Monday, January 24th (Present)
“Good morning, Flowers,” I said as I walked down the stairs. Lily sat at the table fiddling with her cutlery. She looked up and smiled halfheartedly. Her bright green eyes looked sad, worn down. Something was wrong with her. Perhaps she was ill.
“Good morning, Clover,” Rose and Poppy replied.
“How did you sleep, Lily?” I asked, sitting down in the chair opposite her.
She looked down at the table. “Fine, thank you,” she whispered.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m okay.” I nodded and picked up my spoon as a bowl of granola was placed in front of me. We ate breakfast in silence.
“Right, I’m now going to work. Have a great day, and I’ll see you all for dinner.”
***
I arrived at the office forty minutes later. “Good morning, Christy,” I said as I walked through reception. “How are you?”
She smiled. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she wore the most inappropriate clothing. I didn’t know why she was allowed to dress like a prostitute at work. “I’m great, Colin, and you?”
“I’m very well, thank you.” I walked to my office and put my briefcase down. While my computer started up, I went to make a coffee. I passed Gregory Hart’s office; he was a senior lawyer and started working for the company right out of college. He was talking with Christy—who seemed to have made a beeline for him first thing—and she was giggling. I took a step back so I could hear.
“So are you free tonight? We can try out that underwear set I was telling you about,” Christy purred. My chest tightened. Greg was a married man with a heavily pregnant wife.
“Hmm, as a matter of fact, I am. Natalie’s visiting her mum and sister for a few nights. I’ll be all alone in that big house of mine.”
Christy’s face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. “I’ll be over at seven. I’ll just pop home first to change into something less comfortable.”
I closed my eyes. Was that what my father said to his whore when Mother and I went shopping? Was he as excited to cheat on his wife as Greg Hart was? Turning on my heel, I stalked off into the kitchen. How dare that cheap little tart ruin a marriage?
Flicking on the kettle, I watched the water as it boiled, bubbling up like a volcano about to erupt—mirroring my temper. “There enough water in there for two?” Christy’s voice made me cringe.
I turned around and smiled, swallowing my rage. “Of course. Why don’t you go and sit down? I’ll make these.”
“Thank you, that’d be great. I’ve got a million things to do.”
“I won’t be long.” Christy smiled and walked out just as Jane and Jessica entered. “Good morning, Jane, Jessica.”
“Hi, Colin. We were just talking about that missing girl, Summer. They still haven’t found her,” Jane said, shaking her head in sympathy. “Her poor parents.”
“Who could do something like that?” Jessica sighed. “It’s just awful. Her whole family must be going through hell. And what about her? What’s she going through? People always worry about the family, but what about her? She must be so scared.”
“If she’s still alive,” Jane added.
Lily was better off with me than out there, where she would be corrupted by a society that found nothing wrong in sleeping around and behaving like selfish little whores. Lily was better off with someone who cared enough about her future and character to protect her. Even her so-called loving boyfriend allowed her to roam the streets alone at night.
“Now, we don’t know the whole story. She could have run away.” They nodded in agreement. “You two just make sure you keep yourselves safe,” I said and picked up the two freshly made cups of coffee.
“There you go, Christy. Two sugars, just how you like it.” I put her drink on the hot-pink coaster and noticed she was having a Skype chat with Greg. She minimized the screen before I could read it, though. Something to hide.
She looked up and grinned. “Thank you, Colin. Finally Friday, huh? Do you have plans for the weekend?”
“Not many. I have some DIY to catch up on. You?”
“Um, I’m seeing a friend tonight and possibly tomorrow too.”
A married friend with a child on the way. “Well, have a nice time,” I said through gritted teeth.
I walked away. My heart went out to Greg’s wife and unborn child. What would she go through when she found out? Would she take it as well as Mother? She didn’t cry, not once. She didn’t cry when he left or when she found out he had rented a flat with the whore. She didn’t even cry when their divorce was finalized. I cried once, until she hit me, and I realized that I needed to be strong and take control. Crying got you nowhere.