0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.23 | Rule Number Three : Steps To Slow Dancing

A ray of filtered golden light fell at the doorstep as Joseph came to a stop near his Mom's bedroom. The air sank into repose as the door creaked slowly and left it slightly ajar open, creating a space enough for him to easily locate what was going on inside. Joseph's eyes caressed the side profile of Ruby standing behind his mother, as she was combing her silky gray, less density hair with soft hand movements. As if she knew what worth each strand held at that stage of life.

What Joseph couldn't do in all these years, Ruby did in the play of a few hours--such a small interval of time it was to make his mother feel alive, to sleep in that small bed, to busy herself with the household chores. How did she even manage this? Where did she learn it from? Considering the fact she's only twenty years old. Considering the fact she had no clue about her mother.

His exterior morphed into the form of blankness. Also, he was eagerly waiting to breathe laughter of yet another achievement seeing his mother fight every battle in the companionship of Ruby-- an uneducated stranger. He forgot to blink his eyes for a good one minute. The reason being the sight was irreplaceably beautiful and peaceful that Joseph had to forcefully shut his eyes to scratch these happy moments from his memory permanently.

How could he convince himself that they didn't have a future together when she filled vivid colors in the pale palette of his life? It became hard.

It was way harder than he thought it would be. It bothered him to the point he had to remind himself brutally: Ruby was just a temporary replacement and nothing more than that. That he shouldn't allow her to mingle with his mother to an extreme level. That it would become hard for them to forget and detach from each other. But her collective efforts, by way of addressing his every problem as her own, somewhere broke him from the inside. Why was she doing this? It wouldn't do her or him any good.

His eyes became warm, and he realized what he had to do next.

Business came first.

He rang up Mrs Warner as he made his way up the stairs to the kitchen. Sandwiching his phone between his head and his shoulder; his hands were employed in taking out the bread and plugging in the toaster.

"Morning Mrs. Warner. This is Joseph speaking," he spoke on his phone.

"Right back at you! I'm curious what made you call me at such an early hour of the day. Is everything okay?" she answered in a croaky tone. The roughness in her voice showed the sign that her morning hadn't even started and that she was still in her bed under her comfortable downy blanket.

"Oh, nothing big. I-I know it's Sunday, and am truly sorry for disturbing your sleep like that. I'll not take much of your time, I promise you. It's about this girl whom I met last night at my friend's housewarming party." He cooked up a story masterfully and managed to arouse her interest by piping an elusory. "She said that . . . never mind."

"No please don't stop. I'm glad that it is a girl's problem with you. Tell me what did she say?" Her voice now sounded light.

Joseph grinned ruefully and replied, "Ah . . . she said something unbelievably bizarre, but I found it hard to disregard her boldness. Considering that, her facial features too reminded me of someone you know better," with that said, Joseph fitted the two slices of bread into their slots and pushed down the button to toast.

"Someone, I know? Who can that be?" She sounded leery and interested. Joseph's mindful words pushed her into a deep thought of cogitation.

"Yes, someone you know." Joseph dissimulated and repeated darkly after a pause, "Your daughter. She claims to be Elizabeth Warner."

"Really? I've heard that a lot, though. You may as well remember the time when I gave it in the press with a reward of four million dollars. Thousands of girls flooded outside the mansion the next mornin'. Unfortunately, none of their blood matched the royal blood of the Warner's," she stated in a not-so-dull and dejected tone; her incredulous mind disbanded the rare occurrence involved in finding her daughter.