Chapter 2 - My father

Having talked to Cyan about the plan and deciding on how to manage the dates, I had been happy enough to finally take Zoey out to the park. Even when the happy memories in this place included my father, they still were good, and I want to share them with Zoey.

The summer sun had already indorsed the sky with its blazing presence, the beautiful summer flowers as beautiful as ever. It reminds me of my 12th birthday, a picnic birthday party. Even though no one dared to come celebrate with me, that man and my mother were there. And I was the happiest.

“I will find you a good father figure, one who will never run away.” I glance at the smiling angel in the strollers. She had inherited mother’s green eyes, precious emerald globes, which is mother used to call them since I myself have the same emerald globes.

“I will protect you okay. I will protect you.”

A precious young soul with no sins yet, her lips haven’t said a word of Malice, yet to step on the dirt of the world.

“Huh, I thought I was dreaming, Leah, is that you?”

An annoying voice interrupts my time with my angel, James Rett the man supposedly married to his cousin. How can a person hate someone they have loved for so long this easily? Well, they broke up with you during mourning your mother’s funeral to marry their cousin.

“Ah, Kaleah, it is a while.”

His alleged cousin and wife Lola chimes in enthusiastically. Why is she waving her hand like that? “James bought me an expensive ring can you see?” Who wouldn’t see the ring that is being waved around like a flag during Olympics opening ceremonies?

“How lovely, so how do your parents feel about cousins marrying? Isn’t considered incest?”

I speak in the loudest voice possible if they are going to ruin my day with my angel I must as well ruin theirs. James’ face frowns along with Lola’s immediate gasps, I hear people in the park look and gossip. The country frowns heavily on these types of relationships.

“We are not cousins” Lola defends, “we were just lying to you, he was cheating on you with me.”

She loudly defends but this only gets more gasps and snickers from the forming crowd. If there was one thing people hated it was infidelity and she had just proudly admitted to it.

“Lola” James scolds her, but he is already too late.

“Thank you for telling me, I am happy I broke away from you.”

“Oh, shut up you wrench you are just jealous. Hmph” she pouts, “oh, please RSVP for our wedding, we pushed it forward due to the lack of RSVPs.”

I feel amused by this, they did not get enough RSVPs, they had said this would be a wedding of the century almost three weeks ago. And now they are complaining about the lack of guests.

“Sorry, I am planning a wedding myself so I will not be coming to yours.” I lie through my teeth.

“You are what?” Lola growls angrily as James looks at me sadly.

“You are moving on already” this wrench wants me to wallow in pity until when.

“James, you moved on first what is preventing me from moving on?”

“Well, you were sad and depressed, do you think you need to take care of your metal health first.” He reasoned, with his brainless fiancé supporting him, “besides what right man would marry a woman with a child? even if she is your sister, she is still too much.” She spoke.

In my imagination I had already punched both of them and damaged their already distorted face. But I am a law-abiding citizen, and I am not to get a criminal record before Zoey even learns to walk.

“Sorry James but my life doesn’t revolve around you I am allowed to move on.” I gaze at the smirking Lola, “and not everyone has close minded beliefs like you, my fiancé is quite very fond of Zoey, he loves me so much. I am so happy we broke up; I wouldn’t have met him if we didn’t break up.”

“Huh, lies, you think I will feel remorse and come back to you.” James snorts, “dream on, that imaginary man you talk about so much will never be. Just RSVP to our wedding.”

They both storm off, and even though I hate him I cannot help but agree with him. I haven’t even found a suitable partner yet and I am fully boasting of how he loves me.

Cyan had come to stay with me for the duration of fiancé searching, though Zoey was a shy child, she had already accustomed to having Cyan as an aunt and babysitter sometimes.

“So?” she asked, “Which of these would you like to go on a date with first?”

I wouldn’t say it was a bad roster, Cyan did know Kaleah’s type in men. Looks were important, don’t call me superficial. Well, I wasn’t much of a looker, my mother and Cyan disagree, but they are my loves, of course they would find me attractive, I didn’t want my bad genes to be the one that holds my daughter or son back. They will have to inherit their father’s great genes, and I stand here I am confronted with six potential fathers.

“Him, he sounds good.”

I pick the modest one out of the three, shooting too high might get my heart broken yet again. He was just above my ex’s looks but not as handsome as Cyan’s brother. Because I know Clayton Becket was the bar for gorgeousness in this country.

“Oh, Archie, I don’t know, I tried doing a video call for the interview, but he said he was busy.”

“You did an interview?”

Of course, Cyan would be crazy enough to do an interview. By the way she touts me to be this amazing girl she went all the way to do a background check on everyone.

“I did not do a background check, at least not yet. I still need to coax Clay into letting me use his secretary into doing that for me.”

“Let us contact him, if he is busy, we will move on to another date.”

“Good idea. I will be here to babysit Zoey, but I told Aaron to give me Taylor a heads up that we might need a babysitter.”

“When did you go to Aaron’s bookstore? And why did you go without me?”

Aaron was a bookstore/ library owner who was also in the same class as Cyan in college. He was a friend of ours, he had supported me and Cyan at our very worst and he had introduced us to spicy books. His career as a business man and artist had taken off quicker than ours.

“Let us get you ready for dates, I sent you Archie’s number, start a conversation and see if it pans out well.”

Cyan had spent the whole week at my apartment helping me sell my paintings while looking for a job while taking care of my young sister while conversing with Archie.

“He asked for a date.”

“Huh?”

“Archie asked if I was free this Friday.”

I said frantically; I had talked to Archie for a week, and he sounded like a decent guy. I hadn’t told him about taking care of my sister nor my plan of getting married, I thought it would be better to talk face to face.

“Great, tell him you are free.”

I texted him the confirmation of our date. The most crowded place, that is what Cyan had advised me to choose, Archie had not shown any other pictures aside from his profile pictures.

Cyan had dragged me to buy dresses along with buying Zoey some new clothes. We also dropped by Aaron’s bookstore for our dose of extremely inappropriate books.

“How dare you perverts bring a child to read perverted books?”

Aaron is seen shocked with his hands, on his beautiful hips, gapping at us reading.

“Keep your voice down.” Cyan tried to tell him, but he only just rolled his eyes before scolding us again.

“Poor Zoey has to put up with the two of you.”

He tries to hold her, but she only erupts into a cry, she was unfamiliar with strangers and had always cried when held by one. Cyan smirks at him before picking her up to soothe her.

“Guess what, Zoey likes perverts.”

“Ugh, tell me that didn’t come out right or I am calling the cops.” Aaron jokes, which Cyan agrees with, that line wasn’t her best come back.

He held me into and embrace, “how are you? Sorry I couldn’t make it to the funeral. I wanted to come supports you.” He says before giving me his usual kiss on the cheek. “I am okay Aaron; I received your condolences gift well.”

He sits at our table for our usual talks about nothings, it reminds me of our first meeting in college. I had just fought with one of my friends and I needed a new one, Cyan had just fought with her friend over her using Cyan to get close to Clayton and Aaron the introvert (you would never tell) had no friends at all.

“Ugh, I really think we need to beat someone up, either fate for being so cruel, your mother’s trash sperm donor or the ugly guy named James,”

“It is okay Aaron, I will do good, and my success will hurt them.” I reassured the agitated Aaron.

“Hmph fine, if the blind dates don’t work out, you can always marry me.”

“Hell no, you are not marrying this man.”

They had always fought like that, something I didn’t mind. It brought the spice and drama our friendship needed. We had finally left Aaron’s store a few hours later and Cyan had opted to visit the devil incarnate.

“Why are you staying in the car?”

“I am not seeing that man.” Who walks to her death willingly? He might be Cyan’s brother, but she had told me enough about him for me to not want to be in the same room as him.

“You have a crush on him, but you refuse to meet him.”

“Hey, you have a crush on that duke from the book, have you met him?”

“I will not respond to your hateful comments.”

She storms off leaving me in the car. I had decided to walk a little so Zoey doesn’t feel stuffy in the car. Beckett Tech sure was magnificent, from its structure you could only see how expensive it must have been.

I had walked a great deal before deciding to go back to the car fearing Cyan would freak out if she didn’t find me. But the idea of turning bag had been too bad for me, because I had laid my eyes on him that man.

“Father” I muttered.