Next Life (COMPLETED)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sometimes when my father was not around I liked to take walks around the poorer parts of town. My father he was not the nicest man, he was very controlling and manipulative. He had my mother believing it was okay that he hit her when he had too much to drink, he treated our maids and butlers like they were trash, he doesn't love much in this world aside from his job and well me. But if he knew I spent a lot of time at Martha's, our maid, he would despise me. Martha only worked for us on weekends so if my father was not around during the week I went down to her home and spent afternoons with her, her husband Benjamin, and their daughter Margie.

They were family to me, my parents are not warm and loving like Martha and Benjamin is to me. I know my parents love me, but they have a much different way of showing it, so spending some time at Martha's was a nice balance for me.

I knocked on the door of the familiar red house and let out a surprised gasp as the door opened. There stood the most handsome man I had ever seen. I starred into his brown eyes as he gazed back at me; I looked away to look at the rest of him. He had a dark complexion, buts slightly lighter than Martha. He was wearing a pair of dirty coveralls with a white shirt underneath, his muscles glistening with a light sheen of sweat. He lifted his arm to wipe sweat from his forehead, my eyes following back to his face. I knew I was gapping at him, which was very unladylike by I could not help it. This man was beautiful.

"Hey little lady you lost?" I looked at him in confusion; Martha was expecting me so who was this? "I think you're in the wrong part of town darlin'," he spoke again as he looked me up and down.

I looked down at my attire, a long coral skirt with a plain white button up. I always tried to wear my least flashy clothing when I came to Martha's so I wouldn't stand out. I knew it was still more upper class than here, but I didn't look that out of place did I?

"Is Martha here?" I asked the man who was still eyeing me suspiciously.

I heard footsteps approaching from inside, "Elizabeth is that you?" I hear Martha's voice calling, "Garrett let her in, what are you doing? I told you I was expecting her." She opened the door more so I could see her as she scolded the beautiful man. Garrett.

"This is your friend Elizabeth?" He asks with a look of pure shock on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, I was honestly feeling quite offended by this man's actions.

Martha looked on with a look of amusement on her face, "Yes it is, and do you have a problem with that?" She looks to Garrett expectantly.

He was still looking at me with wide eyes, "Yeah—I mean no it's just she's so um young..."

"I'm 25 years old, that's hardly adolescent," my patience is starting to wear thin with this beautiful man and it normally takes a lot to get under my skin.

"Yeah Garrett what are you saying I can't have friends around your age? I'm not that much older than y'all," Martha laughed. "Elizabeth, this is my younger brother Garrett and Garrett this is my friend Elizabeth, I work for her family."

Garrett's face then turns to one of disgust, "Richard Walton is your father?" My father was not popular with the poorer people of town... He was known for um treating them differently... worse. I would never defend my father's actions but I could not go against him or else he may hurt me like he does to my mother...

"I'm nothing like my father," I whisper.

"Garrett stop scaring the girl, you know she ain't like that despicable man, I've told you so many stories of Elizabeth," Martha gives me a sympathetic smile. She knows she doesn't have to hide her feelings about my family in front of her, but she always feels bad when she says stuff like this.