The meeting of course did go wrong by the end.
Before we got to the dining room, Lily was already seated with a change of dress and hair accessories. Her cheeks looked rouged and a very coquettish smile meant to impress on her lips. She stood poised on the table ready to have me sit beside her. Well, I disappointed. I took the seat opposite her on the table.
Her face turned sour. Her mother noticed it but did not comment. It was better to start avoiding the game now than playing along so nobody would be ladened with expectations to be disappointed at the end.
Soon, Marcus came into the dining to take a seat.
"Father couldn't come."
"It's alright," Mrs White said. "My poor man."
The maids soon came to pour the tea and went ahead to place biscuits on the plates.
"That's enough, that would do," I told the maid, which was, of course, Marian. She returned my smile and nodded.
"Leave us," Lily told her and she left immediately with a drained countenance. The smile is all gone.
When our eyes locked, she smiled sweetly.
"So, how is your mother son?"
"Very well….."
The boring chitchats continued for some minutes before Marcus chose to excuse himself saying he was going to town with some fellows.
"Uh, those companions of yours don't you get tired of them? They are a bad influence."
"You're not trying to choose my companions for me now, are you?" his brows furrowed hard in her direction.
His mother bit her lips when she saw the stubborn and disdainful look on his face.
"I only came to stop by because father couldn't. I would have left a long time ago if not for….." he eyed me. "Him. But now I'm off. It's all too boring."
It only felt like an attack but I ignored it.
Now only with these two women, they soon went about talks about marriage and family.
Mrs white even went ahead to boldly ask me if I was ready to go the family way.
What a bold step indeed.
I took this chance to state it clearly. Heaven knows this was the best moment.
"No. Not even in the years coming."
They both looked at each other.
"Why? Your mother would want that."
"Yes, but I have a toxic relationship with love and marriage itself, I might even end up a bachelor."
"God forbid!" they both chorused with shock on their faces.
"A lovely and gentle handsome man like yourself, can't say that. You loved the idea of it back then," Lily implied with a pinch of panic.
"Let's say perspectives changed."
"Unbelievable!"
Mrs white exclaimed while her daughter's face paled.
As I was about to leave that afternoon( Of course, I dismissed myself saying I had some business to catch at the market). Lily followed me out after I bade my farewells to her father.
"Eugene! Wait!"
I stopped and turned. "What?"
She fiddled with her hands to come nearer.
"You aren't serious about what you said earlier, were you?"
"Of course."
"But…"
"But what?"
"You were not that inclined to that kind of mentality."
"I am now. I'm still young after all. I have a lot of the world to see after being locked in the university walls for five years. Do you know how it felt? I have to go beyond many things to find myself still in life. I have a passion to pursue. Not to be tied down with some woman."
"But… I thought…"
"You thought nothing, Lily. You are young and beautiful. I'm sure soon enough some wealthy gentleman would snatch you up."
"No!" she shook her head.
"Why?"
"You can't…. Listen Eugene, I know this might be bad or somewhat strange or it may even be the wrong time but I have to say it. To make you understand." she came to hold my vest and looking up into my eyes she voiced it.
"I love you. I adore you. I know it might be bad coming from me at first and it may be too early…"
"It is too early." I cut her off.
"But let me finish! I'm not done!"
"Alright, I'm all ears."
"I love you and in the future would want to be your wife. We've always had this connection. I never thought you would have a problem with us coming back. But it's something I hope would improve with time."
"Lily….." I made to remove her hands but she persisted.
"You… you remember the man I talked about? The one I wanted to walk me down the aisle? It is you, Eugene. You're the one I want. Have you ever thought about the reason why I never got married till now? It is because of you. I rejected them all from the age of fifteen. I waited for you! My only wish is that you give us a chance. Please don't give up on us this time around. Let's give it a chance it might work."
"You have a whole future ahead of you, while would you want to be stuck with a man who is not interested in you?"
The panic increased in her face.
"I could give it a try given that we have known each other a long time and our parents seem to have supported it a long time too, but…"
"But what?"
"I already know what I want and how I feel. I would only make you sad in the long run. You won't be happy with me, Lily," I removed her hand from my shirt that she was twisting. "I can't make you happy."
"No! No, Eugene. I won't give up on us."
She took my hand to kiss it.
"I would wait." she took a step back. "I would wait and try my best. I want no one else but you and I would try my utmost best. You know me…" she said retreating. "What I want, I would get."
With that, she ran back into the house in tears.