Black Rose

Chapter 5

"What is this supposed to achieve again?" Grace asked as we walked into the park.

It was Thursday afternoon the following week. I still hadn't spoken to her father yet because he still hasn't come back. Apparently there was a crisis wherever he is which meant he had to stay longer. Grace was allowed to sleep over at my place for the weekend, but she hasn't been to school.

"I know you're smart, but I'd also like to believe that there must be some kid out there who's curious about you," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You mean you want me to make a friend?"

"Have you ever even had a friend?" I asked.

"Every kid I've tried to be friends with ended up not being friends with me because their parents forbid them from being my friend," she replied.

"And I'm guessing that these kids happen to come from high society," I said knowingly.

She nodded. "How did you know?"

"Only high society folks would want to avoid a scandal by having their children befriend the child of someone controversial. That's why I'm hoping you'll be able to make a friend who's not from those circles," I explained.

"Hey, I'm up for anything. You're great and all, but I need someone my age to relate to," she joked.

I smiled. "No offence taken there. I want that for you too."

"Alright, so how am I to go about this?" she asked, looking around the park.

"You can head over to the swings, and whoever joins you is curious," I told her my plan.

"Or I could look like an idiot," she countered.

I shot Fabio a pleading look. "I think Rose may be onto something. Give it an hour. You'll look like someone who came to think, and if it doesn't work, we can leave after an hour."

"Are you sure it will work?" she asked us sceptically.

I gave her a little push. "There's only one way to find out."

"Ok, ok," she said laughing before heading towards the swings.

Fabio and I headed towards a bench a distance away. "I can't remember the last time I saw her this happy. Even Mr Black couldn't believe it."

"Is she really happy? I mean she can't have changed that much," I commented.

"In many ways she is. There are a lot of gaps that still need to be filled in her life, but ever since you've come into it, she's been brighter. It sucks seeing a kid having to grow up before they should, so when they're carefree and happy, you want more of that for them," he replied.

I frowned. "I thought her relationship with her dad was good?"

"I'm sure that you're smart enough to know that it's about way more than that. He can only do so much, provide so much for her," he responded.

I looked out at her and there was a boy and girl watching her from a distance. "It's got to do with her mother right?"

"A lot, but also other things like the emotional toll that comes with being her father's daughter," he said.

I turned back to him. "Is he a good man?"

"He's as good a man as any normal man can be. People tend to forget that just because you're in the spotlight, doesn't mean you're not human too. Rumours can be nasty things, and what I've found with people is that once they've decided on their version of a story, there's not much you can do or say to change their minds. In his case, the falseness of one story set the tone for many others. A lot of what you'll probably hear about him is not true, but as I say, people will believe what they want to. It took him a while to realize that perhaps fighting isn't the way to go, so he stopped. Now he just lets people think what they want to think," he stated.