Dieffenbachia
I nestle into the cluster of pillows and open the book to the section about oleanders. I'm drawn to the stunning picture of the blooming flowers.
Oleander is a durable shrub that can withstand droughts but are poisonous upon ingestion. Once ingested, the reaction can be mild to fatal depending on the dosage. This species of plant is beautiful due to the long oval leaves and the pink flowers blossoming in clusters.
He either loves the flower or he thinks I'm poisonous upon ingestion, which explains why he keeps me at bay with those 'goodnight' lines.
I was too easy on his nickname—I should have called him something poisonous like the dieffenbachia. It's a mouthful, and the length isn't short enough for a nickname, but upon ingestion the airways swell shut and that's what he does to me.
The poison doesn't stop there. A simple brush against the leaves can cause burning or itching to occur. Perhaps that's why The Boss keeps his distance from me—he's afraid he's going to hurt me or my life will suddenly explode into beams of fire.
Regardless of nicknames, there's nothing poisonous about my innocence. There's no way I could poison him from the inside.
If he doesn't pull the trigger, someone else will. I've never thought about dying young but maybe I should give it some thought? At least I'll have thought something through.
"My heart hurts thinking about this." I groan.
I snap the book shut and toss it onto the desk.
The worst part is that he'll never tell me the meaning behind it.
I grab my bag and race up the ladder. Austin is late for his shift but that isn't my problem. Pebbles can sort it out because I can't be down here any longer. I need air that doesn't smell like this or lavender.
Their voices grow louder as I sneak to the front of the house. I peek around the corner and bite my lower lip. It's worth trying to escape to my car because I don't want to get caught up in their argument.
Taking a deep breath, I make a run.
"You know I'm fucking right about—" My heartbeat quickens as my shoes slide across the pavement. "Are you serious? Fine. Ignore me and see what happens."
I squish myself against the house and wrinkle my nose. Despite my racing heartbeat, the front door smashes open and heavy footsteps follow.
The trees along the driveway shield the glowing moon. The shadows almost mask Austin's tall frame.
"You're being ridiculous." Austin's voice sends shivers down my spine.
"I'm done talking about this," The Boss shouts.
He swings around, jaw tense, shoulders hunched and his fist clenched.
"Why do you never listen? Don't you trust me? She's poison, you said it yourself."
"Don't forget who you are, Austin. You're out of line."
My body trembles despite the fact I should be outraged.
Austin pounces forward, swinging his fist. The Boss captures his fist mid-air and holds on. He tries to yank his fist back, but The Boss remains in power.
"Go home."
Austin struggles until The Boss releases his hand. Austin glares but leaves. As Austin fades into the darkness, I gasp for air.
"You can come out now, Tikera."
My shoulders sag as I exhale a breath. It's like I've been caught stealing cookies, but he's the one who owes me answers, answers I'll never get. Ugh, something else to drive me mad.
I take one step onto the driveway, careful to keep some distance between us.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy. It's just that the shift ended and—"
"Stop, don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry."
"You can go home now."
"Okay." I nod.
"Goodnight."
"Yeah, goodnight." I sigh.
He moves inside and I race to the car. I slide into the driver's seat and rest my head on the steering wheel. Nothing about this makes sense and I can't stop the curiosity from growing.
What's up with the argument and where are the bruises coming from? The Boss grabbed his arm and sent him away instead of escalating the situation into a fight. Austin is muscular and well built, but The Boss could easily take him down.
Should I be scared of him, or is he the one scared of me?
* * * * *
"I'm home," I shout from the front door.
"Tikera, please come here."
I toss my bag by the stairs as I wander into the lounge room. I'd rather stand under boiling water but I guess a polite conversation can't hurt?
"William, be gentle. I think you're overreacting. That's our daughter, she's a good girl."
Or maybe I'm about to be slaughtered? I've made mistakes in the past—I should be afraid of my father. The Boss seems like a fuzzy teddy bear in comparison.
"Is there something wrong? Did I forget to do the dishes or take the trash out?"
"We want to know more about your job. What is it, exactly?"
"I'm a gardener and house sitter." I proudly smile. "I know it isn't the job you dreamed I'd get, but I'm happy and it gets me out of the house."
"But you're not dirty and your work hours are all over the place."
"Gardening doesn't mean you spend every waking moment rolling in dirt." I laugh. "Besides, I just pull some weeds out, so it doesn't require much dirty work."
"What about the odd hours?"
"He's a businessman who frequently travels. I can work whatever hours I want, sometimes I stay at night, sometimes during the day. I miss you guys and Mum's delicious dinner. Is there something wrong?"
"It's just odd."
"So are these questions."
Mum tugs on Dad's arm, but his focus doesn't shift. There's no way they could know about the weed, my parents are too innocent for that.
"We're worried about you."
"I'm not worried," Mum comments. "Our daughter is earning money, she's happy and you're making an issue over nothing. Ignore it."
Dad pats Mum's hand and sighs.
"If Tikera has nothing to hide, she won't mind the questions."
Shaking my head, I plop onto the couch and snuggle into the cushions because we'll be awhile.
"You can keep coming with the questions, I have nothing to hide."
"Where do you work?"
"At a beautiful house which has an exquisite garden." I wink.
"What's the address?"
"Are you going to stalk my boss?"
"William!" Mum clings onto his arm.
"Are you going to tell me what the questions are about?"
Mum looks away and Dad's face never falters.
"What is the pungent smell, what plant does it belong to?"
"Seriously, what is happening here?"
Dad's face hardens.
"Why are you avoiding all these questions?"
"Maybe I've learned from the best? You're acting like a crazy person! Unless you want to shed some light on the situation, let me know what I'm being accused of."
"I just had questions."
"Great." I grin. "I'm just going to shower because I apparently smell pungent."
Dad glares as I trek towards the stairs.
"If I thought my daughter was into drugs, I'd tell you, William."
* * * * *