Marilyn was surprised to hear laughter as she stepped into her house that afternoon.... or should I say dusk. Her watch read 5:00 pm; definitely dusk. You could even call it evening.
Her mum and Isa and a pretty, chubby girl who she was assuming was Melissa were in the kitchen making dinner.
"Hey guys." She spoke out in a bid to get their attention, and it worked.
"Mummy!!!" Isa exclaimed and with a run, crushed her mother in a hug.
Melissa laughed. "Aren't you like too old for this, Iz?" Her friend always played the tough girl in school and so to see her acting like this was kind of an eye opener for her.
Meanwhile Isa was telling her mother in an undertone, "Be nice mum, please." Turning to face her friend, the teenager shrugged. "Right? I know I'm too old for that, but I'm my mummy's only baby and if I don't do these little things, no one would."
The two girls shared a laugh at the horrified looks on the faces of the two older women. Mrs. Appleby shook her head before joining in on the laughter. Wiping a tear from her eye, she said, "Jesus Lyn, she's even more savage than you were back then."
To be honest, Marilyn had found it really funny but she decided to make her daughter pay by guilt tripping her. "Is that how you feel Isa?" She asked with fake tears in her eyes.
That, ladies and gentlemen was when Isabel noticed just how much she had fucked up. "Oh shit mum, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean it that way." She wrapped her arms around her mother who in turn looked at Mrs. Appleby and Melissa with a smug smile on her face. The two older women burst out laughing again and then Isabel noticed that she had fallen into her mother's trap.
Marilyn laughed, "It seems like I've still got it, mum. Anyway how can I help?" She gestured towards the meals they were making.
Mrs. Appleby's famous glare returned. "How about you go change your clothes and pick your stuff lying around on the sofa first?" Marilyn grumbled under her breath, saying something along the lines of, "But this is my house."
"I heard that Marilyn, and I'm still your mother." Mrs. Appleby shouted back.
Dinner was delicious and the atmosphere was warm and cozy. They had plantain and spinach stew that night and conversation flowed across the table easily without Melissa feeling left out.
After dinner, Mrs. Appleby and Isa offered to do the dishes and Marilyn suggested that Melissa join her to watch TV for a while. Isa gave her mum a pleading look and Marilyn nodded. She got the message loud and clear. "Go easy on my friend, mum." And she'd do just that.
"So how many siblings do you have Mel? Is it okay if I call you that?" She asked unsure.
"Oh yes, Miss Appleby. Mel is fine. And to answer your question I'm an only child." Melissa smiled as she answered.
Marilyn gave a small nod. "I know how that feels like. I'm an only child myself and back then I used to keep to myself all the time. It must be nice to have a friend like Isabel." Shifting a little in her seat to feel more comfortable, she continued. "Now I know you know why I asked you to join me here, Melissa."
The chubby girl's head hung low in shame. "I do, Miss Appleby. But I don't think you'd understand me. No one does, and now the only one who did ....." She stopped all of a sudden. Shaking her head, she continued. "Never mind. If my parents get to hear about this, they'd only call it a ploy for more attention. You know, sometimes I swear they value their reputation more than they do me. I don't know how it happens though, the feeling just comes to me and later when it goes away, I feel so ashamed."
Melissa's voice tuned out into a soft whisper. "I get depressed most of the time and changing schools seemed to have worsened the situation. The children over there are so mean, and all I want to do is to belong somewhere."
Marilyn threw her arms around the teenager. So much suffering for such a young soul. After a moment of silence, she continued, "Make yourself at home then, because now that we've got you here with us, we'll never let you go. You can always belong here with us."
The duo wiped away tears from under their eyes.
It had really been an emotional moment. But it had to end because Isabel and Mrs. Appleby seemed to have finished with cleaning up.
The two young girls went upstairs to continue with their project and the adults stayed back in the hall to watch TV. Marilyn filled her mum in on her conversation with Melissa and after she was done, the old woman sighed in sadness. "Such a poor child."
Around 8pm, a sleek Mercedes pulled up on the drive way and out stepped a woman who seemed to be in her sixties. She wasn't the one driving though; a chauffeur was manning the wheels. She rang the doorbell to the main house and waited.
Marilyn opened the door with a smile on her face. She was surprised though, because the way Melissa described her parents, she assumed her mum was going to be uptight and more snobbish. But the woman standing in front of her was simply, though exquisitely dressed.
"Good evening." Marilyn greeted.
"You must be Melissa's mum, Do come in, she'll be down soon."
The woman gave a short laugh. "Oh, I'm actually her nanny. Her parents are barely home as it is." She stepped into the house and took a seat as Marilyn went to get her something to drink. Handing the woman a glass of water, she asked, "How close are you to Melissa ma'am?"
The older woman sighed, "Not as close as we used to be. My dear Mel barely talks to me anymore. You see, she accidentally heard me tell her parents that I had a chronic illness and ever since, she hasn't really spoken to me unless she absolutely has to."
Marilyn nodded slowly, the conversation she had with the young girl finally making sense. That really was a lot to take in. She could feel for the poor girl, it hurt to know that someone you really cared about was slowly dying and there was nothing you could do about it. Speaking up after a while, she said, "Well talk to her. Try harder to get her talking because she's facing issues and although we're here for her, she needs someone at home too."
"Yes, Miss Appleby. I'll give it my best. It was nice meeting you. You seem like a lovely woman."
Their conversation halted when the girls made their way downstairs. Melissa hugged her friend and said her goodbyes to Marilyn and Mrs. Appleby. Then she followed her nanny, whose name, Marilyn learnt was Mrs. McGill, out of the house.
Isabel stayed downstairs for a while, hanging out with her mum and grand mum till it was her bedtime.
The two women headed to their rooms about an hour later.
"Well I'm glad the hard work is over." Vanessa said as they spoke via face time.
"You've worked on Melissa, your relationship with Isabel is going strong. Business is going well. Get to bed, please. Before you still end up looking like a panda even with no worries." She teased.
Marilyn laughed heartily, feeling lighter for the first time in two days, "Oh but Ness, no one can be a hundred percent free of worries. There's still a lo-"
"Ah ah ah. Quiet." Vanessa interrupted. "Don't think so much. A day at a time, alright, Lyn?"
Marilyn grinned. "Alright. A day at a time."