I Wasn't Her

Part 24

Alaire~

"I can work from home, you know." I argued with Martin over the phone. "Absolutely not! You are to take full and complete rest for a few weeks. Doctor's orders. I'll send K-pop to Evans for the time being." She huffed in annoyance.

"Poor thing, he followed you like a stray kid around the office. He's not going to make it without you." He hung up, making me look at my father who sat at the table. "You really don't know how to relax."

Sitting next to him, he handed me a pie filled with cheese and meat. "Eat. Then you'll meet Dr. Princeton about your sessions." Daddy was not joking about this therapy after Veena mentioned it to him. "Okay, would you be coming with me?"

Daddy's face scrunched up. "You just moved in and you're acting like you're twelve again. No, I won't be joining you." I pouted at him, cuddling his side. He rolled his eyes at me, looking the other way. "No, go away." I kissed his cheek a few times before he sighed loudly.

"Fine! You big baby."

~

We sat in her office as she looked between the two of us. "Hello, my name is Dr. Leah Princeton."

"Hello, I'm Alaire and this is my father, Emmanuel. I asked him to join me today, I'm feeling a little nervous." She nodded her head. "I completely understand. Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself?"

I paused for a moment, wondering if I should tell her but my father hit me with his cane. "Uh, well. I was married, I'm going through a divorce right now and that's the reason I'm here." Dr. Princeton write something down before looking back at us. 

"She's been worrying me so much that I asked her to live with me." Daddy told her. "Do those bandages have anything to do with this?"

I immediately tried hiding them but she shook her head. "It's fine, Ms. Achebe. You don't have to tell me everything. It's only your first day, people need time to open up. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

I felt really uncomfortable with this woman. She didn't do anything to me but just talking to a complete stranger about my problems? "What about your mother?"

"My mother passed away when I was young, a car accident. I never really had a connection with her. It's always been my dad and I."

"Do you wish your mother was here with you?"

"Of course, I sometimes imagine what it would be like with her here. My first day at high school my first period, things like that." I smiled. "The first day I had my period, I thought I was dying. My father never taught me any of those things before, I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting it that early."

Dad laughed. "I didn't tell him anything because he already lost mom, I didn't want him to go through that again."

"How did he find out?"

"I came down crying my eyes out from cramps and blood all over my shorts. Scared the crap out of him. He started crying harder than me. Fortunately, the doctor told him what is was and we handled it as best as we could from there."

She smiled. "What about friends?"

"My best friend Veena and I have known each other for too long. We met over a bike accident at the park. She was cycling around like a total tomboy, darting through the other little kids but she was a kid, we all were. She looked away from her course, running me right over. I broke three of my fingers."

"I almost threw the kid over the swing set." Dad added. "But it was fine, she cried more than me, she came to visit everyday at the hospital. She even came to the house with food and small gifts." 

"From the little that you just told me yourself, I picked up on some things. You try making others happy when you're not. When you're in pain, you hide it for the sake of others. Do you feel like a burden when you show emotions other than joy?"

What the hell should I say to that? "I just feel like people have their own problems to deal with and I shouldn't be adding to it. That's why I didn't tell you, daddy. That's why I was so willing to get back with Westly. Everyone around me seemed so annoyed with the situation and I felt like it was my fault."

"You're not at fault, Alaire. None of this was your fault and you are not a burden to me whatsoever."

"Mr. Achebe, do you mind stepping out for just a minute?" He nodded, kissing my head before walking out. "Alaire, what is it that you want in the future."

"Well I wanted a marri-" She cut me off. "No, what do you want for the future?" I stopped for a while, thinking about it.

"I want to get passed this. I want to be truly happy again. I want to get back to work and do my job to the best of my abilities. Without a man."

Her eyes looked straight at me. "Very well." After a few more questions, she stood to her feet. "I think that would be all for the day. Thank you for sharing with me, Alaire."

"That's it? We didn't even get to the gruesome part." She chuckled, opening the door for me. "It's your first day, gradually we'll get to everything." I thanked her and was off with my father. "How are you feeling?"

How was I feeling? Nothing feels different. "Nothing so far, she said that it would take time so maybe next week."

~

As soon as we pulled in the house, Lucian's car was parked, waiting for us. "Eugene Fitzherbert is here." Daddy smirked, getting out the car. "What are you doing here?" He smiled walking up to me. "I just wanted to see you. How was your first day?"

I mentally kicked my stomach for swooning at his dimples. "I'm fine, the first session was good and you could have just called instead of coming here."

"The man just said he wanted to see you, Alaire. Open your ears." Daddy grumbled, walking inside. Lucian chuckled. "He's right."

"Don't encourage him." His eyes moved to my bandages but I cleared my throat. "So, anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"No-"

"Okay, goodnight." I walked away from him, zooming past my nosey father, heading straight into my room.

Peeking out my balcony, I saw him standing there, looking right at me. "You could have at least let me say it back." Sliding the doors open, I came into view.

Lucian looked at me, his smile didn't falter. "G-Go ahead."

"Good night, Alaire. Have seem dreams." He walked into his car, pulling out the driveway.

The next thing I knew, a cane was hitting me. "Ow!" Daddy frowned at me. "You are such a punk sometimes."

"What are you even talking about?

"You actual have a good man wanting you and you don't want to take him. Bald bitch didn't even wait to move on."

"And that's him! You know I'm nothing like Westly-"

"Don't say his name in my presence." He glared.

"But you didn't even move on from mom!" Daddy shook his head.

"That's the difference between you and me. Your mother was my one and only. When I tell you that there is no one on this earth for me again, I mean it. She was my everything! We were as thick as thieves. No one can come close to her and I'm not going to go out there and make some woman's girl child unhappy. Your mother was my standard, no one else can meet it. I was hers and she was mine."

"But Wes-" He cleared his throat loudly, rolling his eyes, waiting for me to correct myself.

"But Bald bitch wasn't always like this."

"Stop thinking about the past, the present is what we're dealing with and he's changed. You got an entire man on hand, knees and ass, waiting for your very command. Don't make one bad experience ruin what you could have again."

He kissed my head. "Take your time with it but not too long, a lot of women want him. Makes you jealous, huh?" He teased me. I did get a little annoyed at the thought.

"I'm not." He laughed walking out my room. "I'll call you for dinner in a bit."