SHIMMER'S POV
When I went down to the breakfast table, I was unable to control my joy. I smiled brightly, feeling that the day was indeed good. A housekeeper pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down.
"My son is finally back," I spoke to myself.
Ciera looked up at me and greeted in a low voice, "morning mum"
"What's with the grumpy face? Aren't we celebrating your brother's safe return! Where is he? Is he still asleep? Iris, please go check if he is still asleep. I'll wait for him."
Before Iris could respond, Ciera spoke, "he has already left."
"He has left? Where did he go to?"
"I don't know."
"Is he fine yet? Should he be out and about? Did he go with Pete?"I could not help but ask.
"He's fine mum. Dylan is not a baby anymore. He went with Chris, his driver. Pete left very early in the morning." Ciera did not seem to share my concerns.
"But how could Dylan leave without even telling me?" I tried but failed to hide my disappointment.
Ignoring my question, Ciera stood up and said, "by the way, may I invite Keith Junior over for dinner tonight. We have an announcement to make."
"What announcement? What is it? Are you getting married?"
"Wait until the evening, mum!", Ciera spoke as she was already walking out of the room. "Have a great day dear mum!" she shouted.
"Wait, you have to tell me; where did Dylan go? Ciera!" I spoke back in a loud voice.
"Ask Arianna! They were busy plastering each other's faces with bananas!" her voice trailed off as she left.
I stood up and rushed to the elevator. The way Iris looked at me, I am sure I was wearing a super panicky face. Iris followed closely behind me, as I walked to wards Arianna's bedroom. She was in the shower, singing very loudly as the water ran.
I knocked but her singing was too loud for her to hear me.
"Arianna!" I called out several times before opening the door.
"Mum!!" she gasped, "Why didn't you knock?"
"You would have heard my knock if you were not singing that loud!" I teased.
Arianna came out of the shower and walked from the bathroom to the bed, stark naked, with water dripping off her body. Arianna hardly ever wore anything while in her room, and she never used to care if Ciera, Iris or myself walked in while she was naked. I found it weird; it was something that I failed to get used to.
"Arianna! You could have wrapped a towel around your body!"
"Why? What is new to you and Iris? I have nothing to hide!" she smiled and took a blower, switched it on and started blowing her hair.
"Arianna, where is Dylan?" I went straight to the point.
"He left."
"I had asked the chefs to prepare so much food for him. Did he see it?" I myself was able to hear the pain in my own voice.
"He saw it. He took a bite of an apple", Arianna switched off the drier.
"Wrap yourself up with a towel, please!", I pointed at a towel and Iris walked over to pick it up, and she handed it over to Arianna.
"So where did he go? What did he say about the breakfast?"
"Umm the breakfast. He said it was too much. He had somewhere to go. Someone to see urgently"
"Who?" my voice, from the way I heard it, was already laced with both anger and anxiety.
"Anisha. He's visiting Anisha at the hospital"
I failed to respond. I just walked out of the room, with Iris following me.
"It doesn't mean anything ma'am. They were together for a month, I believe he's just checking on her", Iris tried to comfort me.
Staring into space, I heard my choked voice in a whisper, "he ignored my breakfast. He left everything that I had prepared for him, to go visit that girl? That orphan? He could not even say good morning to me! I mean…he could have just knocked at my door and say hi mum! He never even thought of me!! All because of that girl who he is obsessed with!! You know what, Iris? I never believed in arranged marriages; but I guess those who do them have valid reasons. I trusted this son of mine to bring home a decent daughter in law, yet here we are! Here we are, Iris!"
"Maybe they are just friends, ma'am."
"Just friends? Well if you haven't realized it, then hear it from me, Iris!. I am his mother. I know him. He may not know it yet, but I know it. I have seen it. I have no doubt about it. The fact that he is in love with her is a rude, horrible fact. Dylan is in love with Anisha! He is in love with that girl who doesn't even have an identity! That girl who used to sing those lousy songs at the orphanage! That dejected girl…..even her own mother couldn't love her! Do you know what, Iris? My son, my only son Dylan...is hopelessly in love with that orphan!"
I walked to my bedroom and sat on the bed. Why, Dylan, why?
I had always hoped that us, being the de Milos, were going to get a daughter-in-law from a well to do family. Someone from the Octavias, or even a niece to the Rockridges. Did Dylan really have to bring that girl, of all the girls he knew?
How was I; Shimmer de Milo, supposed to introduce her to my family and friends. The first question from them, obviously, would be which family is she from? And then? How was I supposed to respond to that? How do I, Shimmer, the richest person in Lakeworld, tell them that my son is in love with a girl whose mother dumped her at the orphanage gate years ago?
And when they ask, what does she do? What is the response to that? She is a child minder, yes, that one who you were seeing on TV of late, being accused of kidnapping the la Martina baby. Yes, that's the girl.
I asked myself over and over again, what I had done wrong to deserve what was coming my way?
I saw it! I saw it coming years back, but I thought my son was just having a childish crush. Who would have known that he was going to love her to that extent? In his adult life, he still cared for that girl?
What was not clear to him? Could he not see that they were from totally different worlds?
When he was a teenager, I believed he was clouded by her beauty. I thought he failed to see reason, and just liked the girl because of her facial features. But then, now that he was a grown man; a well educated adult, could he not see that it was impossible? How on earth was he planning to bring into our family a girl who brought with her absolutely nothing? She was in it for the money, obviously. She had nothing to offer.
I had always expected a daughter in law who would help with the businesses. I had hoped for someone who could come and be responsible for something; either be an accountant in the family business, be a doctor or a pharmacist, or a nurse. Even if they had a different occupation, and could not work in the de Milo business, it was still OK with me; as long as they had a decent profession.
I wanted a daughter in law whose mother I could chat with on coffee dates. Even if, in the event that the girl's mother passed away, but if she came from a decent family, she could have decent aunts and other relatives.
Who was I supposed to go on coffee dates with? That girl, as far as I knew, had no relative at all. Larissa la Martina might have loved and accommodated her, but she only did so because that girl was taking care of her son.
What about me? I was supposed to take her in as a daughter in law, and start teaching her the ways of the rich? What did she know? Besides standing in long queues for some tasteless food, what else did she know? Did she even have a good fashion sense? And I was expected to take that girl with me to the ball, to the met gala, the fashion shows, film festivals, business awards, air shows and all that?
What; Dylan was expecting me to teach her everything, and to introduce her to the classy foods and drinks? No. I neither had the time nor the energy to teach the girl anything. I did not want a student in my home; I wanted a daughter-in-law. A well groomed girl with etiquette, someone that I would be proud of, and introduce her without withholding anything back. I told myself that I was going to do anything and everything as a mother, to open my son's eyes so that he too could see things from the angle where I was seeing them.