LS: The Beginning (24 page)

“Did you ask him where he got the chain from?” I asked.

“Yeah, I did, but he couldn’t recall where he bought it from. Strange, right?” she
answered.

"Yeah, it's strange."

Lisa and I had more in common than I thought, but how could this be?
O
ur families had never met. At that instance, perplexity overwhelmed me.

“I was given a ring, but mine has an icy diamond on it. I’ve never put it on though. I don't really fancy jewelry,” I said, examining her necklace intently.

“I see,” she said. "But you're never going to know what its purpose is."

"Yeah, that's true," I agreed.

Lisa's eyes remained blood red until she removed the necklace.
Everything seemed so strange, but the more I thought about it the more the answer drifted away.

Panic had cloaked me when Lisa was bleeding, and it would have definitely been
worse if she had died. It gave me a chance to think of my life without her: a
destitute life, full of pain. Now I could think clearly since the pain had gone, so I recalled the reason for the whole incident: Stacey.

“What went on between you and Stacey?” I eagerly asked.

“It’s in the past. Let’s leave it there,” she said.

I grimaced. “Sorry, but I can’t
do that. It kills me to see you in pain.”

 “Okay, if you must
know: she said she hates everything about me and if I cause you any form of misery,
she wouldn’t hesitate to expose me to the world. The worst of it all was that she was
thinking of killing me if I hurt you.”

I grimaced. “I see, don’t worry. I’ll talk to her. She’s just being Stacey.”

“What if she’s right? I don’t want to hurt you. It’s better –”

“Don’t you say a word; leaving you would virtually
kill me.” I held her hands, looking into her glistening hazel eyes. “My being
with you has little to do with the promise I made to your parents …” I
paused. The next three words I was planning to say would change everything
between Lisa and I. Part of me didn’t want this change yet, so I held my tongue and changed the subject.
“Talking about family, which reminds me, we have a dinner to attend.”
I grinned.

“You know we don’t eat,” she stated.

“Yeah, I know, but my aunt and her husband don’t know that. They invited me for dinner and I can’t
suffer alone.”

Lisa chuckled. “So you want me to suffer with you?”

“Yeah, that’s about it.”

“Dinner it is then. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

What did I ever do to deserve such a girl as a friend? She was the best thing that ever happened to me. Lisa placed her
head on my lap and we continued chatting like nothing had happened. I was always excited each time our bodies came in contact,
and waited
for the day her luscious pink lips would be pressed against mine.

We remained in the living room until the sun left us and allowed the moon to
take its place, shinning its non-luminous light.

“It’s time to get ready. I’ll be back to pick you up,” I said after
chatting about a scary movie I'd watched with Stacey some days back.

“Don’t be late,” she replied.

"I won't."

When I got home, Stacey was nowhere to be seen forcing me to delay the scolding
I’d planned for her. I went to my room, took a hot bath and changed into a fitted
white shirt and blue pants. It was a family dinner, so there wasn't any need to look too formal.

Stacey had left my car in the grounds knowing I’d want to use it – or
maybe she was scared to touch it. Although she needed not to be scared of me: the worst thing I would have done was to send her back to her home.

I arrived at Lisa’s house in the Audi.

“Are you ready?” I called to Lisa from the living room.

She didn't respond – verbally, that is. She strolled into the living room. As my dark brown eyes met her, my entire body grew numb. I didn’t expect
her to change her outfit. She'd changed into a yellow boob-tube gown, which looked inordinately
gorgeous. Her skin sparkled. In physics, one could say her skin emitted radioactive particles – so
very attractive. She was completely irresistible.

I wanted to question her movements but I knew she had no place else
to go other than where I intended on going to.

“You look wonderful,” I stated.

“Thank you.”

We drive to our destination in comfortable silence. I had nothing to say other than comment on her looks. I would only be saying: you’re beautiful, you’re lovely, you’re this, you’re that. No girl would feel comfortable hearing those words repeatedly.

The cloudless sky grew dark as we arrived at the Fords’ residence. I had never
been there before; the only time I’d met Mr. Ford was when I had
brunch in his office with he and his wife, Susan. He was really nice, and meeting him gave me the chance to
read a Federal Agent’s mind. A very complex one, I must say: always
thinking about the well-being of the country.

After reviewing my pass, the gate allowed me to drive into the estate. The grounds were magnificent: the mansion was located at the center of the grounds, and there were several
buildings skirting it. At least for
once I saw a house that could compete with the Morgans’ mansion.

“We've been expecting you, sir,” a man said. He was dressed like the driver who came to pick me from the airport, but without a cap. “Please leave your keys in the ignition when you park the car in front of the main building and I'll park it in the right place.”

“Thank you,” I said, and then did as he instructed.

A lady wearing a skirt-suit met us at the front door and showed us to a room. “Mrs. Ford will be with
you shortly,” she said. “Do make yourself at home.” She handed us two fliers t
hat contained the map of the estate. After reviewing the flier, there wasn't any contest between the Morgans’ and the Fords’ residence. The map had sealed it.

Lisa and I sat next to each other. Her eyes transfixed on me while I drank the room around me. According to the map, this was one of the
three living rooms. The room was exquisitely decorated to captivate the
eyes of the inhabitant. The walls were painted cream with golden drapes over the windows. There were paintings on the wall; one above the fire place and the rest at different corners. Just beside two speakers was a gigantic flat screen.

My temperature reduced as I turned to look at Lisa. The thought of introducing Lisa to my aunt made be nervous. I had two options: one, introduce her as a friend, which would limit my relationship with her; or, two,
introduce her as my girlfriend, which Lisa might take offensively, thus limiting my relationship with her. Either way I was screwed.
I'll cross that bridge when I get there
, I thought.

Chapter Thirteen

Thanksgiving

The impact her shoe had with the floor made it easier for Lisa and I to sense her
arrival.

“Who do we have here?" Susan asked as she entered the room.

Lisa and I stood up. “Hey, Aunty Suzy,” I said. I moved forward and wrapped my arms around her. It had been a
while since we’d seen each other, so the hug lasted for a minute or two.

“How have you been, dear?” she asked.

“I’ve been good,” I said, glancing at Lisa. “I’d like you to meet a very good friend
of mine, Lisa.” I said, as if without control my mouth had uttered my first option.
Goddamn! Maybe the second would have sounded better
, I thought.

Unlike her daughter, Susan was pleased to meet Lisa; she thought she
looked beautiful and properly dressed. Lisa smiled as Susan
moved closer to her, and they hugged each other in harmony. Maybe telling Stacey about Lisa’s
powers made her dislike Lisa, or maybe not. Still, Stacey had no concrete reason.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Stephen has told me a lot about you,” Lisa said.

Susan gave a mild blush. “Is that so?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at Stephen.

“No need to worry, all nice things.” They both chuckled.

“Is it okay if Lisa joins us for dinner?” I asked.

“She’s welcome to join us. Your cousins invited their
friends as well.”

I was glad she agreed, otherwise I would have attempted to skip the dinner. Lisa
meant the whole universe to me and her absence would make the occasion
pointless. W
ait, Stacey had invited a friend. Oh no, I didn’t like the sound of it. She had
only one popular friend: Julie.

After the accident, I didn’t want to look into Stacey’s eyes. Ryan, on the other hand, I was looking forward to meeting.

“Dinner is ready. Please follow me,” Susan said.

She led the way to the
dining room. I glanced at the flier in my palm and saw there were two dining rooms in the building. Susan
directed us to the smaller room.

“Hey,” everybody greeted as we entered.

The minute Stacey saw Lisa she leaned back on her chair and began gasping for air. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"Are you okay?" asked Susan.

Stacey nodded; she couldn't even say a word. It was as if she'd seen a ghost. Before sitting down, I greeted Justin, Susan’s husband with a handshake.

"Hello, Justin."

He smiled. "How are you, Steph?"

"Very well, sir."

"Great. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable. This isn't my office.” He winked.

I smiled and looked at the room. The dining table consisted of three chairs on both sides and a chair at each end. Susan moved to sit down at one end
of the table, while Justin was seated at the other end, opposite his wife. Stacey and her
friend Julie sat on one side, with Ryan and his friend opposite. So I sat down beside my pesky cousin, and Lisa sat next to Ryan. The whole dinner idea didn’t excite me, because the two ladies I didn't want to see were sitting beside me.
It's just a night; no big deal,
I thought.

There were various types of assorted foods. One could call the dinner a
buffet; the difference was that it wasn’t in a restaurant. There was a platter of dressed lobsters, caviar, stuffed mushrooms, and so on. Then there was a huge plate of turkey in the center table. The various foods were placed on a long table which was positioned against the wall, so we could serve ourselves. On the dining table, two bottles of Dom Pérignon were placed in a bucket of ice, and close to it were a bottle of Rosé and a bottle of wine I didn't recognize. Lisa and I sat down in amazement as the rest stood up to plate up their food.