0 9
P E R S U A D I N G
"So how are you going to come with me to Greece?" Luke asked as he talked to me through the phone.
"Yeah. I have to try and prevail upon my parents, as much as possible, to let me go. I have kept a promise and I'm not taking a step back with the foot I've placed forward." I spoke sternly.
"Thank you." I could really sense that hew was extremely grateful to me. The way his words instantly lit up with happiness, when he was sure I was not going to leave him halfway, made me smile. "What about you?"
"I have to ask my mother. I do not think it's going to be a burden asking her. She's going to allow me either way." He said coolly.
"Why would she do that?"
"Because I'm Luke Fletcher." He coughed in a sophisticated way to grab my interest. We soon, laughed. We laughed so much that our eyes nearly started watering.
"Luke, what if my mum says no?" I asked quite scared. And I truly was. I wanted to go to Greece. I wanted to spend a major time of my life with Luke . I had to persuade my mother as much as possible to let me go lest I stay in New York itself.
"She won't. Stop thinking so pessimistically. Even if she did say a no, then we run away. I'm going to take you to Greece, Amor."
"Stop joking, Luke." I laughed at his lame joke as I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not joking." He said grimly. "When I tell you that I'm going to get you with me all the way to Greece, I do not lie. Either by throwing stones at your window or talking to your parents, I'll get you out of this continent itself." I laughed. I felt glad that he cared about me and my presence.
"So we are leaving no matter what?" I asked.
"Yeah. Wait. Mum's come back home after that trip of hers. I'll ask." He replied. He didn't disconnect the line. I felt that he kept his phone with him in his hand as I could here all the sounds.
"Mum?" I heard him speak.
"Yeah, Luke?"
"Can I go to Greece?"
"What?" I heard a sound of something crashing. She probably might have dropped the pan she probably had in her hand.
"Yeah, mum?"
"Lucas Fletcher! Do you have any idea that Greece is not your next door neighbour?" I laughed under my breath.
"Mum, please?" He begged.
"Why would you even want to go to Greece? Why, Lucas?"
"Mum. I have to find Scott." There was a brief silence followed after that line.
"Scott? Cathy's boyfriend? Why?" She asked worried.
"Nothing's wrong, mum. Cathy had wished to give him something but things took a turn. Don't you think we should do what Cathy wanted to do lastly but she couldn't?" I heard his mum sigh.
"Okay, Luke. Are you going alone?"
"No. Ellie's coming." My heart fluttered when I heard that rare nickname once again.
"Danielle? She's a good girl. Alright, Luke. You can go." I could literally hear him smirking.
"Thank you, mum." And then I heard sounds of hustle and cracks. I realised he was hugging his mum. I smiled at the thought of him being the mummy's little boy. I smirked.
"Hey." He greeted me once again after he placed his phone to his ears and his conversation with his mom.
"Hey."
"There you go. I'm surely going to Greece and you better come with me."
"Is that a threatening I hear, Fletcher?" I teased him.
"If you'll come when I threaten you then yes, it is a threatening." He laughed. His laughter was like music to my ears. Hearing his laughter, I laughed. "So what are you waiting for, Amor? Go ask. I did. Now your turn!"
"Alright." I then held my phone I'm my head and walk down the stairs. I saw my father watching the television. Some kind of a soccer match. I could hear the sizzling sound from the kitchen and I could sense that my mother was in the kitchen. I walked nearer to my parents and they looked at me.
"Hey darling!" My father greeted me.
"Hey Elle." My mother then greeted me.
"Dad," I looked at him and then turned to my mother. "Mom. I want to ask you guys something."
"You know that you can ask anything, right?" My mother smiled at me.
"Yeah. I know."
"So what do you want?" My father asked. I smiled at him and shrugged.
"Can I go to Greece?"
"What?" My parents shouted. They were shocked. But you couldn't blame them. If my daughter did the same, I'd be shocked and betrayed.
"Yeah? Can I go to Greece? I can go to Greece, can't I?" My father had this terrified expression worn on his face which made me more nervous. It was then I realise that Luke was still on the line and I had not bothered to leave me. Automatically, I smiled at his concern. I could hear the 'are you alright' from Luke. Wisely, I decided to not complicate the topic further and disconnected the call.
"No."
"What?" I nearly shouted my reply. I was startled by their answer. I had been eagerly waiting for a yes from his mouth but to my dismay, he told a no. My father did not intend on letting me go to Greece.
"Elle. You are not going to Greece!"
"But why not?"
"Why do you want to go so badly?" I had a battle played in my mind all again. Should I tell them or not? Should I tell them about all the things that happened to Luke?
Better not, Elle, I thought. I looked at my mother and father, giving them puppy eyes and then asked once again if I could go.
"No, Elle. Get it! We are scared of sending you. Are you going alone?" My father shouted. My mother remained silent all the while, not opening her mouth to speak a word.
"Dad, I'm not going alone!" I told him.
"Then?"
"Luke's going with me." I replied.
And this turned my father extremely shocked and he shouted, "Danielle Amor Calingham! Why the hell were you planning on going halfway around the world and reaching Greece with a boy?" I flinched as I had never heard my dad speak in such a loud voice. My mother quickly came towards me and hugged me. I had not realised that tears had started rolling down my eyes nevertheless I felt the burning sensation in my throat. My father looked at me and apologised.
"I'm sorry. I can't allow you to go to Greece with this Luke kid."
I pushed my mother away gently and then ran to my room with tears in my eyes. I closed the door with a great force and locked it. I then, fell on my bed and started bawling my eyes out.
I wanted to go with Luke to Greece. I wanted to see the one and only Cathy's ex fiancé, Scott. I wanted to know how it felt like going away from home. I wanted to know how it felt like being Eighteen. I wanted to know how it felt like spending my days with Luke. It might be because I felt something for Luke. All of a sudden, everything that Luke felt were my feelings and that mixed up and twisted my feelings a lot.
And then my phone rang. I looked at my caller and saw that it was Luke. Without thinking, I declined the call. My crying had reduced and I was more engaged in my thoughts of what I could have done if I was allowed to go to Greece.
I could overhear my dad and mum speaking about the same matter and I could hear everything clearly.
"You should have said a yes, honey. After all she's eighteen. If she only desires, she can jump off a window and run away with Luke."
"I can't leave my daughter unprotected. She deserves much better. I know, I suck at being a parent but I care for my daughter a lot. And she wouldn't dare to run away with that Luke kid, would she?"
"She's a very will powered and determined woman. God alone knows what she can do and what she will do now."
"But to the extent of running away?" I could hear my father stammering.
"She's after all our daughter. She is extremely determined if she needs to attain something." I could sense that my mum was standing for me, trying to persuade my dad in letting me go.
"Well, then. Alright, I'll allow her to go to Greece."
"Thank you, honey."
"But..." Oh god! Now why is there a condition?
"But?"
"I want to meet this kid. What's his name? Yeah, Luke! If he's the good one, I'll allow her to go, Vanessa."
"I think she'll be alright with that." I heard footsteps after that last comment and then slowly, the amplitude of the sound increasing. There was a knock on my bedroom door.
"Yes?" I shouted.
"Will you open the door, Elle?"
"Mum?" I asked to make sure.
"Yeah. It's me, alright."
"I'll open the door." I knew it. I knew that she came to my room to tell me I was allowed to go to Greece. I knew about the condition but I had to pretend that I didn't. I opened the door. My mother walked into my room and sat on my bed. She looked at me, indicating a question. She wanted me to sit next to her. I walked up to her and sat next to her.
"Ok. About the trip..." She spoke. I was a bit to eager to hear the news from her mouth.
"Yeah?"
"You can go."
"Yes!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I was glad.
"But..."
"But?"
"Your dad wants to meet Luke."
"Ok."
"Ok?"
"Ok." I looked at her after our last few replies and we laughed. I smiled at her after we laughed so hard. "When?"
"Tonight. Ask him if he could come for dinner." She smiled back.
"I'll ask. If he isn't?" I wanted to know the other side of the answer. The if not.
"He would surely." My mother cocked her eyebrows in an attempt to be intimidating.
"And what makes you say that?"
"You're literally ready to go to Greece for him and I'm sure he wants you to go with him."
"So?"
"He'll come." She repeated the same reply once again.
"Mum! You are making no sense!" I whined. She then, commented as she stood up and walked to the door to leave. I rolled my eyes.
"God! Why have you made my daughter so blind?"
•
Luke called me once again. This time I picked it up.
"Hey Luke."
"What the hell happened? You just cut the phone all of a sudden and then, god, do you know the panic that I experienced then? Like - why did you even cut the call?" I smiled. He cares.
"Well. My parents initially said a big fat no. When I knew it was going to end there, that's when I cut the call."
"So..." He breathed heavily. "You're not coming to Greece?"
"Yes, I am coming to Greece."
"Wait. What? How?" I could feel his eyes bulging out.
"Honey, that's when you come into the scene." I laughed.