The Marriage Contest

Chapter 19: Strangers opinions.

When Vanessa awoke, she was stiff and confused. It took her a while to realize that the extravagantly designed room belonged to her parents. Embarrassment swallowed her limbs and Vanessa hid her face in a pillow. She remembered crying in her fathers' arms but her memories disappeared after that.

"You're awake." Vanessa looked behind her to see her mother standing in the archway with two cups of tea in her hands. Miriam moved towards Vanessa and passed a warm cup of tea towards Vanessa. "Drink this."

"Thank you." Vanessa eagerly took the cup and sipped at the lukewarm drink. "I suppose you wanted to talk to me and tell me to go home."

Miriam sat gently on the seat in front of Vanessa and she groaned internally at the grace her mother possessed. It was a sore spot between the mother and daughter since Miriam live the life of a socialite whereas Vanessa lived a life void of any grace and sensitivity. She was brash and rough and Miriam would often find any reason to chastise her daughter. The fact that Miriam hadn't yet chastised Vanessa for slouching in her seat hadn't passed Vanessa's notice. What her mother had to say must be serious.

"I'm not here to tell you to go home. You're a grown woman who is free to avoid her husband for as long as she wants."

Vanessa groaned. "I'm not avoiding him. I just need space to think."

"I've never understood people's need for space. Space doesn't reveal the answer does it."

"Perhaps not but it makes me feel better."

Miriam laughed. "Do you feel better?"

Vanessa hung her head. "No. I don't know how I feel honestly."

Miriam sighed and placed her empty cup on the side table next to her. "Your father tried to explain to me what it is that you're struggling with but I'm afraid you confused your father something terrible last night honey."

Vanessa chuckled. "I can imagine how daddy must have felt. I wasn't making sense even to myself."

Miriam nodded. "So now that you've had some time to sleep, have you figured out your thoughts?"

"No."

"Alright. Do you want to tell me what pushed you to coming here?"

Vanessa looked at her empty cup, finding any reason to avoid the look she knew her mother would give her. "Everything is just a mess. Cole is back and he keeps pushing me to give him another chance because he wants us all to be a family again. He blurted it out that he was AJ's father and everything just got worse after that. We were yelling at each other and Cole scared AJ by grabbing him roughly." She looked up at her mother and saw the shock on the woman's face. "I got so scared when he did that. All I could think about was protecting AJ."

"I'm glad you did."

"I would die for AJ," Vanessa answered steadily. She blinked roughly and then sighed as she prepared to tell the rest of her story. "Cole and I got into a disagreement and I threatened him with a lawsuit. I've never acted like that with anyone before and I hate how he made me act so violently. I hate confrontation but with Cole around, it's all I've been surrounded with."

"What happened, Vanessa?" Miriam asked softly, her attention fully directed toward her daughter.

"Cole eventually left but the experience just shook me and AJ. Jonah took us home and that's when I called you to come fetch him. I needed him to be with people who could give him the comfort and attention he needs. My mind wasn't in the right place to do that."

Miriam smiled and moved to sit beside Vanessa. "You did a brave thing."

Vanessa shook her head before dropping it to lie on her mothers' shoulder. "No I didn't. If I were brave, I wouldn't be here when Jonah is home, begging me to lean on him for support."