Page 52 of Bittersweet Legacy

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts.”

She looked toward the park thoughtfully before looking at me again. “You look… better, happier.”

I smiled. “I am.” This was very cathartic, and it wasn’t a lie.

“Good, wait until you meet my crazy bunch,” she added with a laugh and I could feel the love in her voice.

*************************

If I thought the house I lived in was majestic it was before I’d seen the Oppenheimer family home… Could it even be called a home? It was more of a flipping manor; it was so far from the entrance that there were golf carts waiting by the security post.

“How many of you live here?” I asked in awe as we stepped out of the car and faced the red-brick manor. The walls grew from the manicured lawn into an abode so large it had ‘wings’ and more windows than a casual glance could count. Its large oak door was double wide and was sheltered under a huge porch supported by stone pillars. The driveway was grandiose, sweeping into a wide circle in front of the dwelling with an ornate fountain in the centre.

Everything about it said expensively built, inside and out. However, despite the size, it wasn’t ostentatious to the point of intimidation as the Astors’ mansion had been.

“It’s just us five, it’s my father’s family home, you see, not something he would just get rid of – it’s not really ‘us’ but it’s homier inside.”

“Uh huh…” I replied unconvinced that it would ever be possible to make such an imposing edifice feel homey.

When we walked in, we were greeted by high ceilings, and wooden floors, the deep walnut stairs ahead were twisted in a perfect spiral, like a child’s slinky toy pulled from each end.

I was interrupted in my inspection by a giggling little human running toward us.

“You hide me, Tay – Mama’s looking,” he breathed, hugging his sister’s leg as he gave her a toothy grin.

“Got your back, buddy,” she whispered with urgency. “Go hide in the pantry, I'll send Ma the wrong way.”

“Love you!” he shouted, running down the hall.

A second later, Taylor’s mom appeared from behind the stairs where she was waiting.

“Pantry?” she asked with a smile coming toward us.

I had to say, I’d only seen Taylor’s mom once, at my introduction party where she was all dressed up with heavy makeup, and she had been stunning for sure with her sea-green eyes and copper hair. But now, in a simple white tee-shirt, jeans, trainers and free of make-up she looked both startlingly young and stunning in a natural kind of way.

“Oh, Esmeralda! I’m so happy you could finally join us!” she beamed, pulling me into a hug which was once again a breach of all the demure attitude I was supposed to show.

“I’m happy to be here,” I replied.

She grinned, pulling back but keeping her hands on my shoulders. “My Taylor can’t stop talking about you. You’re such a good friend.”

“Where’s dad?” asked Taylor.

Her mom laughed. “In his office but you go, you know how much he loves it when you interrupt him.”

Strange as it was it seemed genuine, whereas my own father hated to have us in his space uninvited.

Taylor turned to me. “I just need to go see him real quick.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Her mother chuckled as Taylor rushed away. “She’s just a daddy’s girl, this one.” She shook her head before connecting her laughter-filled eyes with mine. “What do you say about a drink? I need to go to the pantry anyway.”

Her good humor was contagious and I found myself feeling a little less miserable about everything that was happening in my life.

Taylor’s mom was pretending to look for her little brother as she served me a glass of iced tea and then she ‘found’ him hiding in the pantry and tickled him until he begged for mercy.

The vision in front of me tightened my heart in my chest almost painfully, yearning for something I'd never known – the love of a mother. Was it like that when you were happy? Loved?

---