Dream of perfect love

Chapter 16

'So today we meet your stepmom'

'Stop calling her like that' Anthony growled at him

'Ah my uncle knows how to live his life'

'Shut up Bob' said Alice, the  younger daughter of David

'So tonight she will be at the dinner, I can't wait to see her' Bob said again, poking Anthony.

'How does she look like dear brother?'

'Indifferent, ignorant a pure opportunist!'

'Let's go inside already, let's give to our stepmom a lovely welcome'

'Will you bring willy with you?' Anthony asked Alice

'Of course I will, I want my lovely stepmom to meet my favorite'

'But you hate him Anthony, don't you?'

'As long as she keeps it away from me, I don't care'

 David arrived to the dining room with Paola.

'Bob, are you staying with us for dinner?'

'If you want me to'

'Always'

'Lorena, this is my daughter Alice, she is seventeen'

'Only few years younger than you' Anthony added ironically

'Nice to meet you Alice' the answer never came back, Alice didn't even look at her.

'Here is Bob, my wife’s nephew' he didn’t even realize his mistake.

'Nice to meet you'

'Me too' he said and something in his voice didn't sound right, after all she was taking the place of his Aunt, he would never like her, like all of them in that house.

The dinner was uncomfortably silent however Bob was the one who tried to break the ice and initiate a conversation.

'So, where do you come from?'

'I am from Sarton city'

'Average' said Anthony looking at her, she looked back at him without saying anything,

'Don't mind the comments of my son, he is very spontaneous and sometimes people do not get his humor'

David tried to excuse the behavior of his son, however Paola knew very well that Anthony wanted to insult her,  as she also knew that he wouldn't stop there.

'Where did you study?' Bob asked

'I didn't study, I am a nail technician'

Alice chocked with her food and laughed 'Good job dad'

'Alice!' David said firmly.

'So you are twenty three and a nail technician?'

'Yes'

'You look older' Bob added

'Yes, you look... experienced' Alice said with a glimpse of disgust in her face

'Can we know more about your love story, can you tell us how you fell for my father' Anthony asked and the anger in  his voice was obvious

'I was working at the hotel he stayed and we met, that's how it happened' her voice was barely coming out

'And, you fell in love with him that same day right?' he said even more angry

'You don't choose who you fall for'

'Sure you don't choose the person, in your case you chose the wallet!'

'Anthony!' said David strictly

‘The soul, his soul I meant to say, Lorena'

At that same moment Paola pushed her chair back, with her elbow she hit the plate and her soup fell on her head and face,  burning her while she screamed about the snake

'That's willy, the pet of Alice, giving you a welcome' said Anthony with a smirk showing his satisfaction for what he was seeing.

'Alice, I told you a hundred times not to let willy out of your room'

'Whatever, I am going to my room'

Paola was still standing with the soup dripping from her face looking at Anthony who was smiling sarcastically.

'He is not dangerous' managed to say Bob who was laughing all along, Anthony stood up

'I am done as well, welcome home' he said and left.

                                                                               ~

'Is she beautiful'?

'I don't even know mom, I don't really look at her'

'Is  your father taking care of her? does he love her? said Dianne crying

'Why are you torturing yourself?'

'Thirty one years of a happy marriage, my whole life and he left me for her, for a girl that could be his daughter'

'She is not educated, she is an average person, sits all day long in the room doing nothing, you have nothing to be jealous of her'

'What does she have more than me? She has my husband, the father of my children!'

'It's been almost two months and whenever I visit you, we have the same discussion mom'

'Don’t you understand Anthony? This is eating my soul, is eating me from the inside'

'You should look how to get back to your feet, start dating'

'I don't want to date anyone, David is the love of my life'

'You are clearly not the love of his life'

'You are so hard on me!'

'I don't want to see you like this, since when you haven’t been to the hairdresser? This is not you, you are not my mother'

'Don't you start like my sister!'

'Aunt Emily is right'

'You need to help me to get your dad back Anthony’

'Don't start again'

'Why? it is the perfect plan! you make her fall for you and then her true colors will show'

'I don't want to do this'

'Please baby, for me'

'I am not gonna do this please mom. I need to go, I will see you soon' he said kissing her forehead.

The buzz from his phone wouldn't stop, he thought that it was his alarm but it was Saturday, he checked his phone and found 32 missed calls from his aunt Emily.

'You need to come to the hospital Anthony, your mother tried to suicide'

He was not looking at the traffic lights, he stopped to none, in fifteen minutes he was there.

'Why mom? why would you do that'

'She can't hear you, she is dragged'

'What happened?'

'It's all her fault, that slut ruined my sister's marriage!'

'What did she do?'

'She had calming pills with alcohol' he hold his head, he looked at her and then rushed out of door, When he arrived home Paola and David were taking their breakfast in the garden when his car went on top of the grass and stopped in front of them.

'The happy couple is taking their breakfast' he shouted when he slammed the door of his car

'Are you out of your mind? you could kill us!'

'My mother is in the hospital, she tried to kill herself, because you left her, if something happens to her..' he stopped and looked at Paola who was terrified.

'Which hospital is she? take me there'

'Saint Jude's, third floor, room 325'

  As soon as David rushed to his car and left,  he told her to follow him

'What do you want from me'?

'Follow me or I will drag you from your hair'

'Am sorry for what happened to your mother'

'Come with me now!' he repeated growling, she followed him reluctantly, she was ready for what followed, he grabbed her  throat and put her against the wall

'You are hurting me, let me' she screamed and tried to pull his hands off her

'If something happens to my mother, you are dead, f*****g w***e, do you hear me? dead!' he yelled at her and pushed her hard to the wall, while still chocking  her with his hands, as soon as he took his hands off her, she fell down, she was still shaking when Xian found her in that corner behind the house.

She was looking herself in the mirror, the marks in her throat faded enough to not cover them with make-up. For some reason she felt that she deserved it, she felt that it was all her fault. She was a guest in that house, an unwanted guest who brought only pain in their lives. On the positive side Dianne recovered and she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to carry on her conscious her death, but her problems in that house were far from over.