The Fake Fiancée

Chapter 7

It is a Sunday and as I return home from the grocery store, the whole incident of last week keeps playing in my head. I ring the doorbell and my mom appears before the door. “Who are you please?" She questions.

“Ma, it’s me,” I say, feeling hurt by her question. “It’s Estella.” She squints and furrows her brows in confusion. “Estella?” she repeats, her voice wrecking with disbelief. “Yes, Ma,” I say, my heart sinking.

“Please if you're here to see my daughter, she’s not in." I feel the tears in my eyes threatening to trickle. This is not my first time experiencing such with Ma. I feel pity for her, her condition is getting worse by the day.

I step forward and place the grocery bags on the floor to hold her arms. “Ma, please,” I say, my voice breaking with emotion. “Look at me. Look at my face. It’s Estella. Your daughter.” She looks at me, her eyes searching my face, trying to recognize me.

She bangs the door on me. Oh my goodness!! I hit my hand on my forehead in despair as I sit on the porch. Soon, she comes out of the door, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, Casey told me you're outside; come in, dear. Why didn't you ring the bell?"

“I… I rang the bell,” I stutter, as I tow behind her. I slam the door shut as I get into the house. “Oh, I don't think I heard anything,” she claims, and I let out a huge smile to cover up for the growing hurt in my heart. “It's alright, Ma," I assure her.

Ma was like that sometimes; one moment, she knew me, and the next, I was a total stranger to her. I want all this to end. I hand her the necklace I bought for her and she grabs it delightedly.

“Oh, a necklace for me? Thank you, Estella,” she says, her voice giving away joy. I smiled; it was good to know that she appreciated my gift. “You’re welcome, Ma. I knew you’d like it.”

“It’s beautiful,” she remarks, as she puts the necklace on. I walk to the kitchen where Casey is cooking and I drop the grocery bags on the table and start to unpack the groceries. “Did you get everything on the list?” Casey asks. I nod, taking out every item from the bag. “Yes, everything’s here.” I look at Casey and let out a grateful smile. “Thanks for helping me watch Ma.”

“Hey, anything for you two,” Casey replies, tenderly. “How is she now?” she asks. I let out a sigh, my shoulders dropping. “She didn’t recognize me when I came in.” Casey’s face drops, her eyes filled with sympathy. “That must have been tough for you,” she says gently and then reaches out to hold my hand. “It’s hard watching her like this,” I reply, my tone laced with genuine concern.

“I know. You talked about taking your mom to a better hospital right?" I nod, my mind already made up. “That’s the first thing I intend to do with the money. I’m going to take Ma to Mayo Clinic.”

“Wow! Mayo Clinic in Rochester?” Casey inquires in excitement. I smile, feeling a surge of hope and determination fill me. “She deserves the best treatment. But the thing is I have to be there with her, so I will take her there after the engagement party."

I walk up to the kitchen sink to do the dishes. “So when’s the engagement party?" Casey inquires. “I don't know, this weekend, I guess," I say. “Wait you mean you haven't still heard a word from your fiancé? Is that what you are saying?”

I pause, as the dishes slip through my fingers. “No, I haven’t,” I admit. “I thought he’d call to discuss the party, but I guess he’s been busy.”

“Busy? I thought this meant a lot to him.” I sigh. “Calm down, girl; he said he would pick me up." She stops chopping onions and drops the knife on the chopping board in fury. “So anytime he comes, you just gonna hop on, right? Because he's helping you… look, girl, you’re also doing him a favor. Is this his way of saying thank you?”

“Hmm," I mumble. “You know,” Casey continues. “This is not just a joke, it's a serious performance. You and Edward need to be on the same page, to act like a couple that’s been together for some time, a couple that’s genuinely in love.”

She has her gaze on me, probably seeking a reaction. “And if he can’t even be bothered to discuss the basics of your relationship with you, how are you supposed to pull off this act? Look… just try to reach out to him please.”

“I will but I do not have his number," I state. “You must be joking right? Do you mean to tell me that you are to pretend to be a fiancée to a guy you do not know anything about? He didn't call you and you can't even call because you don't have his number? That’s…that’s ridiculous! How on earth are you supposed to plan the engagement party without even being able to communicate with him?”

I sigh heavily in fatigue. After cooking and eating, I walk up to the room to get some rest. As I close the bedroom door behind me, Edward, Ma’s health, and my conversation with Casey keep playing in my head. What could happen if he doesn't call? What if our game gets noticed and everything is ruined? I sink onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I close my eyes and soon begin to fall asleep. The ring of my phone wakes me up from my slumber and I spring up from the bed, throwing my pillow and clothes away in impatience. “Estel!” Casey’s voice calls from the bathroom. “Your phone is ringing.”

By the time I get to the bathroom, the call has ended already. “Thank you," I say, taking the phone from her. Once I sat on the bed, the call came in again. I swiped the screen and picked up the call. A voice speaks from the other end. “Hey, it's me, Edward." I hold onto my phone tightly and nervously, as I think of what to say.

“Oh, the fiancé who couldn't call to let me know how the engagement party is going to be?" I blurt. “Mm, I don't think that's any of your business right now damsel. You just do your job alright? I’ll pay you again.” he replies.

His words sting me, but I resolve to maintain my cool. “Amazing,” I reply in sarcasm. “So, why did you call? Just to tell me that my job is none of my business?” Edward chuckles on the other end, as though he finds my question amusing.

“I’m calling to let you know that I’ll be at your place at 10:00 am on Saturday,” Edward says, firmly. “We have to be there on time.” I try to stop myself from letting out a sigh. “And how do I know you’re not going to postpone this one again?” I ask, the words heavy with despair. “Last time you postponed without even giving me a notice.”

Edward's voice softens all of a sudden. “I understand Estella, but I promise you, things will be different this time around. This is my engagement party, it's very important to me and my family will be there. There's no way I'd postpone it.”

“And why should I believe you? You’ve made it clear already that I’m just a pawn in this game.” I retort. “Estella,” he says, almost gently. “I apologize for postponing the appointment.”

"It's not about the appointment, Mr. man; it's about the engagement party. You don't even care to involve me in the plans?" I vent out my emotions. “Look, Estella. I truly do not need your help for this party; I got it handled, trust me.”

“Wow," I mumble. “I promise, if you help me with this, I’ll pay you double. And after the party, you’ll never hear from me again.” Ma walks into the room holding a bag in her hands. “What's that mom?"

"I’m sorry, I have to go now. Thank you.” I cut the call and shifted my focus to Ma. “It’s for you,” she giggles in excitement. “For me?” I repeated in confusion. “Yes. A man stopped by and asked me to give you this.” I take it from her and open it to see a beautifully wrapped lavender gown. I carefully tear off the wrapper and I gasp when I get the full view of the gown.

“This is so lovely,” I gasp, running my hands through the delicate texture of the gown. I sniff it and indeed, it smells like lavender. Ma nods in support. “It’s lovely indeed.” Just then, Estel walks into the room and stops halfway as she catches sight of the gown I had in my hands. “Gosh Estel, that’s so expensive! Why did you buy that?”