He grinned. “Is that right?”
“Yep. You didn’t think last night was going to be enough to sate me for five whole days without you, did you?”
He answered with another kiss, his mouth hotter this time, tongue roaming over mine and teeth nipping my lower lip. “I’m starting to think I might have bitten off more than I can chew.”
“Too late now.” I waggled my engagement ring at him. “Once it’s on, it’s not coming off.”
“Oh, Lola. It was too late for me long before that ring was on your finger.”
I wanted another kiss but instead he left me breathless and wanting. A decided tactic I was sure. As I watched my man disappear out of the room, I realised I hadn’t asked him what the original purpose of his mother's visit was. With a shake of myhead, I decided I didn’t care. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to let her ruin our happiness today, tomorrow or any other day.
Twelve
Being on the set of a TV show was fascinating. The cameras, the lights, the crew dashing about fixing or fetching one thing or another. The contestants were evidently nervous, their hands fidgeting, eyes darting about unsure what to look at or where they should be. These people weren't reality show veterans that knew how to play up for a camera, they were quiet, creative types like me and the stage was not our natural environment.
I had surprisingly little to do once filming began. Shots were taken of our dancing lady, the expressions of awe on the faces of the contestants were genuine and despite Imani getting all of the onscreen credit, I was still proud of my work.
I spent the first days of filming watching with avid curiosity as the contestants' creations developed. By Wednesday, it was time for Sid and I to begin work on our second piece. The theme of the second piece was nature and our elephant was quickly beginning to take form.
As I worked, every so often I noticed the nakedness of my finger. In the evening I slipped the ring on but during the day, it went back into its box and was safely hidden away in a locked desk drawer in my room.
I had been working myself up to call Keira or go and visit Natalie to give them the big news but so far, I hadn’t gotten the courage. I needed to hurry though. Now that Alfies’ mother knew, it would only be a matter of time before it was out there. I was surprised it hadn’t been exposed already but perhaps Carolyn had kept it to herself hoping that Alfie would get rid of me.
Since I’d started wearing the ring, butterflies had turned into bats and taken up permanent residence in my stomach. I didn’t know how you were supposed to feel when you looked at your engagement ring. Excited, sure.
I found myself wishing more and more that my mum was here. I was irrationally jealous of Alfie still having a mother, even if she wasn’t a good one. Was it better to have a good one you lost than a bad one that still lived?
The day drew to a close and I went up to my room to shower. Scrubbing the dirt from my fingernails was a laborious process but I didn’t mind it. I was sitting down to eat dinner alone, frustrated that Alfie had had to cancel our facetime dinner date, when my phone rang. I smiled when I saw Natalie’s name pop up on the screen.
“Hey, I’m just eating dinner. What’s up?”
“Ummm…” My sister sounded nervous.
I put my fork down, alarm bells ringing. “What? What's wrong? Is Ryan okay?”
“He’s fine. Listen…can you come over?”
“Right now? Yeah, of course. What’s happening? Areyouokay?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m okay.” Her voice cracked and she lowered it to a whisper. “Dad’s here.”
I sat there for what felt like an eternity before I could finally speak. “What?”
“Our father. He’s here. He wants to see you.”
John O’Connell hadn’t given me much in life besides abandonment issues and red hair. I had almost no memory of this man yet as soon as I saw him, I knew him.
He sat at the dining table as if he’d never left it. Leaning back in the chair with none of the guilt of a man who had abandoned his children.
His once red hair was now a blonde-grey colour, his skin worn by time and perhaps drink as well. He was neat and clean but he clearly hadn’t left us for a life of luxury. That gave me a twinge of pleasure that I immediately felt guilty for.
He smiled when he saw me, a charming smile. Despite his age, I could see why my mum had fallen for him.
He stood. “Lola, it’s good to see you. How are you, my girl?”
My girl.
Those two words evoked a core memory in my inner child. She remembered those words.Good night, my girl. Sleep well, my girl. Happy birthday, my girl.
