Adani's POV
Mrs. Parriston was everybody's nightmare and when she agreed to show up at the next session, I knew she wanted to get a rise out of me and to smirk in her son's face.
Christmas was right around the corner now. I was sitting by the outdoor pool, wrapping the presents I bought for my love ones when my cellphone started ringing.
"Hi Rockett," I answered.
"Guess what I'm doing," she spoke.
"I have no idea where to start when it comes to you," I answered. She laughed lightly.
"Looking at your wedding dress. Adani, it's so beautiful. The fit, the gems on the sheer sleeves, and oh my goodness, the train. The train is to die for."
"You have no idea how much you're hurting me right now."
"What's really going on with the wedding, is it cancelled cancelled?"
"Yes, Rockett. It is."
We ended the conversation and I went back to my gift wrapping. One hour later, I took the presents into the mansion and laid them underneath the Christmas tree.
I was expecting a wonderful Christmas but instead, it was dull without smiles and any joy.
Ricardo had started up a new but smaller communication and technology company within a matter of days and he was hardly ever at home. He worked extremely longer hours and when he do comes home, I would already be fast asleep and he would be up and at it before I even wake.
~
Two days later, we were back in Dr. Milan's office. Ricardo and I sat side by side while we awaited his mother's arrival.
"I still don't see why she has to join us," Ricardo protested.
"She's the common denominator to you both. It's only fitting she joins us for at least one session so we can get pass this," Dr. Milan responded as she wrote into her notepad before looking at her watch, "Let's get started."
"Okay then," I replied, "Where should we start?"
"Let's start with you. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"And you, Ricardo?"
"I'm fine too."
"Why I'm sensing some belligerence between the two of you?"
A knock came to the door. Dr. Milan stood up and opened it. In walked Mrs. Parriston and Penelope.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ricardo snapped almost immediately as they walked into the room.
"Mrs. Parriston, with all due respect, we suggested that you should join us," Dr. Milan stated.
"Oh, she's my moral support," Mrs. Parriston replied, "This is Penelope. Ricardo's ex-fianceé."
Ricardo pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I see. In that case, please join us," Dr. Milan said and gestured them into the couch across from where Ricardo and I were sitting.
"Thank you for joining us today, Mrs. Parriston," Dr. Milan beamed at her.
"Anything for my son and his future wife," she responded and I thought I was going to puke.
"Great. In that case, can you tell me how do you feel about your son proposing to a woman you don't appease with?" Dr. Milan asked her.
"Goodness, who ever said I was not pleased with my son's choices may have misunderstood. I love Adani. I think they make a cute couple, but what Adani was most upset about was when Ricardo broke up with Penelope and I chose to comfort Penelope. She felt like I placed Penelope above her but the poor woman was hurting and she looked at me as a mother-figure. I just wanted to be there for her."
My eyes rolled to the back of my head. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I couldn't contain the laugh that followed after.
"You practiced that speech on the way here?" I cut in.
"You see, Dr. Milan, this is exactly the kind of sass that she dishes out but can't accept in return, and my son says absolutely nothing to her about it. She's allowed to disrespect me in his presence and he would just stand or sit there like he's doing right now," Mrs. Parriston said with an innocent and straight face.
"Disrespect, when have I ever disrespected you?" I asked her.
"Countless occasions," Penelope inputted.
"You need to hush. You shouldn't even be here," I snapped at Penelope.
"And you can't make me leave either," Penelope said back shooting up from her seat which made me do the same.
"Adani, sit down," Ricardo said.
"But she's.."
"Adani. Sit. Down," he repeated slowly. I sat down with a glare and frowned at Penelope.
"Penelope and Adani are more than a handful," Mrs. Parriston said, "But I love them both."
"Mrs. Parriston, you do know that I can read a room and I can read someone, right? I know when someone isn't being transparent and I know when someone is lying or even putting on a show."
"Who are you, God?" Mrs. Parriston rudely asked.
"Oh no. I'm just using the gift he blessed me with," Dr. Milan answered.
I smiled with relief. Mrs. Parriston wasn't fooling Dr. Milan as she thought she was.
"And now that the Show and Tell is over, Mrs. Parriston, why do you dislike your son's fianceé?" Dr. Milan asked.
Mrs. Parriston scoffed then looked at her heels. She exhaled before looking up again.
"Remember when I told you about the company and if you only knew the truth then you wouldn't even want it," Mrs. Parriston said to Ricardo.
He nodded yes.
"Well, Ricardo, this goes all the way back to 1840. In Coloma, there were two beautiful pieces of land that rested next to each other but was divided by a small stream of water. Lush and green and fed by the river itself, the lands were beautiful. On one of those lands, your foreparents lived as was known as the richest people in town. Everyone around admired their clothes, lifestyle and wealth. That was until another family bought and moved onto the other piece of land. A colored family.
Folks around wondered how such people could have afforded such a land and managed to upshow The Parristons. Bigger house, better looking dresses and suits and horses.
The Parristons became jealous as their status and given attention were shifted to another family. They later decided to become friends with the other family and to learn their ways and find out their secret.
Much later, the family trusted The Parristons, invited them to dinner and informed them that they've found a piece of gold in a tiny trench they dug when they were trying to harvest water. They sold it, and bought more tools to continue digging but shortly after, it began to rain.
The trench and their home flooded so they decided to relocate and bought the land next to theirs.
The Parriston took this information and used it to their advantage. They found the former address of that family, drained the water from the trench and started digging. Gold was indeed discovered. When the other family learned what The Parriston had done, they became furious and this started a quarrel which later led to the other family being driven off the land.
It was said that that family had an aunt who was a witch. When she learned this, she cursed The Parristons. Somehow, The Parristons would have to share their wealth with the generations of the other family," Mrs. Parriston recited.
"That's nonsensical, and I don't see what that tale has to do with you not liking Adani," Ricardo said.
"The other family was The Primes. Your foreparents on your father's side stole from hers! And a Prime always show up to COLLECT!" Mrs. Parriston finished with a shout.
I was arctic.
"But a Prime didn't show up in dad's life or grandfather's," Ricardo said.
Mrs. Parriston chuckled before responding. "Your grandfather's mistress was a Prime and you think Alexis didn't want her revenge for what I did to Tim and her?"
"Wait. Adani's mom slept with my father?"
"He almost broke up with me over her but when he learned about Rockett, he couldn't."
"This is.. this is madness!" Ricardo yelled.
"It's our history. You've finally learned the big and bad Parriston's secret about their wealth and why I couldn't be happy for your engagement!"
"Mom.."
"Don't! I'm leaving," Mrs. Parriston said. She stood up and bolted for the door while Penelope followed behind her.
Ricardo and I were left with Dr. Milan who seemed to be wheeling by this revelation as well.
It took me another minute to gather myself. Ricardo looked at me with sad eyes.
"How can we be together after learning this?" I asked him.