'I failed, Khalilah, I have failed you.' Rose-Anne thought to herself, as she headed out of her brother's office. 'I couldn't save you, I'm sorry baby.'
There should be a reason, why would a normal mother would decide to give up her youngest daughter; without any sense of guilt or regret.
The only thing Rose could do for Khalilah now was, tell her what awaited her. In two days, Lord Olive will come to get her; and Rose-Anne felt so bad about it already. How will she start to explain to her granddaughter? How would Khalilah feel about it? Everything remains but a mystery, she couldn't help but wonder what Olive wanted to do with her, and why is he in a hurry to seek a girl.
Rose got into her car with a sullen look on her face, her chauffeur regarded her from the rear mirror as he anticipated her order. "Take me to the cake shop." She instructed immediately and the driver ignited the engine.
As soon as Khalilah noticed her grandmother walk into the cake shop, Khalilah rushed toward her and enveloped her in a warm embrace, her arms outstretched. "Grannie, welcome back, how was your meeting?" She welcomed, her eyes darting around in excitement. "Well, I learned a lot of things today and grandma your shop is super amazing!"
Rose-Anne forced a smile at Khalilah's compliment, she felt her heart melt as she heard those words that resembled something her late husband would say; Khalilah is just so similar to Joe, probably that's why she feels so attached to her.
"I would love to work here and learn more about the cakes and the baking techniques, I want to be a baker in your shop Grandma."
"No, No, my dear, nothing but a life of luxury awaits you, being a baker is far too strenuous and that's why I have a lot of workers here." Rose shook her head, it pains her heart that she would have to refuse the girl, especially since it was the first thing she had asked for since she got here.
How nice would it have been if Khalilah had taken over the cake shop from her? She would brighten up the whole place with her radiant energy, but it is just a wistful thought, it's some of the things Rose would never get to experience because Khaliah is a burning flame that is about to be extinguished.
Khalilah pouted like a child denied a piece of candy, but she didn't look sad or angry.
"But Grandma… I would love to learn, I am pretty sure if I put my heart to it, I wouldn't be as stressed as you think, please Grannie, please." She blinked back her golden eyes at Rose, and for a minute Rose-Anne felt bewitched by the girl.
She was unable to refuse her anymore so she gave her a defeated nod as consent, and then immediately she was pulled along by her very energetic granddaughter.
"Clarissa taught me how to bake a cupcake, here is one I did." Khalilah squealed as she brought the over-decorated cakes out on a baking pan, they looked perfect, one wouldn't say she is a beginner and probably baked her first cake today.
"You have such blessed hands, my child." Rose-Anne couldn't help but compliment it looked far better than some of the cakes they sell on the street food mart, she picked up her fork and cut out a piece of the cake, Khalilah's eyes were like a jewel shining brightly at Rosie; she waited patiently for her comment.
"You put in too much sugar, it's too sweet." Rose-Anne criticized in a kind and loving manner, and a small frown creased Khalilah's eyebrows. "But after that it's okay."
The worry was replaced by another look of excitement from Khalilah, and Rose-Anne couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that made her sad.
"Noted," she declared holding the fork and she tasted the cake after her grandmother. "I will bake them again."
Khalilah had a lot of fun learning a lot of things from her grandma's shop, she had never had that much fun when she was with her mother, especially since all they did was seclude her. The workers in the shop are super nice and they took their sweet time to teach her how to make a basic cupcake; so, this is how it feels to be around people who love you.
She was over the moon, she was so happy, and she found herself expectant for the next day, she met some girls in her peers, Linda and Chelsea would be her friends, they are so nice and they were more than willing to help her get around the place and all that.
Khalilah thought they would make good friends and just thinking about it made her so happy, her grandmother was in her study, according to her she had a lot of work to do and she had requested Khalilah's presence as soon as she was done with dinner.
Rose-Anne looked somewhat serious as she asked Khalilah to come over, and the girl was unable to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled on her shoulders. She wondered why her grandmother wanted to "see" her all of a sudden.
A lot of things had passed by Khalilah's mind as she walked down the halls, as she headed for her grandmother's office.
Maybe she wanted her to go back?
Maybe Grandma thought she was a burden?
Is she planning to send her back?
Khalilah shut her eyes stubbornly as she shook her head as she dispelled the thoughts out of her head, she held on to the doorknob, she would only know why her grandmother wanted to see her if she talked to her.
But what if the woman truly wanted her to go? What would she do then? How would she feel? "Grandma?" She called as she opened the door, totally forgetting to knock, like the mannerless and awkward teenager she was.
Rose-Anne was seated at her desk and she was scribbling something using her fountain pen, she raised her eyes lazily to regard Khalilah who stood in front of the door knotting her hands nervously and a small smile graced her lips.
"Khalilah," she perked up in her chair and then took off her glasses. "Come and sit down over here."
She said motioning for her to come over and Khalilah instinctively hurried to sit on the chair directly opposite her.
Her curious golden eyes peeked into the papers, and she wondered what Rose was writing, during her stay here she would like to learn as much as she could.
"What are you writing grannie?" She finally blurted out, easing up the tension that had begun to form in the room.
Rose's features showed light surprise before she smiled again.
"Just an article about our latest cake recipe." She said before she closed the book and pushed it away, the playfulness in her eyes soon disappeared only leaving the shadows of the serious and Khalilah felt her heart skip a beat.
"Khalilah, do you know why your mother brought you here? Did she tell you anything?" Rose-Anne started, breaking the thin ice of silence.
"Well, she said Grandpa's death affected you a lot and you'll need someone to stay with you, to keep you company," Khalilah repeated in her own mother's words, and now that Grannie was asking, she couldn't help but wonder if that wasn't the case.
The look in Rose's eyes says a lot, there is something nobody is telling her.
"How is your mom like to you? How does she behave?" The question is quite surprising, but Grandma was not a stranger to her so Khalilah felt she could confide in her.
"She is not like she is with my sisters and I feel she doesn't love me like she does to them," She answered honestly.
"Oh no! Don't you say that, what mother wouldn't love her child?" Rose had something different to say about the matter. "I am pretty sure your mother loves you so much, Vina is a hard-hearted kid, she isn't the type of person who is openly affectionate, I am sure she loves you."
"Grandma, I know," Khalilah confessed in a small whisper. "There is no need to sugarcoat it, I know when I am not loved, all my life I have been begging her for just a bit of affection but it's okay now. I don't have to feel unwelcome around my family anymore that's why I have decided to stay with you forever!"
She suck in a deep breath and grinned openly.
"I promise that I am going to be a good kid to you, and I will do everything I can to make you happy, I will make sure you don't regret asking me to stay."
Rose-Anne had an apologetic look on her face as she regarded Khalilah's piteously.
"Don't worry grandma, I don't hate my mother," Khalilah confessed she could easily read the written worry on her grandmother's face. "No matter what she does to me she is still my mom and I love her so much."
"Khalilah I..." Rose-Anne felt the words stuck in her throat, and Khalilah's eyebrows raised curiously.
"You what?" Khalilah asked when her grandmother stopped speaking altogether and Khalilah felt even more curious because she looked pretty desperate to say whatever she was trying to.
"I..." Rose-Anne shut her eyes tightly as she tried to force out the rest of the words.
"Grandma, what is it?" Khalilah thought to ask again, she regarded her with wide eyes.
"I love you, Khalilah."
'Is that it?' Khalilah thought 'Is that why she looks so worried? Because she wanted to say she loved her?'
Khalilah smiled as she wiped away the tears that stirred in her eyes, it was unexpected, and Grandma's way of appreciating her…
'I love you' is a word she had never heard from her own mother.
"I love you too, Grandma."
Somewhere in Khalilah's mind, she couldn't help but notice that something wasn't right, Rose-Anne Earhart is a successful businesswoman, and since Khalilah had been speaking to her, she didn't seem like the type of person to get lonely that easily.
She also couldn't help but notice those nasty bruises around her eyes and the skin of her hands, and she had also been trying so hard to conceal them.
Khalilah couldn't help but feel lied to, what if she didn't get those injuries from tripping? And the conversation she had with her grandmother now, couldn't help but make her even more worried.
She couldn't help but think what if there was a different reason why she was brought here?