Leila Clarke, a Grenadian born American citizen, fights to keep her life in balance after her father's death.
When her boyfriend of five years slips into a coma, she is torn between staying faithful, or moving on.
But as time passes, her life is t...
I jumped when Angie and Jerry said the word in unison.
I slowly opened my eyes and almost fainted when I spotted a mint-colored Mini Cooper with a huge bow and an enormous tag marked the number twenty-nine under it. I cupped my mouth, certainly not expecting a car. "Oh, my God. No way! A car?" What the heck? I ran towards it, opening the door. "Thank you so much. I-I don't even know what to say." I held onto the steering wheel and then quickly released it. Wait a minute... What was I thinking? This was a car, how was I going to explain to Luke when he woke... if he woke... It wasn't a perfume or some gadget I could hide. This was a freaking car!
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I slowly climbed out and shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this lovely gift. It's too much. It's too expensive." Most of all, too obvious.
"Huh? No, Lei, it's your birthday, Angie and I got it for you. It's a gift," Jerry said.
I shook my head again, feeling a frog in my throat. "No, it's too much, I... I can't accept this, I'm sorry. You two have already done enough." I brushed past them and stormed into the house, closing my bedroom door behind me.
I flopped onto the bed, covering my face with the pillows. How the heck could they buy me a car just like that? That could never be normal. I didn't deserve anything from them after what they did for me at the hospital.
A knock rattled my door and in came Angie. She took a seat next to me on the bed. "Leila..." she sighed heavily. "Look, you don't have to accept the car. I think I know how it might feel, especially if you're not accustomed to gifts like these."
I nodded. "Angie, I really love the car, but it's just too complicated. Everything is complicated," I sniffed
She held my hand in hers. "Listen, it will always be here for you. Whenever you are ready or need it just come and get it. I have a spare key and you can have this." She placed a key in my hands.
"But I can't..."
"It's yours, Lei, whenever you need it just come by for it." She winked and then left.
I peered at the keys with a shiny key-chain written LC on it and sighed. This was too much.
A few minutes later, Jerry entered.
"I didn't invite you in. I'm vexed with you," I flopped back on the bed.
He sat next to me, "You can't be forever."
"Yes, you left me for four days and came back with a car? That's not fair. I want to be angry with you properly."
He chuckled and thumbed my cheek. "You look beautiful in that dress. New shoes?"
I smiled at him for noticing. "I wanted to look nice for my birthday."
