US

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

I painfully opened my eyes as the rays of the sun hit me. The only Brian opened my window to irritate me, but since he wasn't home, I wondered who that could be. Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped my feet into my bathroom sandals and entered the ensuite bathroom. Removing my nightgown and hanging it on the rack, I turned on the shower. Goosebumps rose on my body as the cold water hit my skin. I was in the shower for about a quarter of an hour. I turned off the shower and wiped away the water, hugging my body, fastened the towel around my body, and left for my closet. Pulling out a V-neck-like top over jeans shorts, I tied my hair in a pony and laid my bed. I went downstairs to the smell of bacon and waffles. Entering the kitchen, I headed towards the dining table. An array of food was plastered on the dining table. Settling down, I wondered why there was so much food on the table since it was just breakfast supposed to be served. I was about to pull a waffle into my mouth when our cook appeared with a stern look.

"What?" I asked, placing it back.

"At least wait till your Dad settles to eat." She replied, trying to sound sweet.

"Whatever." I retorted and left for the hall.

"Can someone tell me who is annoying my little pie?" I heard a girlish voice ask behind me.

"Jocelyn!!!" I exclaimed as I ran into her embrace.

"Easy, Easy, you will make me fall off." She said amidst laughter.

"I miss you! You've kept so long. I mean, when did you arrive? What did you bring? I hope you – "

"A question at a time, let's eat breakfast first. I've been in the plane for the past'– She paused to look at her phone that was beeping – only God knows. 'I will be with you in a minute. Settle at the table. Don't be stubborn," she said, smiling and pinching my cheeks softly, making her way to the bedroom. Looking at her retreating back, I shook my head as I recalled the day they left for Russia. During her three years' stay overseas, she called only twice, not because she didn't feel like calling, but for the hatred, she had for my Dad. I don't feel like talking about my parents maybe the next time. Going back to the dinner table I had vacated some minutes ago, I met Vida, our annoying cook. She's been in the house for over sixteen years since mum left. During dinner, she always had her hands on Dad's hands and sat closer to him when Dad and I watched movies.

"I didn't mean to annoy you. I'm sorry." She apologized. I'm very sure she did that since Jocelyn had arrived. She didn't want to find trouble with the girl of the house. Biting into the fried eggs and bread I had served for myself, I saw my Dad make his way towards me with my sister following closely behind. She seemed interested in whatever she was doing with her phone.

"Wow, this tastes good," Dad said excitedly as he bit into the waffles.

"Yeah, it always tastes good, not only today or Tasha?" Jocelyn asked, turning to me with a smile. I nodded, not knowing precisely what to say. After some minutes of deafening silence among the four of us, I decided to break it.

"So tell me, who is the lucky gentleman?" I asked, looking straight into Jocelyn's eyes.

"Where from that, Tasha? No one has captured my heart."

"Wait!"-- I exclaimed surprisingly, gesturing my hands at her. "This is unheard of. You can't tell me those three years in a big country like Russia. No guy was able to grab that heart of yours. That's ridiculous. It's not as if you are not good-looking," I finished, still in shock.

"I went out with many guys, but none of them measured up to my standards. Can't you wait till after breakfast?" She asked as my Dad looked at her with danger in his eyes. Ignoring her plight, I continued my questions happily.