Started With a Lie

Chapter Twelve

            And then Madam Jin cracks a smile. Her eyes become teary. “She reminds me just of my daughter-in-law.” She takes my hands. “Do you mind if I talk to you alone?”

            What? Wait a minute. Lee never had this in his script. I stare at him and he just nods. My eyes widen and glare at him. Lee just nods and mouths to go.

            “S-Sure,” I respond to her. Madam Jin grins and takes my hand and pulls me along to a side table in the room. She gets a waiter to get us some European crackers of some brand I don’t know. A waiter brings a basket full of them and sets it between us.

            “What’s your name?” Madam Jin asks me.

            “I-Ivory. Ivory Flores,” I answer.

            “Don’t be scared, Ivory. I don’t bite,” she jokes, chuckling. Madam Jin pushes the crackers to me. “Here, take some. They’re really good.”

            “Thank you.” I take a cracker and chew. It’s actually really good. I eat some more crackers before I look up and realize Madam Jin is staring at me with a smile. She’s resting her head on her arm and leaning on the table. I cough when I see her staring at me.

            Madam Jin looks startled and hands me a glass of water. I chug it down and sigh with relief when I’m done. She looks at me worriedly and asks, “Are you okay?”

            I nod. “I’m fine.”

            “I’m sorry for the weird staring,” Madam Jin says, apologizing with a smile. “It’s just you remind me of my daughter-in-law so much.”

            “Oh, really? Where is she?”

            “She’s… dead.”

            My eyes widen for the millionth time this night. “I-I’m so sorry.” I take her hands. “I didn’t mean to bring back painful memories. I’m so sorry.”

            “It’s okay,” Madam Jin says with a wry smile. She runs her hands over mine. Her hands are soft and smell like lilac. Do all old women smell like that? “She died in a car accident. Or so we think. My son, her, and their children went on a road trip. They never returned.” A tear drips down her cheek, which she quickly wipes away.

            “I’m so sorry for your loss,” I say from the bottom of my heart. I pull her in for a hug and she hugs me back. We hug for a moment before we pull away.

            “I’ve always wanted a daughter so when my son got married, I was so happy. His wife and I got along pretty quickly. Soon, she got pregnant and had a beautiful baby boy and soon a girl. Police found their car on the side of the road, but they were never found. It's been a cold case since.”

            I find tears in my eyes, too. Imagine losing almost half your family. I hold her hands. “That sounds miserable. I am so sorry. I bet your daughter-in-law is in a better place, now.”

            “Thank you, Ivory,” Madam Jin says. “I feel like you were sent to me. You look just like her. Maybe, we’re meant to be good friends. Maybe I'll stick around in America.”

            I grin. “I think we are.” Madam Jin and I laugh and share some jokes and small chat. She’s pretty cool for an old lady. My grandmother died before I could meet her so Madam Jin really patched up that empty hole in my heart.

            I’m still talking to her when someone taps my shoulder. I think it’s Lee but when I turn around I find Mark standing there.

            “Hello Madam Jin,” Mark greets her and kisses her hand. “May I steal this beautiful young lady for a while?”

            “You may, Mark,” Madam Jin responds. “But don’t you try anything. You’re quite known for your charms. Don’t try anything funny.” Mark chuckles but doesn’t respond as he takes my hand and drags me to the place where everyone’s dancing.

            “What are we doing here?” I ask him as he puts my hand in his and places my other hand on his left shoulder. He slips his free hand on my waist and starts swaying.

            “What do you think we’re doing, Ivory?” Mark grins. “We’re dancing.”

            “But, I’m not really good at dancing,” I tell him.

            “Don’t worry. You’re doing fine. But, try not to step on my feet, please?” he asks, wincing. I laugh and step on his foot on purpose. “Ow!” he cries. I laugh again as he cries in pain. “You want to play dirty, huh?”

            He suddenly grabs my waist tighter and tilts me to the side so I’m balancing off one foot and staring right up at his face. Mark suddenly pulls me up and twirls me.

         “Mark!” I exclaim. “Stop! That wasn’t funny!” I say that but I’m laughing as he dances along with me. It’s actually fun. Suddenly, a slow song comes on. I prepare to let go but Mark just pulls me closer until my face is in his shoulder and both his arms are around my waist.

         My cheeks redden. I’ve never been so close to a guy before. I smile into his shoulder. Mark is a pretty sweet guy. I dance slowly along with him but I feel like someone’s watching me. I scan the room and find Lee glaring at me. Not usual glaring, like you’re-going-to-die glaring.

         What’d I do this time?

         I step back from Mark. I need to go see what’s bothering Lee. We’re supposed to be a couple. “Mark, I’ll be right back, okay?”

             “Don’t take too long. I’ll go get us a drink,” Mark says, winking. I smile as I go through the crowd to where Lee is. When I reach him, his arms are crossed and he has a very angry look on his face.

          “What’s wrong?” I ask him when I get close enough.

      Lee doesn’t say anything for a second but then he says, “Why are you dancing with him?” His voice is filled with so much disgust and hate that it surprises me.

         I take a step back. “What’s wrong with dancing with him?”  Lee opens his mouth to talk but then I notice something—someone behind him. He looks familiar. Too familiar. I ignore Lee and chase after the man.

             I hear Lee shouting at me and asking me where I’m going but I ignore him. I ignore everything. I ignore the crowd. I just run because what I’m chasing is too scary to handle. Who I’m chasing is too important. It might not even be the person I’m thinking about but I have to check.

        The man goes into the hallway, the door closing behind him. I run faster and open the door. But when I walk into the hallway, there’s nobody there.

          I stomp my foot, frustrated. I walk back into the party and notice that Lee’s calling everybody because he’s going to cut the cake. But I can’t focus right now. I can’t focus on anything.

                Because that man looked exactly like my father. My dead father.

Hello hello. The action is finally starting! Yes! Anyways, here's my gift to you. A suspense-ish filled chapter. Well, I tried. Ooooh, Lee's jealous. LOL. What a possesive guy. Bipolar, too. I don't know why I created such a stupid character. Oh well, he's fun. Anyways, new thoughts on Mark? He's pretty hot. I told you that this isn't exactly like Lie to Me. More surprises to come. ^_^

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