4

ASHLEY

Home.

The one place I got to be truly happy. Where I got to be more of myself and bond with some of the most important people in my life. It was a habitual thing for me to go home every weekend. Although I missed the last one, I knew there was no way in hell I was going to miss this one.

A sudden wave of nostalgia hit me, once I pulled over in the driveway that led to the cute bungalow I grew up in. I squealed to myself like a little girl, hopping out of my car. The neighborhood was quiet with very few people roaming around and going about their normal routine.

I rang the doorbell twice and waited for a response, tapping my foot on the doormat impatiently. The door creaked open and an unfamiliar face came into view. One of my brows tugged up at the petite lady, instinctively, earning a warm smile from her.

"Hello, I'm Julia. You must be Ashley." She introduced herself, extending her hands forth, for a handshake. I slipped my hand into her waiting ones, giving her a confused smile.

"Hi, Julia. Where___" I paused, recognition dawning on me. A soft chuckle rolled off my mouth and I palmed my face. The last time I was around, mom and dad had told me they were planning to get a house help that could help look after the house whenever they went about their various businesses.

Mom owns a café that is just about a ten-minute drive from the house and dad runs an auto-mechanic workshop.  They tend to get swamped with work at times, so this was their last resort.

"The help? God, I'm so sorry. I haven't been around lately, that's the reason I couldn't place your face." I told her and she nodded with a warm smile, stepping aside so I could go in, but I refused. I couldn't stay.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll just go over to the Cafe to check on them. Dad's at the Café too, right?" I asked her.

"Yes, yes. They are at the Café. It's so nice to meet you, Ashley." She smiled at me and I cooed. She was really pretty with this shoulder-length black hair and grey eyes.

"Thank you, Julia. I'll leave now." I bade her farewell and got into my car, driving down to the Café.

The appealing smell of coffee beans and milk assaulted my nostrils, sending a wave of satisfaction to wash over me the minute I set foot into my mom's Cafe. There was one thing I loved about this place. It was the liveliness. This place was always buzzing with activities, twenty-four/seven. It was by far the busiest café in town.

And as proud as I was to flaunt that title, it didn't come without a price. I remembered how hard it was for my parents to make things work out with the Cafe when I was growing up. The sleepless nights, the loans, and the days they were absent. It was no child's play. But then, I was glad that it was finally paying off.

I barely got the chance to process my thoughts when I got swept off my feet by strong arms I knew belonged to one of the important men in my life.

My dad.

His sonorous, deep chuckles flowed into my ears, reverberating across its walls. I squealed and giggled in his arms as he spun me around like a little girl, creating a scene in the café. I didn't care! I was a daddy's girl!

"Daddy!" I shrieked, filled with the excitement that threatened to overwhelm me. 

"If it isn't my princess!" He dropped me onto the ground, gently and his face came into my view. Dad looked like he hadn't aged a day over forty! He had beautiful salt and pepper hair and honey-brown eyes that looked just like mine. He was clad in black slacks and a cream shirt to go with it, alongside some wet looks.

I threw myself in his arms again and I heard him sigh in satisfaction.

"I missed you," I told him quietly.

We soon pulled away from the hug, and his honey-brown eyes stared down at me, crinkling with warmth and admiration. Dad was tall. Almost six feet.

"I missed you too, princess. Come, come, let's go meet your mom in the kitchen." He latched his strong arms onto mine, pulling me gently along with him as we approached the kitchen.

I exchanged a few heys and hello's with the workers.

"Carmen! Get the cups to the counter!" I heard my mom yell. I instinctively knew the action was going to be accompanied by an eye roll. Typical mom. 

A warm smile spread across her face as her gaze landed on me.

"Mom," I grinned cheekily and stepped into her outstretched arms. She patted me gently on the back, pressing a soft kiss on my hair. 

"Honey, it's so good to see you," Her wide smile was contagious. I found myself smiling back at her. Dad dropped a dainty kiss on her lips and she giggled. 

"I'm right outside, sweetheart." He said to me and I nodded and watched as he stepped out of the busy kitchen.

Mom and I left the kitchen almost immediately. She pulled her hair net off her hair, allowing her voluminous brown wavy hair to drop down her shoulders. For a second there, it felt like I was staring at myself in the mirror. The only difference was that she was a lot slimmer than I was and her eyes were a darker shade of brown.

I looked so much like her.

"Honey, we were expecting you last weekend…" She trailed off, pushing the door that led to her office open. I slumped on the couch, a loud groan exiting my lips.

She was awfully quiet. I averted my gaze from the lamp that was on the table in her office, my eyes dropping to her frame that leaned lightly on it, her arms folded across her chest and her brow raised at me in a questioning manner.

"Work," I mumbled, shrugging casually. I kept my tone as subtle as I could, not wanting to give anything off.

"You sounded like you were going to come and then the next thing, you sent a text that you had something urgent you wanted to attend to," She paused and moved away from her table, plopping down beside me on the couch.

Her facial expression contorted in a motherly gaze. Her brows knitted in worry, earning an eye roll from me.

"Were you lying to me?" She whispered and I turned pale at the words that left her mouth. I shifted in my seat, blinking softly. My fingers came up to my ear, tucking my hair behind it.

"I wasn't lying to you, mom." I choked out in exasperation.

Something came up with Adam that weekend. Adam had always told me to always inform him of my plans before I went anywhere and then, work at the office was hectic that week, so it slipped my mind to talk to him about it. By the time I did, he strictly told me not to go.

But he knows you visit your parents every weekend. That obnoxious little voice in my head scoffed.

I didn't want to argue with him.

I didn't want to fight with him.

I knew arguing with Adam always provoked him. 

She scoffed in disbelief, falling back onto the chair.

"I knew it," she deadpanned. I jerked my head in her direction, staring at her with my eyes that threatened to pop out of their sockets.

"I knew you were lying! Ernest just didn't want me to probe you about the whole thing, that was the reason I let it go." She threw her hands in the air and my lips set in a thin line, a grimace overtaking my features.

I opened my mouth to speak but her next words robbed me of my speech.

"Did he tell you not to see us too?" She asked with a grim look on her face.

"Mom!" I snapped at her and her expression morphed into a frown.

I was tired.

I was done.

I have had it up to here. I was twenty-four for goodness sake. I was an adult. I knew what I wanted and what I didn't. I didn't want anyone meddling in my business and my relationship. It was so irritating when they tried to tell me what to do.

Adam was an amazing guy!

I didn't know why it was so hard for them to see it.

Who verbally abuses you and disrespects you?

"Adam didn't do anything, mom. Why do you even hate him so much? What did he ever do to you? You, Dawn, and Ivanna! Why can't you guys understand that I love him? Why!" I cried out, rising to my feet.

I was a fuming mess.

She just sat there and watched me as if I had just lost my mind.

"What's wrong with you, Ashley?!" She shouted at me, fury flashing in her dark brown eyes.

"What has come over you?!" 

"I don't understand how you are so blind to see how toxic this relationship is. It's unhealthy for crying out loud! Did you see the way he treated you the last time he came over to the house?" She scoffed out a humorless chuckle with a light shake of her head.

I knew it.

I knew she was going to refer back to it.

Was there anything wrong with my boyfriend reprimanding me in a public gathering?

"He apologized, mom!" I scowled at her, folding my arms across my chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but it felt as though she didn't know how to convey her words. It remained slightly ajar as she stared at me, looking so dazed and appalled.

Like she was at a loss for words.

"You are making a mistake, Ashley." She reproached me.

"You know what, I'm done here. I thought I was coming over for some family time and guess what I got, my mother criticizing my choice of man," I laughed sardonically.

"Ash__" I didn't allow her to speak and I stormed out of her office, ignoring her incessant calls.

Dad was waiting by an empty table, when I got out, his eyes skimming through a magazine with a cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up from his magazine and he frowned lightly at the sullen look on my face.

I was irritated and provoked to the core.

"I'm leaving, Dad." My voice came out harsher than I intended, but I cared less. I just wanted to get out of this place.

"What's wrong?" He asked calmly and I snorted.

"Well, your wife doesn't want me here!" I huffed, puffing out my cheeks.

"Princess__"

"I don't want to hear it, Dad." That was the last thing I said before walking out on him. I pushed the glass doors open and stormed into my car, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

This was a mistake!