FOREVER MINE.

Chapter Thirty_Three

Despite the burning desire and anxiety to witness the entailments of the anticipated day, Esther was cynical to the whole idea. She had accepted to attend the party because she was cracking under pressure and ended up creamed by everyone's persuasion. Her mind was now crammed with questions; "What will I put on? I have absolutely nothing. The guests will all crane their necks to glance at me because I will be looking odd and weird like a fish out of water. I won't stand their unforgiving eyes. I am up the creek. I shouldn't have accepted. Damn the humiliation." She thought and was agitated. Partially, she was right. She barely had any better outfit to put on, not to mention going to the party. The only attire she thought reasonable was her floral long faded dress with a ribbon around the waist which had started fraying. This, her mother had sewn with her hands. Considering the class of people that would attend the party, it was crap. She wouldn't dare put it on. 

Melissa, noticing that Esther was apprehensive, cuffed her around her shoulders and asked, "Why are you sad?" The latter was quiet. She stepped back and curled herself on the couch.

After a brooding silence, she turned and gazed at both of them and reckoned, 

"I think I made a wrong decision. I should have consistently refused."

"Why? that's dang stupid. Why are you troubled?"

"I wonder." Rejoined Mercy, who had been looking at Esther critically for some time.

Esther stared at them in turn and said,  "You won't understand."

"Then makes us understand."

"I have nothing to wear for the function." She said frankly.

"Hmmm," chimed Melissa. "So that's why you are timid all of a sudden? Cheer up, dear. I am sure mom will buy you a beautiful outfit, and you being the pretty girl you are will cut a dash in it."

"You are right, sis. She's a rare beauty. You'll see, she ought to be the most dazzling guest of the day; more like a deity." Mercy asserted with an amiable smile.

 Esther glanced at her and a smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

"That will be the day, my sweet cousin." She said and turned her face away feeling dejected. Mellisa dashed in front of her and distracted her with her noisy utterances with a feeling of excitement in her voice.

"You had better cheer up my friend.

As for me, I can't wait to feed my face."

"Mine is a cake…" The two charted about this and that and the other as Esther listened in fraught silence.

Her eyes flicked on the clock and she gaped. It was 10:00 am.

 "How time flies so fast!" She said nervously. Time for lunch was soon approaching. "Aunt Jina and uncle Richard might return home hungry and find nothing to eat and here I am arsing around." She thought. "I will go and prepare lunch." She said getting on her feet and dashed into the kitchen. Her cousins followed suit and in harness with her, they prepared the meal in time. They say cooperation brings happiness. The formidable company of the three girls often brought happiness to their lives. To Esther, life had become much easier. 

Naturally, she walks towards the worktop where Mellisa stood watching the source as it sizzled in the pan. She stood behind her and stroked her hair. Suddenly she flung off her arm and stopped holding her breath as if she had noticed something unusual.

Melissa veered and stared at her with a wrinkled forehead. 

"What is it? Is anything wrong with my hair?" Esther was shocked. She hadn't seen the freaks of grey hair in Melissa's head. She had noticed this feature about Mercy the first day she came to the mansion because unlike Melissa, Mercy's grey patch was in front close to the forehead and noticeable. "What a coincidence!" Esther wondered, still gazing at Melissa.

"Esther, say something. You are making me nervous." She implored her eyes bliss with curiosity.

"You too have frecks of grey hair just like Mercy?" Mellisa exhaled. She had thought it was something serious. 

"Yes, is that why you are overwhelmed? You almost gave me a heart attack. Dad too has it near his left ear, but it is very small. You can hardly notice it."

"Ah, that's weird! I too have it near my right ear, see," she said, turning and gesturing to the location of the rare feature in her head.

"What..how? Ha! ha! ha! Is this some kind of joke? So it's only mom who is the odd man out in this mansion." Mellisa chuckled after uttering a funny joke. "Mercy, you must see this," she yelled out. Esther was filled with intrigue. What kind of coincidence was this that they all shared the same feature, yet Esther was Jina's relation. She didn't have any blood ties with Richard.

Mercy who had been floating down the stairs heard Melissa's loud voice and quickened her pace hurrying to the kitchen excitedly.

"What's with the noise?"

"Come, come, come, here sister. You won't believe what I am about to show you." She said ecstatic and beckoned her to come closer. Mercy was confused. She could hardly comprehend why Melissa was acting out of the ordinary. Slowly, she came over and Melissa, turning Esther's head, motioned to the grey patch in Esther's hair. 

"There, can you believe this?"

"Wow!" Mercy exclaimed. "So Esther too has a portion of the symbol of ageing in her head? How amazing!" 

"It is, sister, it is." Melissa conceded and resumed, "Dad and mom must know this, ah."

"It's incredible but true." Mercy inferred and holding Esther's hand remarked, "You, Mellisa, Dad and I belong together and mom…" she stopped and brayed a gale of laughter. Esther was astonished. She couldn't get a handle on this eye-popping reality.

"Is it contagious?" She asked as a leading question, her expression conveying confusion and naivety. Her company looked at her with raised eyebrows and then chuckled. Her face was twisted. She was getting annoyed. 

"Are they making a fool of me? Why don't they want to answer my question? Do they know anything that I don't know?" She asked herself. A moment later, when they were able to control their feelings, Mellisa tried to answer her question.

"Anyway, leaving the chuckles aside, it can't be contagious. If it were so, mom would have caught it. Normally, we share the same features. Call it a coincidence or whatever you want, but it's not a contagious disease.

"Ok.." She said, nodding her head.

"Wait," Mercy interposed, "did you know that Esther is a left-hander like dad? I noticed it when she was cleaning the pans minutes ago. I think It's just normal that people resemble each other in one way or another even though they might not be related by blood." Esther shrugged. She still didn't understand how and why such came about, but in a sense, she was pleased to share similar features with them, especially Richard who was like a father to her.

Suddenly, they heard the car horn.

"Ah, that must be dad  and mom." Said Melisa. "They must decipher it for us. Don't they say old age is wisdom? They are way older than us and must know better. Let's go." They held hands with enthusiasm and strutted out.