Over 2,000 miles away in a 1,000 Sq ft hotel room sat Beau on a white couch chair, looking at his phone. The hotel room had a private bathroom, a king size memory foam bed that had a white comforter a memory foam pillows on it, 70 inch wall mount flat screen TV that was across from the bed, a silver dresser, a soft gray loveseat that sat in front of a wall to wall window, white black out curtains that covered the window, two dark gray bedside tables that had black glass lamps on top of them and a Bible that sat next to one of the lamps, a square mirror hanging on the wall above a white colored wood table, avant garde art that hung on the walls throughout the room, and a cushioned work chair that sat at the white table. The floors had soft gray carpeting and the walls were white with one gray accent wall. Beau's suitcase sat opened on the bed but had none of his clothes inside and his drawers were cracked open. He scrolled through his phone looking for flights that came home the same
Deep in Marigold's dreams she saw a younger version of herself aged 10. The younger version of Marigold had medium length hair that cut off right around her shoulders and was matted. She wore a white oversized shirt that cut off around her knees and had stains and small holes throughout it. On her face was dirt and soot. She looked malnourished. Her arms and her legs began showing her bones and her cheeks were sunken. Under her crystal blue eyes were dark circles. She stood in her unfurnished living room looking at her father sitting on the floor. Her father wore navy blue dress pants and a white t-shirt that was untucked and dirty. On his face was a 3 o'clock shadow and underneath his eyes were dark circles. He reeked of body odor and cigarettes and his breath reeked of foul fish and garbage. In his hand he held a picture of himself and his wife from before Marigold was born. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Marigold said, "Daddy it's been two days and I'm hungry." He looked at her wi
The minutes slowly rolled by while Marigold sat on her bed thinking to herself, 'I was screaming again, screaming in my sleep because of my father… But why, why was I screaming for Beau? How could I want someone who doesn't even care about me or my feelings? He took me away from my home, he put me here and yet I find myself wanting him around… Why, why am I feeling this way? I don't want to feel this way about Beau and I don't want him to know I feel this way about him. I have to push him away… I can't lose sight of what he did to me." Half an hour passed and Carls entered the room, holding a silver tray with breakfast for Marigold on it, saying, "Good morning Miss Marigold." On the breakfast tray there were pancakes on a white plate, a small glass cup of syrup sitting next to the pancakes (on the plate), a napkin that had a fork and knife sitting on top of it, a tall glass of orange juice sitting next to the plate, and a white saucer that had 2 sausage links on it. She smelled the a
Beau and Carls looked at Marigold while she stood there, looking down at the floor. Beau's eyes widened and his heart began racing, beating hard against his chest. Beau felt the blood rush to his face, turning his face red and his stomach began to tingle. Carls glanced over at Beau, seeing him looking nervous, looked back at Marigold, and said, "You look beautiful, Miss Marigold. How do you think she looks, Master Beau?" She held her arm while glancing up seeing Beau staring at her. Beau looked into her crystal blue eyes, quickly looked away, and said, "She looks okay." She looked down and Carls said, "Just okay Master Beau? I think Miss Marigold looks lovely. It's a very pretty dress for a very beautiful woman. Don't you think, Master Beau." Beau put his hand on the back of his (Beau's) neck and rubbed it while saying, "Yeah it looks really okay on her. It's a very beautiful dress and I'm glad she likes it." She grabbed her dress, gripping it tightly, and a woman's voice said, "Ah th
Beau sighed and said to Marigold, "I-I think y-you l-look… Okay." Marigold looked down saying, "Thanks Beau." Marigold held her arm with one hand and gripped her dress with the other. Beau looked at her and sighed. "My boy, where are you," a man's voice called. Nathaniel walked into Marigold's room saying, "Ah, there you are. I've been looking all over for you, we have business to take care of." Nathaniel glanced over at Marigold, seeing her all dressed up, and said, "Oh aren't you a sight for sore eyes Marigold. My boy she's pretty isn't she?" Beau swallowed his breath and said, "S-She's o-okay, I-I mean s-she l-looks okay." Nathaniel said, "Looks okay? She's a gem! How do you not see it? She looks beautiful! My boy, what has gotten into you? How can you say she just looks okay? You…" Angela interrupted Nathaniel saying, "You know what, why don't we give Beau some privacy with his wife, huh? Me and Marigold made some pasta for you to try my love, so why don't we go to the kitchen and
Marigold looked at Beau as he put his arm out towards her. She chuckled, grabbed his arm, and they left the room. He escorted her to the front door while she thought, 'He's so strong… I never noticed that about him before and he's quite the gentleman. I never noticed how gentle he is.' She stood in front of the front door and he opened it, saying, "A lady should always be treated like a queen." She smiled at him, while she left the home, and he followed behind her, closing the door behind himself. She stood on the porch and he said, "Wait here, I'll pull the car around." He walked down from the porch, around the house, to his car, while she stood there watching him and thinking, 'He's really a sweetheart… More of a sweetheart than I thought he was.' VROOOM He pulled his car in front of the house, got out of the driver's seat, and opened the front passenger’s side door, saying, "Come Miss Marigold, our dinner awaits." She walked down from the porch, got inside the car, he closed her
Justly quickly walked over to the table where Marigold and Beau sat holding a glass pitcher of water and to rectangular glasses in her hands. She set the glasses before them, filling each one up with water, while saying, "We're almost done cooking your meals." Beau said, "Honestly Justly take your time, we can wait for you." Justly said, "Ah Beau you're too kind. I just want to make sure everything comes out in a timely fashion. Someone of your stature shouldn't have to wait long periods of time for food." Beau said, "It's really okay. You guys work so hard, you work hard Justly. We can wait." Justly said, "You're too sweet Beau." She looked at Marigold and said, "So how long have you two been together?" Marigold gripped her dress and she (Marigold) said, "For a little over a month." Justly said, "That long and Beau hasn't driven you crazy yet? I'm shocked." Marigold chuckled and Beau said, "I don't drive people crazy." Justly said, "Yes you do, you drive me crazy everytime you come i
Marigold and Beau left the restaurant, went over to Beau's car, got inside, buckled their seatbelts, and Beau drove off. Marigold looked over at Beau, watching him drive, and thinking 'Why is he so sweet to me? After everything he should be hating me right now but he's not. He's been gentle and sweet even after everything I've said and done. Why is he so nice to me? I can't read him at all…" Beau glanced over at her, seeing her quickly turn away, and he said, "Ah, I was wondering why it was becoming so hard for me to drive. Your beautiful eyes were looking at me and making me distracted." She scoffed, saying, "My eyes weren't looking at you but even if they were, how would you know? You're focused on the road." He smiled and said, "Because they are one of my weaknesses." She said, "You're a sweet talker I see." He laughed and said, "Me a sweet talker? Never." She said, "You're so much of a sweet talker I can feel my blood sugar go up. Keep talking and I'll need a doctor." He chuckled
As she walked inside of her old home she once knew she looked around her seeing her once vibrant, modern style living room darkened and in shambles. She sighed, taking in the sight of broken furniture, scattered beer bottles, holes in the wall, and pictures of her family broken in their picture frames. She breathed in the air that now reeked of alcohol and trash, thinking to herself, ‘He never changed…’ She pressed her back up against the front door and closed it as she whispered, “It's only for a moment.” She walked away from the door, going further into the house, and began stepping on glass that crunched underneath her feet. Step, crunch, step, crunch, step, clang. She looked down, seeing a golden picture frame underneath her foot, crouched down, and picked up the picture frame, seeing an old picture of herself, her father, and her mother, all smiling at a beach. ‘When did you decide that you were no longer going to be my father? Was it the day mama died… Or were you always like t
Inside Beau's room, stood Beau. He went through his closet, going through his suits that hung on a clothing racket. As he went through his suits he felt his phone begin to vibrate. He took it out of his pocket, looked at it, seeing Fress calling, and answered it, saying, "Yes?" "Sorry to call so late Mr.Bax Jr. but while you've been wasting your day away doing senseless, 'Birthday activities,' with your family, I've been working hard on the charity event and need your signature on some contracts for the vendors," Fress snickered. Beau gritted his teeth, sighed, and said, "Send them to me and I'll sign them when I get the chance." Fress said, "See to it that you do. We can't all do whatever we want like you, with no care in the world." Beau said, "Okay." Fress said, "I'm glad you're taking this so nonchalantly. This is why you'll never be a top business man, because when it comes down to it, you can never focus and get the job done." Beau said, "Look Fress I'm not going back and forth w
Marigold entered the kitchen, looking down and smiling to herself. She looked up seeing Angela, Nathaniel, and Carls standing in the kitchen, the cake sitting on the island and a cake knife sitting next to the cake. Angela looked at Marigold and said, "Marigold, we were just talking about you." Marigold walked over to Angela, saying, "Talking about me? What were you guys about?" Angela grabbed Marigold's hands, saying, "How talented you are. I mean, you are full of surprises." Carls said, "Your voice sounds like a beautiful bell, Miss Marigold,"Nathaniel added, saying, "You can paint, you can sing, you truly are a very talented woman. I see why my boy is in love with you. You truly are an amazing young woman." Marigold's face turned red, as she looked down, saying, "T-Thank you, but I-I'm nothing special." Angela said, "Why Marigold Bax, that is utter nonsense." Carls said, "You are very special, Miss Marigold,"Nathianel added, saying, "A woman with talent like yours should put it to
Early in the morning Marigold stood in the kitchen wearing a wrap style shirt that had long puffy sleeves and was beige pink colored. She also wore blue skinny jeans, and t-bar style heels. She had her long hazel brown hair up in a high messy bun and wore 14k, rose gold, hoop earrings. She put a plate that had chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and sausage on it on a metal tray next to a small cup of syrup. She went through the cabinets in the kitchen, found a tall glass, poured some orange juice, and put it on the tray. Carls walked into the kitchen seeing Marigold preparing a tray and said, "Miss Marigold you're up early." She looked at Carls, smiled, and said, "Yes, I wanted to make breakfast for Beau." Carls said, "Well it smells delicious, Miss Marigold. Master Beau is going to love it." She said, "Thanks Carls," stood in front of him, her back facing the doorway of the kitchen, and said, "Now how do I look?" He smiled and said, "You look beautiful Miss Marigold." She said, "Beaut
Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding Marigold was awakened by the sounds of her cell phone going off. She slowly opened her eyes and began rubbing them. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding She listened as her phone continued to go off. She mumbled, "Why is my phone going off," as she reached for her phone that sat on her bedside table. She looked at the time, seeing that it was 4am, and thought, 'Why is my phone going off this early in the morning?' She unlocked her phone and saw notifications from the art websites she posted on. She gasped as she opened one of the notifications to one of the websites, seeing that her painting was sold for 500$. Her eyes widened as she smiled from ear to ear. She jumped out of bed and she began screeching from excitement. She continued to look through the rest of her notifications, seeing that they were commissions for more painting. She thought, '10 commissions and they're all 250 and above, I've got to get painting right away.' She ran out of her room, went to the art
9 Hours LaterKnock, knock, knock, knock The knocking at Marigold's door woke her up from her deep sleep. She cracked her eyes open, slowly awakening. She laid in her bed feeling her body feeling heavy, hot, and weak. Knock, knock, knock, knock She continued to hear knocking at the door but ignored it, as she closed her eyes, feeling her stomach begin to turn sour.She heard Carls say, "Miss Marigold can I come in," but ignored him, feeling pain in her stomach. Knock, knock, knock, knockCarls continued to knock at the door, saying, "Miss Marigold it's time to wake up, you're going to miss your flight." With all the strength she had, she opened her eyes, and mumbled, "Come in." Carls entered the room holding a silver tray in his hands. On the tray there was french toast on a plate, bacon on a saucer, fork and a knife that sat on top of a napkin next to the plate, and a tall glass of orange juice. He said, "Good morning Miss Marigold, did you sleep well?" She cracked her eyes, lo
4 Years ago…In his office at the Bax Company was Beau, sitting behind his redwood desk, holding designs in his hands. He sighed, thinking, ‘None of these will do, these aren’t original enough. The people are going to hate these.’ He tossed the designs on his desk, thinking, ‘Come on Beau. Sales are down by 15%. I have to do something to get sales up and these designs aren’t going to cut it.’ DING The sounds of the elevator dinging filled the air. Tap, tap, tap tapHe heard the sounds of heels tapping against the floor, and looked up to see Jessica standing in front of his desk. Jessica wore a black, peplum style dress, black stilettos, a chunky white pearl necklace, a white pearl bracelet, and had her strawberry blond hair up in a low bun with bangs. He smiled at her and stood up while saying, “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? You look beautiful.” She sighed, while rolling her eyes, and said, “I hate this dress. I look terrible.” He walked from behind his desk, stood in front of
Marigold looked at Beau seeing him siding eying her with no expression on his face. As he looked forward at the road, he tightened his grip around the steering wheel, and said, "So, what did you think you were doing?" She looked down saying, "Beau I-I, I don't know." He said, "How could you just leave without telling me where you were going? What did you think you were doing, all the way in the city, without transportation or any form of communication?" She said, "I know, I should've brought my phone… I just… I was distracted." He said, "What if I hadn't been there to protect you? What were you going to do then?" She said, "I can handle myself Beau, I don't need your protection." He said, "Oh yeah, like you were handling Fress right? You had the whole situation under control." She said, "I did, I can protect myself, you just got in the way before I had the chance to defend myself, you…" He interrupted her, saying, "Marigold this is not the time to play. I'm not in the mood to play gam
4 Years ago…In Beau's office were Fress and Beau. Fress sat on a couch chair and chin buried into his hand while Beau sat on the loveseat. In front of them, sprawled out on the table were drawings of designs of different outfits drawn by both Beau and Fress. Fress said, "Alright, we need 2 more designs for the Runway show and then we're done." Beau picked up one of the drawings. The drawing was of a sparkly one shoulder dress that had a tulip skirt. Fress grabbed the drawing from him, looked at it while stroking his chin, and said, "It's a good design, but if we're going to make the dress we need the perfect model to model it." The voice of a woman said, "What about me?" Fress and Beau looked over at the elevator seeing a woman aged 18 standing in front of it. The woman wore a light blue, A-line, knee length dress, and black heels. She had a diamond necklace that sparkled in the light and earrings that matched the necklace. Her thick, strawberry blonde hair was done in an updo with