Roots

Acacia

"How is your daughter? Tia, right?" Mr. Sherman grins.

I'm not sure what my parents were thinking when they decided on Tikera, it seems too hard for people to comprehend.

"Tikera is wonderful, she's taking a small break from her studies. You know how the pressure can get." Dad chuckles.

"You should've had a son, they are hardier than females, and they don't require maternity breaks or whine about child-raising."

Dad's grin tightens.

I stand up and stretch my arms above my head. The dress trails along my thighs, capturing the attention of Mr. Sherman and Marcus.

Once our eyes meet, I smile at Mr. Sherman and wave. He jerks backwards but recovers with a beaming smile.

"Good afternoon, Tikera."

"Same to you, Mr. Shitman."

Marcus bites on his lower lip, but the joke isn't well-received with my father, and certainly not with Mr. Sherman. The back door opens and Mrs. Sherman and my mother wander out with dainty cups of tea.

"Oh my, Tikera, darling, you have blossomed into a beautiful young woman, don't you think, Marcus?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Sherman." I smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I was about to go for a swim."

"Marcus, you should go with Tikera," Mum encourages.

I want to shoot her a glare, but I think of one person who makes me happy, and I smile through the annoyance.

Marcus sighs as he slips out of the chair and wanders to the decking's edge. I step down the stairs and veer to the right. Thankfully, the pool area is hidden from the deck's view.

"I'm sorry about my parents, they're..." Marcus rolls his eyes.

"Extra?" I laugh.

"That's kinder than I would have put it." He chuckles.

"Didn't you know parents are there to embarrass us? My mother says it's payback from the public tantrums I pulled as a toddler."

"Yikes, I must have pulled some bad ones to deserve that." He shakes his head.

"Don't worry, Karma will get them."

"I hope so because their matchmaking skills are terrible."

"Good luck with that."

"But I do agree with one thing." Marcus's eyes travel down the length of my body. "You are very beautiful today."

"Thanks! I guess you're not so annoying today." I giggle.

Marcus shakes his head and smiles.

I open the gate and we shuffle through. Marcus walks around the edge of the pool, stopping when he catches the shade from the acacia tree.

It's an odd plant to have beside a pool, but it was there before my parents decided to add a pool to our yard—a pool we don't use, just like most of the stuff in our house.

Slipping out of my yellow sundress, I discard it on the ground and step into the pool. The cold water laps at my body and a shiver coils down my spine.