I explained to my mother that Melvin's mother discovered me in the vicinity of the university, and she immediately rushed me to the emergency room so that they could come and assist me.
She asked me whether I needed assistance when I was discharged from the hospital. I responded, "Yes," and she was pleased with my reaction. She then took me to a rehabilitation centre.
Although I was able to get the help that I needed, I chose to conceal this information from the people who cared about me the most.
"Mom," she says as she looks at me. "It's all my fault that my baby died."
Putting her hands on my face, she forces me to stare at her. She does this on purpose. It is something that I do not want to hear you say again. Kathy, you are not to blame for this. The mad woman who shoved you down the stairs is the one responsible for it.
It is raining tears on my face. "There's something else that I need to tell you."
"Okay," she says with an arrogant tone.
"I cannot have another child. I was informed by the doctor that the injuries I sustained as a result of the fall rendered it impossible for me to have another child.
My mother envelops me in her arms, and we both sit on the floor and mourn together.
When the door to the restroom opens, Alani is the first person to enter. The tears falling down her cheeks are visible, and her face is wet.
"How much did you hear, Alani?" The mother inquires.
"I heard that she can't have another baby." One of her cheeks is wiped. "I'm so sorry, Kathy."
I extend my arms to her. "Come here."
She greets me with a hug as she rushes over to me. "I want to help you in any way I can."
"Thanks, Alani." This makes my stomach churn. It would be best if we went back downstairs. The boys are probably wondering what's taking us so long, and I'm sure they are. I stand up.
When I looked in the mirror, I noticed that the mascara had been smudged because I had cried. I then quickly washed my face.
The same happens with Mom and Alani before we head back downstairs, where my father, brothers, and Melvin will be waiting for us.
I move over to my seat adjacent to Melvin's whereabouts.
A moment before I sat down, he took hold of my hand. It is a whisper. "Are you alright?"
"I will be." Next to him, I am seated. "Mom, the food appears to be delicious. One of these days, you should show me how to prepare this dish. Do you think I will? You should be able to prepare meals for your husband. It's important to remember that you need to give your hands a break every once in a while, especially if you want to enjoy a romantic lunch.
It is Melvin's mouth that I gaze at. "Told you."
Between us, Mom glances at us. "You two are cute together." She makes the roast. "When's the wedding?"
I let out a groan.
Melvin uses his throat to clear it. "That's a bit hard for us to organize, with me having to be on a film set for the next six months while making a movie."
The father glances at him. How a movie is made and what goes into it. I was under the impression that you were required to appear on set and act. What a challenge is that?
Melvin gives him a look. "There are many different things that go into crafting a movie. To begin, you will need to select a cast for it, and then you will need to ensure that the couple you choose has chemistry with one another. If they do, the movie can be a complete success. After that, you will need to rehearse your lines an infinite number of times and adhere to the instructions given by a director. Being an actor requires a significant amount of effort on your part. In the same way, becoming a photographer for your daughter requires considerable effort. Because she wants the shoot to be successful, she needs to tell everyone where she wants them to stand and what positions they should strike.
The father chuckles. "Are you sincere about the work that you do? It's the first time I've ever encountered a man who is so enthusiastic about the work he does for a living. His eyes are drawn to my brothers. There is no way that these two can know what they want to accomplish. Because of this, they make their home in our home. As he stares at Alani, he notices that this girl always comes from our home. She gets a few jobs, but none of them are permanent."
I can convince her to model for the fashion lines I'll target. "Alan, I mean Alani?" I wonder why she likes bearing a boy's name.
She is looking at me. "What?"
"Do you want to be a model?"
Several times, her mouth is seen opening and closing. "Are you serious?"
I shrug. You must come to my office, where my superiors will decide who will wear their garments for a fashion shoot. If you are interested in having me do so, I would need to take a headshot of you and a few more photographs.
She flashes a grin. "I would love that." Then, she gets up from her seat and walks over to me. She embraces me. "Thank you so much."
I am the focus of Melvin's attention. "Are you going to pick people off the streets so they can meet Zinnia and Seraphina?"
Leaving me behind, Alani moves over to her side of the table and releases her grip on me. Even as she continues to eat her food, she remains seated in her chair.
"Yes, if I think they would make my friend's fashion line stand out."
Both of the parents are wearing grins on their faces.
Mom put her hand on my hand. "I'm glad that you want to help your sister out." It is my brothers that she stares at. "Do you think you could get them a job?"
Melvin develops a grin that stretches across his face. She was able to convince them to model for the men's collection. Today, she was given the opportunity to participate in the photo shoot for Miguel Cortez's men's wear line. The fashion line has hired me as one of the guys to work on it. There are a great number of vacant slots."
The vein at the top of Taylor's skull is about to explode as he focuses on the name Rafael Perez. He is looking at me. "Didn't we go to school with a guy with the same name?"
Indeed, we did it. He is indeed the same individual as the one we attended school with; however, there is one more thing that you need to be aware of regarding him. It was one of my superiors who was married to him. "I swear that when he comes around, the office will be more interesting than it is right now."
The remainder of dinner is spent with us engaging in idle chatter about my work and other topics.
When a phone rings, everyone immediately takes their phones out of their pockets to check what's happening.
When Melvin glances at his phone, I notice Michelle appearing on the screen with a flash.
Why is she calling him in the first place?
First, he presses the button that says "ignore," then puts the phone on mute. Please accept my deepest apologies. It would have been better if I had muted my phone.
The mother glances at him. "Don't worry about it. If there is an urgent matter that requires our attention with the company, we never put our phones on mute. This is only in case there is an emergency.
Next, there is complete silence in the room.
Walden makes his way towards his mother and father. "May I be excused, please?"
"Sure?"
The two of them stand up, Walden and Taylor. As a sign that he is interested in conversing with me, he tilts his head to the side.
"Can I be excused too, please?"
"Okay, be back in five minutes for dessert."
"Yes, Daddy." As I follow my brothers out of the room, I give him a peck on the cheek and then leave.
Taylor takes something out of his pocket. "While you were in the bathroom with Mom and Alani, I went to my room and made a copy of this." He gave me a CD. "It's got the evidence of who pushed you down the stairs."
I remove the disc away from them. "Why didn't you turn it in?"
Our team took evidence from your RA. The video from the cameras facing the stairs was rendered ineffective, but she failed to take a photo of the backup camera she had already stored. The video that we have is that one."
"Thanks. I will look at it when I have the time." To rejoin my family, I make my way back to the kitchen. I put the CD in my handbag and looked at it.