The week went by with everything going smoothly. Monica and Priya were elated with their performance in their exams while Peter was sunken awaiting his F in English.
It was sunday noon and Martha and Priya's parent were not in the office neither busy with any business related work.
They were all in the living room when an unexpected visitor shocked them with their presence, Martha especially.
"M...o...m..."
"Mr Jones..."
"Aunty..."
The three adult in the loving room screamed out in surprise with the arrival of the Jones couple.
"Child..." Sam couldn't hold it in as she broke down in tears in her husbands arm.
The housekeper Jenis noticed the tense atmosphere so he called out to the children to give the adults enough room to talk.
"Monica, Priya, Peter, upstairs now. Give your parents privacy and don't come out until you are told."
"Wait..." Sam screamed. "They can stay. They need to be present".
Monica who has been in a daze ever since the arrival of the Jones looked at Sam who stared at her with a complicated gaze.
"Are you grandma Siran?" Monica questioned. Sam wasn't dressed in her usual simple and elegant outfit but a rather eye-catching and expensive flowing gown. The grandma Siran in her memory was an average woman who mingle with the average class but the one in her front was a rich first class lady and was also a Jones at the same time.
Martha stares at Monica wide-eyed. They have met?? How did Monica know her grandma?? And 'grandma Siran', was it her imagination or have Monica met her in Siran Amusement Park?? Gosh she's definitely got a lot to answer.
"Ahem...Mr Jones,Mrs Jones please come in" Mr Claire urged them to the sofa and asked Jenis to bring in some snacks. From Martha's anxious and tensed express,Monica couls already deduce grandma Siran was someone her Mom knows and had a bad disagreement with in the past.
She was even more surprised when her Mom called grandma Siran 'Mom'. So does it mean they were related?? Was her grandma Siran really her grandma??
Monica was confused as she drew out as many conclusions as she could while watching the Jones couple settle on the sofa opposite her Mom and Priya's parent while she and the twins say at the sofa at the side, ready to watch the upcoming drama.
"Dear... I'm sorry" Sam started with continuous tears flowing down her cheeks.
"18 years ago, we made a big mistake by making you marry that scumbag. I no it wasn't proper refusing the marriage despite everything that happened that night, we could have at least tried every method possible to avoid your marriage with a man twice your age.
I felt guilty over the years dear. I..I'm really sorry I didn't come find you over the years. I thought you would hate me. I thought you would despise me for not sharing in your happiness...for not being there for you when you gave birth or when you struggled to raise my grandchild over the years.
Please forgive me baby girl. I wasn't there to watch my little pumpkin grow from a teenager into a matured mother. P...please forgive me..." by this time Martha was already crying her eyes out while Monica looked at them with great shock in her eyes.
No one told her anything about her Mom before her birth. No one even informed her of the reason why she didn't have any grandparents nor a father.
She started with a silent sob until her face was full of tears. Mrs Clara and Priya were no exemption as they were also sobbing quietly. The men in the house although they pretended to be strong, their eyes were already red and on the brink of tears.
Martha rushed up to her Mom and embraced her with all her strength.
"Mom...please dont apologise 'sob sob' it's my fault. I disobeyed you and decided to marry an old man even when you warned me against it. I'm so sorry for being foolish back then thinking I fell in love with an old mad after he sweet-talked me." Martha cried even louder,consoling her Mom while pouring her heart out.
"I disgraced our family back then Mom...I...I made us the laughing stock in all of country Z even though we ranked 2nd in power. Mom please forgive me...'sob sob' Mom please don't stop loving me...I missed you alot during these years. I even visited Siran every month just to steal a glance at you. Mom please forgive me...please..."
Even the neutral faced Jenis was already in tears seeing such a heart breaking scene. Martha was no better as she leaned on Priya crying her hearts out.
They cried for a long time and only stopped when there was no tears left. Mr Jones who has been holding his emotions in walked up to the mother and daughter duo on the floor and helped them to their feet.
"Its okay dear...stop crying. Dont make this old man cry in front of the kids." Mr Jones comforted them both with a chuckle.
"Dad..." Martha called out with swollen eyes as she threw herself at his. Mr Jones happily held her tight with his head on her head, inhaling her scent while patting her back.
"Hush now...no more tears okay...I'll try my best not to make you cry. Never again " he said while blinking back the tears on his eyelid.
"Grandpa...grandma..." Monica called out in a soft and choked voice. Although her voice was small, everyone present heard her loud and clear.
Mr Jones couldn't hold back his tears as they fell down his cheek, drop by drop. Martha pulled out of his embrace giving Mr Jones the freedom to turn around to look at his granddaughter.
"Child..." Martha ran into his embrace as her tears fell again. She has always thought her only family was her Mom. She never had a father nor any siblings. She grew up without a real uncle nor aunt neither any grandparents who would spoil her.
Mr Jones patted the little head in his arms before pulling back to look at her. He has been monitoring her over the years but he never noticed such little details he sees while looking at her now.
Come to think of it, its the first time to be so close to her unlike Sam who has been very close to her. He only saw her in photos or videos and a few times from far distance.
He looked at the swollen eyes thet looks exactly like that of her mother. Her nose as pointed and well shaped with her beautiful curly hair.
He also noticed she was quite tall for her age just like how Martha looked when she was young. "You really take after your Mom, granddaughter " Mr Jones said with a smile as he wiped his tears away.