Chapter 7

I got out and the driver closed the door softly behind me. The first thing to steal my attention was the enormous fountain before the house. It was a tiered fountain with water flowing from a central point and cascading down through a series of sculpted basins lined consecutively on both sides. It was also fixed with lights, I presumed would come on at night. Around it, a well trimmed garden framed the view, delivering a finishing touch.

The driver led the way inside and I followed. At the entrance stood an eight foot, aluminium double door. He pushed it open with both hands and stepped aside.  

Once in, I let out a tiny gasp and my hand

 flew to my mouth, an instinctive attempt to hide my awe.

The interior was even more magnificent. The ceilings seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky with lights as bright as the stars themselves. The polished marble floors boasted the work of a mirror. Chandeliers hung in nearly every corner, each more amazing than the last, until we reached the living room. There, the grandest one of all covered us with a shower of light

Three black deep seated sofas framed the space with perfect symmetry, balancing elegance and functionality

It wasn’t till the driver said a greeting, I noticed the presence of someone else. A woman, blonde in a white lace underwear, laid in the corner on a chaise longue with a face mask and cucumber slices resting over her eyes. She didn’t move or say anything as if the driver was beneath her attention.

The sound of footsteps came first, then Dad followed. His presence filled the room once he walked in, though dressed in nothing but briefs. His hairs and muscles stood out under the light. Lingering behind was a maid, head lowered.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the driver greeted again.

“You may leave,” he replied, signalling him away.

The woman in underwear now sat up, peeling the slices off her eyes. She stood tall, flaunting her slender figure.

“Baby,” she squealed, rushing towards him.

She placed her hands upon his chest and they relished the taste of the other’s mouth, unconcerned with my presence.

“Are we getting a new maid?” She asked, turning to me.

He settled into one of the sofas. “That’s my oldest daughter, Sussay.”

She paused like a computer lagging, then forced a smile. “Uhh, I didn’t know you had a daughter this old,” she said, settling beside him. “And you didn’t say anything about bringing her over.”

“I didn’t realize I needed your permission now,” he replied, bluntly.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said softly, hand running through his hairy chest. “It just makes me feel better when you let me know what’s going on.”

“Now you do.”

She frowned, even more when she turned to me. “Eww, why does she have trash with her?” She said, looking at my garbage bag.

Dad ignored her and signalled a servant forward. “Take her bags to her room.”

A female help, dressed smartly, took my bags. “Follow me,” she said.

We climbed the stairs, accompanied by the photos lining the stairwell. The first showed him with Veronica and two pubescent boys. The next frame was just him and the boys.

Next was with a face I didn’t recognize. In the photo sat two prepubescent kids with them. They showed up in the next few frames, four in all.

Then came the final photo, the woman downstairs draped around his arms.

“It’s only your turn,” I muttered.

I didn’t expect to see a photo of myself but it didn’t make it hurt any less when I didn’t.

We came to what was supposed to be my room and I followed after the help. Again, I gasped in awe to find a walk-in closet all to myself, where she dropped my bags.

“My name is Sarah,” she said, bringing me back to reality.

“Oh, I’m Sussay,” I replied.

“There is a bell switch right next to the light switch,” she said, pointing to the wall. “If you need anything, please ring me.”

She closed the door behind her and I toured what would be my new space . The room was furnished with a king-sized bed tucked in with a duvet, an air conditioner and at least a 10 foot curtain.

The walk-in closet was spacious enough to hold all the clothes I had ever worn, to be its own room in fact. But for the hangers and my bags, it was empty.

I rushed into the bathroom and froze in shock. It had a walk-in shower, a luxurious bathtub and a double vanity with twin sinks. Sitting on it was a holder with two new toothbrushes. The walls were as white as snow and the mirrors, sparkling.

In a private enclosure, there was a water closet like nothing I had ever seen. It was black with gold lining across its bowl. I played around, trying to figure out how it worked.  

At that moment, I forgot all the resentment I had for my dad and just wanted to make the best of this moment. I crashed into the bed and fell asleep, tracing the outline of mom’s diamond around my neck.

While asleep, I dream of something from a long time ago. It was fragmented and blurry but I saw  mom and dad together. We lived together, happy and satisfied. Mom smiled all the time, nothing like her life before she died and dad planted kisses across her forehead and mine.

“We’ll always be by your side, pumpkin,” they said, each holding one of my hands.

It was almost dark when I got up. I thought about calling Sarah but decided against it, deciding to go downstairs by myself. The hallway was bright, showered with lights. I took a wrong turn and ended up at a dead end. I turned to go when a sound caught my attention.

I froze, listening. It came from a room nearby. .

Low moans escaped my father and his partner in the pleasure of the other

For a moment, I stood still, unable to move. I had let myself get swept up by the beauty of this house that I fell for the illusion of a happy family. It was clear again the kind of man he really was.