A lie that bounds us

Alisa “ Good afternoon, Alisa”, the aged landlady smiled sweetly at me. “ Good afternoon, Tracy; how's the leg now?” I asked with concern and a smile too. “ Oh! I told you it was just a scratch, and it's healed,” she waved me off playfully. Tracy is a bubbly old lady with greyed olive hair, a pointed nose and a body that doesn't look her age. She has a great rapport with her tenants. She bumped her knee on the stairs three days ago, and I'm seeing her for the first time since the incident. She waved her walking stick, reckoning that I should come closer; a little chit-chat won't hurt, right? “How's Project Alpha going??” She asked with a smile, she knew everyone's business and that meant telling her whenever I started a new book. “ It's getting really interesting Tracy,” I replied with a laugh. “ Oh! explain explicitly “ she said with a slight frown. “ I can't butt out on this Tracy, can I?” I replied with a laugh. She shook her head vigorously laughing as well. “ This is giving you spoilers, Trace, but yes, Taylor's in love with her!” I said excitedly. “ I wouldn't have imagined they'll ever be in love, when are you publishing it so I could get a copy, Alisa?” “ I'll let you know Trace,” I replied. Immediately, a neighbour drove in, and I took it as a cue to leave. “ I'll see you later Tracy.” “I think you have mail,” she called after me. I just nodded as I kept walking up the stairs, it would be from one of my fans either complimenting or thrashing about the outcome of my book. I picked the mail from the box curiously, it didn't look like the ones I'd gotten in the past. And the address read Bournemouth, I froze. I'm Alisa, a 24-year-old, who's seen as the black sheep of the family just because I decided to pursue my passion in writing. My parents believe that no one can make a decent living from writing ‘silly’ books. I grew up in Bournemouth and seeing this address triggered lots of memories. I'm just an average-looking blonde girl with a slightly curvy body. I thought I'd moved on but the heck!! The loud sound from my phone shook me out of my reverie. Pressing the green button without looking at the caller's name, I placed the phone on my right ear. “Hey, darling!” The familiar voice of my boyfriend made me release breaths I didn't know I was holding. “Is everything okay Ali?” He sounds worried, it's nothing, I kept telling myself. “Hey babe!!” I replied. Oops, that sounded fake but I hope he wouldn't notice. “I just came back from the mall, heading upstairs to my apartment,” I blabbed. “ Oh dear! You got dresses?” he teased “Not, Mike,” I laughed because we both knew I did not need dresses when I worked from home. As we talked, I kept wondering if I should probably tell him about the mail, but I didn't know the content, so I just kept shut about it. Although I was curious to know the content of the envelope, I had to do the necessities before reading the letter. “You can as well join the prostitutes on the street, is writing a profession? If you said you wanted to be a reporter, I would be more proud!!” My father spat. “ I can't have a daughter who keeps on defying the great image we're trying to attain; you will leave my house this minute”, he added on a serious note. “ Mum, please, I beg you, don't let Dad throw me out, please,” I sobbed uncontrollably. I had no way to go, and the little money I had wouldn't even last a month. “ You would have thought of that before majoring in creative writing without anybody's knowledge “, my sister added scornfully. I just knew that no matter what was going to be said, they'd already made up their minds. I wiped my tears, went into my room and packed the little clothes I had into a small box, it was at this point I realized how unfairly I'd been treated. I left the house without goodbyes, it broke my heart a lot to see the only people I had in the world cut me off. Tears cascaded through my eyes as I leaned on the wall, the cold water pouring heavily on my back like I was being punished. I wailed for what I thought I'd gotten over, I felt all kinds of emotions course through me. I cried till I felt numb. I liked being realistic and optimistic but at this point, I couldn't control it. An hour later, I left the bathroom to the kitchen to prepare dinner– macaroni and cheese. As I sat on my work table, I opened the envelope slowly. Dear Alisa, I hope this letter finds you well in New York! I am writing to invite you to a very special occasion - my wedding! I am thrilled to be tying the knot with my partner, and we would be honoured if you could join us on our special day. The wedding will take place on 9th June 2024 at [Location] in Bournemouth, UK. We have planned a beautiful ceremony and reception, and we would love for you to be a part of it. We have also arranged for accommodations for our out-of-town guests. If you'd be coming RSVP on or before 4th June 2024. We'll be glad to see you there. Yours faithfully, Johanne Steve. I let out a laugh, this was a plan because why on earth would my sister's best friend invite me to her wedding? Plane tickets from New York to Bournemouth cost about a thousand dollars– which to me is little money. In the last two years, they've been sending invites for one occasion or the other and my refusal to go led them into thinking that I'm still struggling in life. My mom had sent a letter saying I could apologize if life was so tough. I wouldn't give them their satisfaction, so I drafted a reply immediately. Dear Johanne, Thank you so much for inviting me to your special day! I'm beyond thrilled to hear about your upcoming wedding and honoured to be included on your guest list. I'm delighted to confirm that I will be attending your wedding on 9th June 2024 at [Location] in Bournemouth, UK! I'm forward to celebrating with you and your partner, and I'm excited to be a part of your beautiful ceremony and reception. Thank you again for including me in your special day. I'll make sure to book my accommodations and make the necessary travel arrangements. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to support you in the lead-up to the wedding. Congratulations again on your upcoming wedding, and I look forward to seeing you soon! Warm regards, Alisa Jobson. This is it!! I smiled proudly, I'll make sure to mail this tomorrow morning. I don't care if that shows I'm desperate, but yes, I am– to show them writers are successful people too. ‘ One more thing’, I put a call across and viola! I'm ready for them.