Delancy lives with her father and works in his store. When the store falls into debt she agrees to marry the son of her father's wealthy friend. Marrying a man she could barely understand was difficult but the challenges she encounters as she tries to unravel him leads her to question what is love. Can she love someone that no one could?
View More"Thanks a lot for stopping by, I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Of course, Delancy, I'll be sure to come again."
Warmth and weariness filled my chest as I watched the last customer for the day leave.
I went back to the cash register, yawned, and stretched tiredly but I couldn't complain because I knew it was due to all the work I did.
"Dad, we should close up now."
"In a minute." He answered.
I sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder but he didn't budge from what he was doing.
It’s past closing time and all our customers are gone."
"I know, just give me a minute."
"What are you doing?"
"Writing." He told me monotonously.
Curiosity picked away at me and I peeked over at what he was doing.
He was indeed writing something in a brown leather book he had on the counter but that only made me more curious about what it was.
"It's... About me?" I realized this after leaning in closer and taking a glimpse at his writing.
"Yes, but It's just a little something." He confirmed.
"Why?" I inquired but he pulled the book away instead of answering my question.
"You're my daughter, can't I do this? Besides you're quite remarkable and writing eases my mind."
"Um, okay, But I still think it's strange. Why now all of a sudden?"
He ruffled my hair and I laughed a bit but I could tell he was just as frustrated and tired as me.
It didn't matter how much we worked, there was always so much to do.
"I still don't understand why you did that?" I continued as I tilted my head to look at the book.
"Because lately, I've had this feeling." He explained picking it up off the counter.
"What kind of feeling?" I asked and after a few moments of watching him stare at the book and run his hands over it, he smiled.
"That you're going away."
Something about his words hit my heart but I only smiled back at him.
"Dad, you're tired. Let me close up the store so we can go and rest for the night."
He was working harder than usual and I was fearful his health wasn't going to keep up with him, so since it was closing time and all the customers were gone, closing up was the best thing to do.
"Okay, all right." he conveyed before sighing.
As soon as I was finished closing the store, I held him by the arm and lead him up the flight of stairs that brought us to our home right above the store. He wasn't too pleased by my action, leading him up the staircase, but he didn't complain much.
I was well aware that he wasn't old and weak or anything, it just concerned me that maybe he was too tired to make the journey by himself.
When I finally made it to the door, I opened it with my key before leading my father to his armchair where he sat back and sighed.
"Delancy, I think I'm getting too old for this." He bickered and ran his fingers through his greying hair.
"Old?" I chuckled and turned to my father. He thought he was old just because he had a few grey hairs. "I don't think so, you've got at least twenty years left in you. Now let me make you a cup of tea so you can sit back and relax tonight."
I had to admit I loved my father very much even if he sometimes lacked a bit of optimism.
I went to the kitchen and worked over the stove brewing his tea and making dinner but I couldn't help thinking back on his words.
I have this feeling,
That you're going away.
I didn't know why but those words kept gnawing at me. I wasn't sure why he felt that way but we both were working harder than we usually did so thoughts as those would probably cross anyone's mind, but I still felt uneasy.
"Delancy! What's taking you so long?" My father called, from where he was.
"Coming!" I called back picking up the tray of food and bringing it to him.
"Delancy are you all right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"What is all this?" My father questioned looking at the tray and then back at me.
"Oh, I just decided to make a few snacks," I answered with a light smile.
"A few?" My father observed, raising an eyebrow at the food.
"Okay, maybe I made more than a few things but don't worry I'm feeling a bit hungry now, so nothing will go to waste."
Even though I said that I barely picked at my food, I soon found my father's eyes on me.
"Delancy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
He nodded and smiled.
"Now I'm worried."
"Why did you say I was going away?"
He blinked back and scratched his head.
"It was just a feeling."
"Oh."
"You know it wouldn't be bad for you to go out. I think it would be nice for you."
"Yes, but not now, sometime in the future probably."
"Ah, yes if that is what you want." He told me sipping on his tea.
"Dad," I said after a long silence.
"What?"
"Can I see what you wrote?"
He shrugged and passed the book to me.
"Trust me, it's not much."
I ignored him and flipped the book open.
Delancy Monroe;
When she was six years old her mother died in a car crash. Devastated I started drinking and it led to the fall of my business. With the help of my daughter, I overcame my addiction and salvaged the business, but by then the store was in heavy debt.
Growing up was never easy for Delancy. Trouble permeated my life and hers from the day her mother died, but Delancy loved me and loved helping in the store. She worked in the store by helping me check orders and count stock.
When she was old enough, I allowed her to order stock, serve customers and collect money.
As time went by, her main duties were to the store. She usually went to school late and returned early to help me. She spent her summers helping here and even though I tried to persuade her to go to the beach or hang out with her friends, she would always protest and insist that she liked working with me.
Even holidays passed her in the store.
Also after graduating high school, she worked here. She even received a scholarship from a prominent college but she turned it down and insisted her life was in our town, in our store. I tried very hard to convince her to accept it but she declined even though she knew that it could mean a better life for her than the one I had. The day I realized my words had no effect on her and she wouldn't change her mind when she made it up, I could only hold her tightly.
She was a very stubborn girl and also someone I knew her mother would be proud of.
It didn't bother her that she was working in a grocery store. It didn't bother her that she was 21 and still living with her father. Her only fear was losing the store.
My Delancy- A remarkable girl.
"D-Dad-"
"I know, it's quite a lot."
"No," I shook my head. "It's wonderful!"
He laughed but I was taken aback by how well he seemed to know me.
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"Writing these wonderful things about me."
He shrugged and went back to sipping his tea but I couldn't stop smiling warmly.
***
Later in the night while I was in bed, I was still unable to stop thinking about my father's words. How could he say I would leave the store?
How could I leave him?
The day I received my scholarship my father was so proud of me but I made up my mind a long before I wouldn't be going. If I had accepted it and gone to college my father would've been left working alone in the store and he wouldn't have been able to pay off all the loans in time. We would've lost the store and possibly ended up in a worse situation. How would I have concentrated in college if I knew my father was in trouble?
I loved my father and the store.
I wasn't sure when we were finally going to get rid of all our debts but I didn't ever want to leave him.
I never wanted to leave my father.
"It's ready!" Charlotte, Eric's wife cat Eric's househimed as she pulled a cake tin out of her oven and beamed at me. Kerrick, Kaleb and I were spending the evening at Eric's house with after he invited us. Earlier I decided to give his wife a hand in the kitchen while Kerrick and Eric were sitting out front talking and the boys were playing in the living room."My Eric and Nathan love chocolate," She laughed while putting the freshly baked cake on a cooling rack.Charlotte was petite and had pale blonde hair unlike her dark haired well built husband and son, but she had a radiant smile and bubbly personality that made her very likeable. "How about Kerrick and Kaleb? What flavor cake do they like?" She asked while looking over at our boys playing."Um well," I said smiling at her eager curiosity. "Kerrick doesn't eat cake, he's Diabetic and Kaleb isn't very fond of sweets.""Oh!," Charlotte exclaimed before blushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." "It's okay," I laug
"You're home early," I commented as Kerrick put his car keys in the top drawer of the table in the living room. "Oh, and you're wearing your glasses.""I couldn't read the prompt during my meeting." He sighed in resignation. "I guess I'll have to get used to them.""So how did it go, did they like your ideas?" I inquired as he sat down on the couch."Yea, they did." He murmured as I sat beside him and put his head in my lap."That's good. What are your plans moving forward?" I said running my fingers through his hair.A soft smile traced across his lips as he tilted his head up to look at me. "I'm glad you're taking an interest in what's happening."I smiled back at him and nodded."E&E's sell canned goods as you know so with the new canning machine we have at the factory we can easily output at least ten thousand cans a week." He smiled."Wow, that's great!" I remarked."We also found a manufacturer who can deliver all the raw materials we need at reduced cost and high quality so our
As I put the finishing touches on tonight's meal, I couldn't help but watch in awe as steam slowly billowed out of the pot on the stove. The tantalizing aroma wafted through the air, making my mouth water in anticipation of the delicious meal ahead. I was in the middle of turning off the stove when I heard Kerrick's car pull into our driveway so I quickly headed to the door to greet him. As soon as he walked in, I noticed a glimmer in his eyes that seemed to suggest that he was filled with excitement. "You look happy, what happened at work?" I asked curiously. Instead of replying he picked me up bridal style and spun me around and I clung to him and burst out laughing at his unusual behavior until he put me down. "I did it, Delancy," He said hugging me. "I got a client!" "What!?" I mumbled out shocked but as I locked eyes with him he nodded with confirmation. I hugged him in elation and began jumping around while holding him. "This is amazing news! I'm so proud of you!" "It's, tru
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A few days had passed after meeting Charles and although Kerrick gave him no answer he was still pushing the idea of a merger. As of right now, I decided to visit my dad while Kerrick was at work and Kaleb was at school so I could get my mind off the situation. As I approached my dad's store and my old home, pleasant memories flooded my mind and a smile broke out on my face when I saw my best friends standing right outside the doors. When they noticed me they ran and hugged me and I burst out laughing. Samantha and Victoria always knew how to lighten my mood and I was so lucky to have them as my friends. "You caught us on our way out!" Victoria said between giggles."Oh, I should've come sooner." I apologized. "It's fine, we'll call later," Samantha added as she hurried up to her car."Where are you guys going ?" I inquired as I watched them."I have to pick up my daughter from daycare," Samantha said unlocking her door. "And I'm meeting up with my boyfriend!" Victoria added with
Kerrick was carrying Kaleb on his shoulders when we came home from the football match. Kaleb was still riled up from his win even hours after and couldn't stop talking about it. Kerrick and I were very proud of him and we laughed as we watched our son could bask in his victory."Kaleb, weren't you nervous when you were about to score?" I asked as I helped him down from Kerrick's shoulders."No, I knew I could make it," He smiled and ran around the living room, still full of energy.I smiled as I watched him beam with happiness but I couldn't take my mind off Kerrick's words."My business deal fell through"Kerrick didn't say anything else about it the entire evening but I knew he must've been crushed after all the efforts he put in. At dinner, he listened to Kaleb's recount of the earlier segments of the match that he'd missed and apologized for not being there but all was forgiven as happiness was the only thing on our son's face."Kaleb, go get some sleep, you must be tired," I said
"Where are you going so early?" I asked my son while clearing the table after breakfast. Kaleb had changed out of his pajamas into a blue jumper paired with a white T-shirt and was currently tying his shoelaces. "I'm going to meet my friends, remember I told you." He said jumping to his feet. "I do but it's still early," I said looking over at the wall clock and sighing. "Okay but remember to come home for lunch," I followed him to the door and watched as he hopped on his bicycle before riding off. "Bye, mom!" He called back to me as he went up the road. "Keep out of the road and watch out for cars!" I responded as he rode away and he paused momentarily to nod before continuing on his way. I turned to go back into the house so I could help Kerrick get ready but not before glancing up the street at my son's retreating figure. Once inside I got Kerrick's things together and put them on the table just as I heard him coming down the stairs. "Where's Kaleb?" Kerrick asked while fixing
Sunlight filtered through the curtains by the window as a cool gust of wind blew in and the sky was still overcast from recent rain. The sound of children laughing and running by putting a smile on my face as I waited patiently. I looked over at Kerrick who was quietly working at the table with a mug near his face, wafts of steam warming his lips but not taking the concentration from his eyes as he reviewed his papers. I turned back to the window which looked up the street that all the children were coming down and searched until finally, I saw Kaleb coming my way, his smile warming my heart as he ran along the street. He was walking between two friends, but he was unmistakable from his dark hair protruding from under his yellow raincoat, his obsidian eyes, and his quick stride. I watched him wave goodbye to them and cross the street before running up to the house and I left the window to greet him at the door. "Mom!" He said surprised to see me already waiting for him. I gave him a b
I ran the tips of my fingers over the soft delicate petals of the roses I carried as I followed my father's footsteps. Slowly he stopped and kneeled on the ground as we made it to our destination, my mother's grave."She was so pretty, your mother." He spoke without meeting my eyes, taking the flowers I was carrying and the ones he also had, he placed them in matching ceramic vases opposite each other by her gravestone. "She was so young and I don't think I'll ever stop loving and missing her.""I'm sorry," I looked at my father sadly but with a tinge of happiness that we were finally able to come here together after so long. "I guess I'll never truly understand the pain you went through when you lost her but that just goes to show how much she meant to you and me."My father tucked the last rose firmly in the vase next to him and touched her gravestone again, closing his eyes for a moment when he did so. "You know, I still feel her with me, regardless of the time that's passed, I ca
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