. Celine being here had spoiled my appetite. Why would Phillip still be having her around? Did he have feelings for her? But he had said he had feelings for me, so what was he doing with her? Or was he just toying with my emotions? I was confused and upset. He barely said a word to me at dinner, but he did warn Celine, when she was being rude and hostile. After dinner, he took her upstairs. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling hurt and jealous.Anna, too, wasn’t happy to see Celine.“I don’t know what Phillip sees in her.” She complained to me as I took her upstairs.Neither do I, I thought. As I came out of her room, I looked upstairs and thought of going to interrupt whatever he and Celine were doing. I could pretend to want to talk to him about what had happened today with Anna. But I changed my mind and went downstairs. Frank was waiting for me in the living room.“Becky, how about we hanging out a little since I am staying here
Becky’s POV I couldn’t sleep. The whole night I lay tossing and turning in bed. Had I carelessly tried to burn the house down? I know I had entered the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, but I had changed my mind and hadn’t even lit the stove, or had I? I was confused, upset, and worried. What was Philip going to do? I was up before dawn and realized I had to go back to the house to get my clothes.Trembling, I went back to the house.It wasn’t as terrible as I imagined. The kitchen walls were black, but the rest of the house wasn’t affected. I stood in the kitchen looking around. Then something on the floor caught my eye. I bent to pick it up. It was a matchstick. I stood looking at it and felt myself grow cold. I never used matches, ever. I only used lighters. And neither Phillip nor Frank, my only visitors, used matches either. So where had this stick of matches that had been used to light the gas stove come from?From the person who had lit the stove. I thought.I stood shaken and
Phillip’s P.O.V “What did you say?” Celine asked.“Move your things in today,” I told Rebecca, ignoring Celine. “I will get workers to repair the damage.” “Rebecca can still live there after the house is repaired,” Frank said. “I think she would be happy having her own space.”“She will be safer here. Won’t you?” I asked Rebecca, who stood speechless. She hadn’t expected my invitation.She nodded. “I will. Thanks so much.”“Wait a minute, Phillip-“ Celine began.“Good. You can take any of the rooms,” I said, and went back to breakfast.“I will go get started. Thank you,” she said and left.“Phil! You are asking her to move in? You should be firing her, she tried to burn the house down!” Celine said angrily.“Last I checked, this was none of your business,” I said.“But Phil, none of the staff have ever lived in the house,” Frank reminded me. “I don’t think it is a good idea for her to move in.”I finished my coffee.“My house and I want her to move in,” I said and stood up. “I am of
Becky’s POV“Are you okay?” Jenny asked as we left the café.“Sure,” I nodded.“I hope you aren’t thinking about Jerry, the jerk?”“A little. I don’t want the loser making trouble for me.”“Relax. He won’t. He is just making noise. Come on, let's go pick out your wedding dress.”I winced. I didn’t want to go with her because I knew her very well. She would pick out the thinnest, most expensive dress in the shop and I was right.“No way Jenny. This dress barely covers me,” I protested as she pulled it from the hanger.“So? It is a wedding, and not a funeral dress. This is perfect.”I squinted my eyes, “No it isn’t.”“Try it on and see.”Sighing, I did. It was worse than I imagined.“I need something more covered up,” I said, frowning.We tried a few more dresses, but still couldn’t find the right one.The store assistant asked us to come on Saturday afternoon when a new shipment would have arrived.“Okay, we will be here on Saturday, and I promise to get you a dress,” Jenny said.“I ca
Becky’s POV“We read you are getting married, congratulations,” he said.“Thanks.”“You are preparing for the wedding, right?” Someone else asked.“Yes.” I answered, not sure what to make of it.“Would you be able to juggle working and preparing?”“It will not be easy actually, but I will try.” I shrugged.“How about you take time off and let us handle things here until after the wedding?” The manager suggested.“No, I can’t. I have to run this place.”“When you come back,” the company’s accountant added. “We will help you hold this place down. Meanwhile, concentrate on your wedding.”Everyone agreed. I didn’t want to, but their suggestion made sense. So I had no choice but to obey.By 3:00 PM that afternoon I was waiting for Jenny at the airport. Her plane was late and l was getting impatient when I saw her coming towards me. “Becky!” She said, hugging me tightly. “It feels like centuries!”“I have missed you too,” I said, putting her bags in the truck.“I have so much to tell you a
Becky’s POVA week has passed, and I still hadn’t gotten over the shock of my discovery. Phillip tried to help me heal, but I was still upset anytime I thought of how much time I had spent not knowing my real mother. I tried to imagine if she had ever come around to visit. She hadn’t. She just abandoned me.Luckily I had already quit Lenora Fashions, so I didn’t have to go there or see Sandra. She called me almost every day, but I ignored those annoying calls. I wanted nothing to do with her.“Sandra called me. She says she has been calling you, you aren’t picking up,” Phillip said at breakfast one morning.“Why is she calling me? What does she want?” I snapped.“To talk to you.”“She has survived years without talking to me, or even seeing me so why the sudden change?” “Babe, I know you are hurt and angry, but please you have to calm down and talk to her. She is your mother. And she loves you.”“No, if she did, she wouldn’t have abandoned me.”“She does. She didn’t abandon you. Try
Becky POVI ran as if someone was after me. I didn’t know where I was going and didn’t care. I just wanted to get away. Running, I had only one thing in mind: Sandra was my mother! I had lived with her for weeks and never realized it. Phillip was aware, why hadn’t he told me? Who else knew? I imagined that I had run a few feet, but I was shocked when I saw where I was; in the center of the town. I must have run for an hour, perhaps. My heart and legs ached. I observed around, and noticed a café I often went to across the street. I went in and ordered coffee immediately, eager to calm my nerves, and get hold of the situation at hand.It was unbelievable for me. I preferred to run away because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was suddenly very furious. All along I had been living with April who didn’t love me, thinking I was the problem, not knowing my real mom was so close and didn’t say anything. If I hadn’t started asking questions, would she have still kept silent? And why had m
Becky’s POVOn Saturday afternoon Sandra called me.“Rebecca, how would you like to come to dinner this evening?” She asked.“Yeah, sure but,” I hesitated. Phillip and I planned to go to a movie. “Phil and I have plans.”“I won’t keep you long. I promise. I want to talk to you. It is kind of important.”“Is everything okay?”“Yes. Please come.” She sounded serious.“Okay sure. When and where?” I asked worriedly.“Five in the evening. At my house. I will be waiting for you.”“Who was that?” Phillip asked, coming to join me in the living room.“Sandra. She is inviting me to dinner this evening. I will try to be early so we can move on with our plans.”“Sure.” He joined me on the sofa. “Are you okay? You looked troubled.”“Sandra’s tone speaks of anxiety. I don’t know what it is, but it sounds serious.“Really? Have you told her you are leaving her company?”“Yes, but she said she was okay with it.”“Then relax. I am sure it is nothing. Maybe she just wants to sort a few things out,” he
Becky’s POVI looked at the door, but did not see anything unusual. I turned back and was shocked to see Phillip on his knees, holding out a sparkling diamond ring.My hands flew to my mouth; my skin turned crimson red, embarrassed by the number of people staring at us.“Will you marry me, Rebecca?” I could hear some people in the background saying, “Awn!” “Say yes!”I didn’t need much convincing. I had longed for this day.“Yes!” I screamed excitedly.He slipped the ring on my finger, and kissed me. Observers clapped while I blushed red.I couldn’t wait to get back to our car.“Phillip! Did it have to be in the public?” I asked, still flushed.“I love you. I want the whole world to know.”He kissed me, then started the engine. When we got home we changed into our pajamas and cuddled together in the living room, while sharing a bottle of our favorite wine.“How would you like our wedding?” Phillip asked as we sipped our drinks.“Something small, but beautiful.”He laughed. “It cannot
Becky’s POVOr could my mom have been lying to her sister? I didn’t think so. Why should she? I shut my laptop, and began thinking far back. Growing up, I had sometimes wondered if she was really my mother the way she treated me. Now after hearing this, I had my answer. But I needed more. Where would I get them? The only people who could have told me were her and my late Dad. I doubt if she would accept to tell me. I thought of Aunt Helen. Perhaps she knew something, and if she did, would she open up?I decided I will have to visit her and find out. But first, my arm had to heal. I was still sitting in the garden when an emerald green car drove in. I was wondering who it was before Phillip stepped out. He saw me and waved.“Nice car,” I complimented, walking over to him.“Do you think so?”“Sure. I love the color, and I know Anna would love it too,” I told him.“Anna? You think this is for her?”“Isn’t it? You talked about buying her a new car some weeks ago.”“Yeah, but her doctor
Becky POVI gasped in fear. “What is that?” I asked in alarm.“Relax. Dinner is about to be served,” Phillip grinned.“By setting us on fire?”He laughed. “It is the food that is being set on fire. This is a Hibachi restaurant. We eat and are entertained.”I have heard of such a restaurant, but had never been in one. I watched the chef perform magic tricks, and settled down to be entertained.It was a lot more fun than I had imagined. Phillip fed me the food so all I did was relax and enjoy. When it was over, he drove me to see a movie.“I enjoyed today. Can we do it again tomorrow?” I said.“I will be happy to. Maybe I will find another interesting place.”“How did you find this one?”“I was searching for something to entertain you.”“Why?” I asked teasingly.“Because I love you.” I smiled, and kissed him.“How about we skip the movie and just go home to enjoy each other’s company?” I suggested.Phillip was okay with my request as he said, “Sounds good to me.”It was late when we go
Becky’s POV“What does it look like?” he asked, nibbling my ear.“It looks like something romantic,” I said, staring at the picnic basket near the swimming pool.“Yep, a picnic by the pool,” he grinned.“Have I told you, you are romantic?” I teased.“No. Never.”He kissed my forehead, then led me to a deck chair. He gently brought out the food from the basket, laying them on the table.“Do you like it?” He asked.“It is cute, where did you steal the idea?”“Steal? No way, I thought it up myself. Are you saying that I am not romantic?”I laughed and learned back in my chair, watching him-- wealthy, handsome, and romantic, I really was a lucky girl.We sat down to our little picnic. “Did you tell Anna I was going to be living here again?” I asked. He looked uncomfortable. “Well I tried to but…” he hesitated.“What is it?” I asked.“Gran doesn’t really remember you,” he said sadly.“What? She does not?” He shook his head.I sighed unhappily. I was sad, but not surprised.“So it has got