Ego's Trap | ✔

32 | The First Day

I felt my cheeks burn. "Ugh, oh shut up, you! You're such a creep! A pervert! Some random turd down the street!" I exclaimed, punching him on the shoulder. It only made him laugh, and it was so lighthearted that I was genuinely concerned for his way of perceiving things.

I'm still gonna miss that runt, even if he'll be right there with me somewhere in the shadows.

☆☆☆

"Welcome to The Poconos Getaway, a hotel with a unique form of service and style, devoted to giving our guests an experience they'll never forget," the tall, round woman said. She had a thick West African accent that reminded me of my grandma from Mom's side of the family, may her soul rest in peace. It made me feel immediately comfortable, and slightly nostalgic. Her uniform was ironed to perfection. "My name is Enitan, and I'll be at your beck and call whenever my service is needed for the duration of your stay. The telephones in both of your rooms are connected to me, as I am but a call away." She stopped in between two rooms, handing Fiona and Teresa a key for each. "Here are your rooms, your luggage has already been placed inside according to the arrangements you discussed with our hosts by the front desk. Off I go, ladies. As I said, feel free to call me if there is anything I could do for you."

As soon as Enitan walked away after giving her our thanks, Hilery bit her lip and whispered: "At least we're an entire building away from there."

Fiona scoffed at her daughter, patting her on the head. "From what? The big bad ghost? Honeycomb, get a grip of reality, will you? No big bad ghost will get you for as long as your mommy's here, yes?"

Hilery held herself as soon as her mother said that, and looked away before nodding.

"In some cultures, placing a bit of salt in the corner of a room is believed to repel ghosts," Teresa said, already opening the door of our room and peeking inside. "If that makes you feel safe, knock yourself out, Hilery."

Hilery's eyes twinkled after my sister's words, but she remained still. "Thanks, big sister Teresa!"

By the time Teresa said "no problem," she was already in our room, kicking off her sandals and helping herself to the great view out the balcony (she was a lil' too ready). I remained outside with Fiona and Hilery for a little longer, talking to them 'bout some small stuff 'til they walked into their own room.

We did eventually meet again within the hour, and spent the rest of the day together in the hotel's amazing spa, where I almost forgot 'bout how much I missed Daniel 'cuz it was just so relaxing── don't even get me started on that steaming hot bath (I wouldn't have minded if I had drowned there)! The best part of it all, we were fed, yes, fed── right to the mouth with spoons and everything! There were points during our time there that we just didn't want to move, and the staff accommodated to our needs so well that they deserved some recognition, y'know? If I had even a tenth of the money Fiona had, I would've tipped the heck out them 'cuz they really did deserve it.

One thing during the day that did get me a little uneasy though was Fiona's curiosity; she constantly hit me with questions 'bout me that I couldn't really give answers to, with her bein' my mother-in-law and all, like if I had any plans for college or a certain career path I wanted to follow, and if I was currently employed, even down to asking for my job history (for some reason she thought I was a factory worker).

What was I gonna tell her aside from "I'm still working things out" ── the truth? That I made myself have no interest in going to college, don't see myself doing anything in the future, that no reasonable form of employment within this town wanted to give me a chance 'cuz my emotional baggage and nasty coping mechanism was way too much for any typical employer to handle, and that I'm currently employed solely 'cuz Daniel liked me, even if I had no clue who he was beforehand? If I had said those things, would she have accepted me as her daughter-in-law, right then and there, after I stabbed her (psycho) daughter?

I don't know the answer to that, but the worst question she had asked me, topping a question combined with a comment 'bout how a high libido could help me conceive faster and if Daniel's matched such levels, almost made me pass out: if Daniel had gone in through my backdoor yet (and she was more than willing to give me excessively detailed tips). At first I let her words fly over my head, but once she asked me a second time I almost died right on the spot. How could she have asked me that, and not just once?! It's not like I would've given her a straight answer, even if I had done that with him! She's his mother for god's sake!

I mean, I get that she's expecting us to already be getting it on with each other 'cuz in her eyes Daniel and I are newlyweds, but god it's still so... god, just... no!

When I was snug and comfy under the blanket and super ready to sleep, her questions messed with my head and only went away after I begged Teresa to slap me right across the face, which she did a little too excitedly, with a goofy face 'n all.

That's what sisters are for, though, to be there for each other no matter how special they could get, y'know (just sayin').