STAY WITH ME

THE CONVERSATION

The evening came so soon, and it was time for dinner. Victoria, dressed in a pink sleeveless top and short bum walks towards her parents sitting in the dining room. The dining table and chair sparkle like they are made of gold. The aroma of the food made Victoria want to dig into the meal already. The Clovis ate quietly. After the meal, Mr. Thomas decided to inform the house of his decision about his daughter taking over the Empire. Mrs. Jane thanked her husband for this decision. Victoria’s heart skipped as she was not sure if she was ready for this huge task.

‘I need to get in touch with Aviva’, she mutters under her breath.

‘Are you okay?’ Mrs. Jane asked as she noticed this uneasiness.

‘I’m fine, mom’, she replied, sipping a glass of wine. ‘Mum, have you heard from Aviva?’

Aviva has always been Victoria’s best friend and childhood friend.

"Mum, for some time now, I haven't been able to get in touch with Aviva, this worries me a lot", she asked with a sad voice.

With a smile, Mrs. Jane said" Aviva is fine, I have been trying to reach her also for a while now but from what I gathered she is in a faraway town doing well for herself.’

Mrs. Jane ordered a maid to bring a parcel from her room.

Here, I hope you like it," she said, handling the parcel to her.

"You got me a gift! I am so happy, I haven't received any gifts in five years". Victoria jumped to her feet and hugged her mum with so much joy. Mrs. Jane looked at her daughter and tried to tease her.

"Hmmmm, Vicky dear, you mean he hasn't been sending you a gift?" She said, winking at her daughter.

"Who are you talking about?” Victoria said ,looking seriously.

"Are you saying for the past years you haven't had a boyfriend who sent you a gift? Mrs. Jane sat down a little bit disappointed and looked at her husband.

“Darling, aren’t you going to say anything? Mrs. Jane, who was anticipating to hear from both the father and daughter, sat on the chair, clasping her hands.

Victoria hasn't been in a relationship for years because she doesn't want anything to distract her from achieving her goals and, moreover, her relationship usually ends before it even gets started.

Mr. Thomas held his wife’s soft hand. "Honey, give her a break, my daughter has just arrived from a stressful journey, kindly let her rest her head”.

Mrs. Jane Clovis said as he looked at his wife, trying to mouth some words to her.

"This is what I don't like about you. You should always tell your lovely daughter the truth, she should do the right thing at the right time", she said angrily. Mrs. Jane has never been a calm person. The atmosphere in the room went from a happy one to a sad one.

Mr. and Mrs. Clovis always have little arguments when it comes to matters that have to do with their daughter because Mr. Clovis is always at his daughter's side. This created a gap between Victoria and her mum. Victoria looked at her parents and smiled.

"Mum, can we not talk about this? I just came back". She took the parcel and left for her room, sad about the situation.

"Jane, you ought to know when to do this, it is barely 24 hours since the arrival of our daughter and all you could do is to make her sad" he said, querying his wife. He left angrily for his room, leaving his wife speechless in the dining room.

Mrs. Jane Clovis thought about it for a while. Quickly, Mrs. Jane Clovis took her phone and dialed a number. "Hello”, a feminine voice said.

"This is Mrs. Jane Clovis ", she stood up and headed outside to the garden. The door opens and closes. The feminine voice was shocked that Mrs. Jane Clovis could call her because Mrs. Jane Clovis didn't approve of her friendship with her daughter. "Good afternoon ma, Aviva said, stammering.

"Good afternoon, how are you doing?”, she said, pacing.

"I am good,” Aviva replied. Aviva already knew what Mrs. Jane Clovis wanted something from her. Mrs. Jane uses her to appease or settle a dispute when it comes to matters relating to Victoria. Mrs. Jane knows that the presence of Aviva in the house will lighten the mood in the house. Aviva is so loved by Victoria, it’s a friendly love at first sight.

Aviva's mother worked in a grocery shop close to the Clovis' mansion and this made it easier for the friends to see each other every day. "Please can you come over to the house tomorrow, your friend just arrived today", Mrs. Jane Clovis said, staring at her daughter's window.

"Whoa, this is good news, thank you for calling me", Aviva was overjoyed that her best friend is in the country.

After the conversation, Mrs. Jane walks quietly to her room feeling guilty about the atmosphere in the house.She walks past her daughter's room but to her surprise, she saw her husband sitting so close to her daughter having a silent conversation.

She went close to the door to eavesdrop. "Why did you keep all of these to yourself my dear? Her heart skipped.

What is her daughter hiding from her? Mrs. Jane’s heart shattered. She held her chest tight. Falls to the ground with tears rolling down her cheek.