ELEVEN YEARS AGO AT THE CLEAR OPAL MANOR
Shimmer de Milo and her husband Roderick had just returned from an overseas trip. It was a Friday. Shimmer was seriously exhausted, and so when Roderick suggested that they pass through the office to check on a few things, she excused herself. She needed to be at the Clear Opal Manor. Roderick and Carl proceeded to the office while a driver took Shimmer home.
"You're home, ma'am!" Iris beamed with joy.
"Shh, not so loud! I want to surprise the children. Am I in time for dinner?" she asked.
"We've just finished dinner. They are all upstairs, ma'am. Sir Pete is here too; he's sleeping over tonight."
"Sure; his dad informed me", Shimmer smiled.
Pete's mother, Janine, who had been very good friends with Shimmer since their teenage years, passed away when Pete was seven years old. Shimmer gladly took up the duty of mothering Pete, whose father never married again, but had devoted all his time to raising his only child Pete, and growing his law firm and shipping business. His law firm was the best in Lakeworld; with lawyers well known for never losing cases. He was very successful and well known throughout the country. Pete's dad Hayden, and Roderick were good friends, and he too regarded the de Milo children as his own.
"Did you have a safe trip?", Iris asked as she motioned for some maids to carry the luggage away.
"We did. I'm just tired. There was too much to do in a short space of time", Shimmer spoke while she walked towards the elevator. Iris and her went all the way up, and tiptoed towards the children's wing.
Loud voices could be heard coming from Ciera's suite.
"Dylan, Pete and Arianna, please leave my room now!" Ciera's voice rang through the hallway.
"We're not leaving", Arianna objected.
"Seriously, I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow." Ciera sounded bored.
"What interview?" Arianna asked.
Shimmer and Iris moved closer and stood near Ciera's bedroom door, listening to the conversation.
Ciera went on, "It's part of my school work. An hour with the person I admire. That's the topic"
"An hour with the person I admire?" Dylan and Pete chorused.
"Yes", answered Ciera. "I need to prepare my questions; the ones that I will use to interview the person that I admire."
"Who do you admire?" Arianna asked.
There was silence before Ciera spoke, "I'm not too sure. If mum and dad were here, it would be one of them. I guess I would have to go for Mr Keith Octavia. He has done well in the hospitality business. His hotels are really up to par."
"You can't write about your parents. Everyone admires their parents. Choose someone else!" Pete said.
"I agree," Dylan spoke slowly.
"So I will write about Mr Keith Octavia, then! Anyway what's wrong with admiring one's parents?", came Ciera's voice.
"Mr Octavia is a great choice. He has done well in the hospitality industry." Pete stated.
"Ok so now you know how busy I am, please leave! I need to work on my questions for tomorrow." Ciera said.
"What's there to prepare? Just ask him questions!", came Dylan's voice.
"As if you can do it without preparation!" Ciera sounded irritated.
"Of course I can!" Dylan said confidently
"Well then do it!! Let me hear you say it now. If you were to spend an hour with the person that you admire, what would you talk about?"
At that moment, Iris thought they had eavesdropped enough, so she shook her head with a smile, and was about to take a step into the room when Shimmer tugged her and then pulled her back. She raised her finger to her lips, signaling for Iris to be silent. Iris just nodded and smiled.
From inside the room, Dylan cleared his throat and said, "well if I were to spend an hour with the person that I admire, I would ask her how she manages to be as gentle as she is. She is always smiling, that's the first amazing thing about her. And then she gives love; and I believe that she herself has not received that much love; yet still she can give it away. I would ask her how she does it. I would ask her how she managed to come to terms with growing up in a place where it's not really the standard family set up. There is no mum and dad, no uncle and aunt, but many children who are disadvantaged, just like her. I want to know what she intends to do with her life, I mean after she leaves the orphanage, which profession does she want to take? What are her interests? Besides singing, what are her other hobbies. Her favourite food, colour, subject, favourite song…all those questions about favourite this and that. I want to know how many languages she can speak. I can ask her a lot of questions, for example questions relating to her singing. I want to know where her singing passion comes from. Who taught her to sing; has she ever composed any songs of her own, or she only does covers. I have only seen her singing but I also want to know if she can play any instrument. And if she does play, does she have access to the instrument, and would she accept it as a gift if I were to use my savings to buy one for her. I would ask when her birthday is; and I would never forget it. For me, one hour is simply not enough. I can ask her a million questions and….."
"Enough!", Shimmer's voice rang from the doorway, and she emerged, her face showing great anger and annoyance. She scanned the room before her eyes rested on Dylan and she gave him a hard, cold stare.
"Mamma! Mamma is back!", Arianna ran to embrace her mother. The mother simply stroked her child's hair and back, and she kissed her forehead, doing it all without any emotion attached to the actions.
"Enough of that silly talk!" she said to Dylan.
"Hello Mrs de Milo," Pete greeted, and Shimmer nodded in response.
"How long have you been standing and listening to us?" Dylan asked.
"You don't ask me any questions, child! I come home from a business trip to find you busy praising some miserable girl! I won't tolerate that!"
"Mum please, I was just helping Ciera with her interview questions…."
"I heard you! You're busy daydreaming about that girl 0028! Ciera said she's going to interview Mr Keith Octavia. Keith Octavia is one of the elite business people in Lakeworld. Those are the types of people you are allowed to interview, not some random deplorable girl from an orphanage!"
"But mamma, the question simply says an hour with the person that I admire. It doesn't state anything about the background of the person" Dylan began to speak.
"Dylan!! Dylan! You're this close to driving me mad! Don't make me do what I will regret, do you hear me? You are a de Milo! Do you realize your worth? You are a de Milo! Do you know how many people would die to just be associated with the de Milos! We are the richest people in the country of Lakeworld, if I must remind you! All of those other business men you see, the Keith Octavias and them, they all look up to us and bow to the de Milo name! We are a big name! We don't go about interviewing some dejected orphans whose mothers threw away! That girl, 0028, is nothing but a number! She is shockingly pathetic! If her own mother threw her away; her own mother could not even love her, then why should you? You are a de Milo, my son. Realise your worth!"
Dylan blinked many times and said, "did her mother throw her away?" His voice was tinged with a lot of pain.
"Of course she did" Shimmer snapped.
"How do you know, mum?" he asked in a low voice.
"It was all over the news when she was left to die at some road or was it in a bin, huh? Iris?"
"It was at the orphanage gate, ma'am. Anisha was dumped at the orphanage gate before the matron picked her up from there." Iris explained calmly.
"You know about Anisha?" Dylan asked. "I mean you know so much about her? Did you check her background…"
Shimmer burst out laughing and said mockingly, "background? what background is there to check! Does she even have a name? 0028 is who she is! Does she even have any background worth my time? It's not like she was raised in some mansion and attended the most expensive schools. She was just born and dumped at the gate, everyone knows that! It was all over the news! Forget about her, my son," she softened her voice. "She is just some rejected trash and…"
"She's no trash, mamma!"
"Yes she is! If I say she is trash, then she is! What does she have! Who is she? 0028? Some digits picked haphazardly and plastered on a piece of paper which was pinned to her dirty rags all the time! Her name is not even worth mentioning in the Clear Opal Manor! I will not hear anything again mentioned regarding that name, do you all hear me?"
"Yes mummy!" Arianna nodded her head.
Shimmer bent down to kiss Arianna on the forehead.
"Pete, I'm sorry that you have to witness this!"
Pete slowly nodded his head, faced the floor and mumbled, "it's ok, Mrs de Milo."
"If any one of you mentions that disgusting name in Clear Opal Manor, I will make sure that you get punished. You know I have always been very soft with you all; it's because I love you all a lot. I won't allow anything bad to befall you. It's my duty as a mother to watch who you befriend, and no child of mine will befriend that girl!! She is way below our standards; we are the mighty de Milos; we don't just mingle with anything! Get that in your heads and don't do anything to disobey mamma. You too Pete. You are a Rockridge. Keep that in your mind, and choose your friends well."
There was dead silence.
"Now go to your rooms. Iris, take Arianna to her suite. Dylan, please excuse your sister, take Pete with you. Iris, get a maid to make sure that Pete is comfortable for the night. Boys, let's give Ciera some space. She needs to prepare her interview questions with Mr Keith Octavia tomorrow." Shimmer smiled sweetly, as if she was not just uttering poisonous words.
Dylan slowly walked past his mother and headed towards his own suite. Pete, who was walking closely behind Dylan, pulled out his phone once they left Ciera's wing. He dialed a number and spoke immediately after the call connected, "dad, please come and pick me up now."
Shimmer stared at Ciera for a long time and smiled, "prepare your questions now, Ciera. I will ask the office to arrange for you a meeting with Keith Octavia tomorrow afternoon."
Ciera did not respond. She gave her mother an icy look and muttered under her breath, "why do you hate Anisha that much?"
"Sorry? What did you say?", Shimmer smiled.
"Nothing", Ciera turned to her desk and started typing away.
Shimmer sighed, shook her head and walked away; closing Ciera's bedroom door behind her.
"This son of mine!" she muttered to herself.