Page 74 of Don’t Forget Me

“What are those goals of yours?” My father asked.

“To become an author. A well-known one. I have a couple of stories bouncing around in my head,” she chuckled.

But so did my father.

It wasn’t a laugh of joy, but one of prejudice. My mum’s fork clinked with her plate, the servants were moving around in the kitchen, yet the silence that followed had been the loudest. I felt my entire body tremble. If my father had another one of his episodes, I feared I wouldn’t be able to protect her when I could barely fight back myself.

Lysandra set her hand over mine. She wasn’t shaking like I was. Her hand was warm, giving me the comfort that I desperately needed.

“It’s getting late. We have to head back to the school.” I pushed my seat back, the legs screeching under me.

“But we haven’t even started dessert?” My mum said gently.

Lysandra checked her watch and stood up with me. “Yeah, I think that’s best. It was very lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dorren.”

“Okay, let me see you two out.”

Lysandra’s sweet presence had lighten up a room filled with darkness. She extended a hand for my mum; my mother’s chestnut strands fell over her shoulders as she pulled Lys into a hug. Her jeweled hand wrapped around her back, nothing but affection and care for her. “It was so nice to meet you, Lysandra. You seem like such a sweet girl for my son.”

Lysandra thanked her and leaned her cheek on my mother’s shoulder. It was then that I realized that it was the first motherly solace she’d received since she was six.

My father didn’t even stand to see us out, he remained with his gaze focused on his food. Lysandra looked up at me and then to my father. “It was nice to meet you, sir. Hopefully we can have more lovely dinners like this in the near future.”

My father only grunted as he chewed on his roasted chicken.

“Excuse him,” I uttered.

“Don’t worry.” She smiled.

“I’ll walk you two out,” my mother chirped.

I walked ahead of them two as they conversed. “Please convince my son to come and visit me more often. His presence is very much missed whenever he is at school.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I will try to convince him so his visits can become a weekly habit,” Lysandra replied.

“Take good care of yourself, Lysandra. You are a lovely girl, and I wish you and my son the best in this new chapter as a couple.”

I grabbed her coat from the rack by the entrance before walking over to her, setting it over her shoulders. I wished to speak. I wished to enjoy this moment with my mother. But my fear seemed to have paralyzed any positive emotion within me.

A soft joy lit her features.

“Thank you, mum, for receiving us and preparing such a great meal.”

“You know it was the servants who made the food,” my mother argued.

I shook my head. “I know when it’s your cooking.”

She scrunched her nose up when she grinned. I kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back soon, mum. The semester is almost over.”

“Mmm, fine. Bye, darlings! Take care.”

Lysandra and I walked out of the house and into the car. The workers had already parked my vehicle near the entrance. It was silent as we entered the transport.

“What’s wrong?” she asked me.

“Nothing.”

“What is it, Ezra? Did I do something wrong?”