Mafia Daddy’s Faithful Little by Mary Potter

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maddy

“Thanks for doing this with me,” I said to Lisa as we walked into the Leevens Centre for the Aged.

It was a Wednesday and it was time for my usual visit to the only link I had to my horrid past. My mother, Rachel Parker, lived in one of the rooms in this center, spending most of her time reading books and talking about herself. On days that I came to see her, she always loved to talk about Raymond and the possibility of us getting married soon.

The truth was that, as much as I loved Raymond, I felt it wasn’t time for us to settle down. Unlike Ethan and Lisa who were so sure about their future, I wanted to focus on my life as a Ross Mafia before agreeing to start a family with the same man who was also in the group.

“She has been dying to meet Ethan Coast’s bride ever since I told her that the man was getting married to you. You’ll have to excuse her insistence. I really shouldn’t have bothered you.”

Lisa smiled at me. “It’s alright, Maddy. I want to meet your mom too.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Trust me, she is going to ask you a lot of questions.”

“It’s fine.”

“But I guess I can begin mine,” I said as we approached the nurse at the front desk. “It’s about Raymond.”

Lisa turned to look at me. I had not planned to ask her about my fiancé but I had no choice. The man had been acting weird towards me lately but I believed the act started months ago when I found out he traveled out of town every week on some personal business.

“What about him?” asked Lisa.

“He is Ethan’s best friend and I assume they share secrets. A lot.”

Lisa shrugged. “They do.”

“Alright,” I said and lowered my tone. “I just want to know if he happened to tell Ethan why he goes out of town every week.”

Lisa seemed confused by my question. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that she had no idea what I was talking about. The nurse told me that my mom was in the dining room with some of her friends. I would have to take her back to her room myself.

“I don’t know…”

“Of course, you don’t,” I quickly said. “I’m sorry that I asked.”

“You think he is seeing someone else?”

I swallowed hard. Raymond would never do that. I trusted him but right now, I wasn’t that sure.

“Would you tell me if you find out anything? Even if it comes from Ethan?” I was almost pleading.

Lisa thought about this. “I’ll try. You’re like a sister to me. I wouldn’t want you to heartbroken.”

I hugged her. “Thanks.”

I did not appreciate friendships with girls like me but Lisa was indeed a good friend. She had likened me to her sister and that didn’t seem bad. The last time I had been so close to a girl was five years ago. Her name was Naomi Dunham.

We had a steady friendship, one that made even Ethan and Raymond jealous. I respected and loved her so much until five years ago when she decided to walk out of my life. Naomi had given no proper explanation. I woke up one morning to hear that she had left Leevens.

By the time we got to the dining room, the nurses had started taking the oldies back into their respective rooms. An African-American named Thelma was in charge of my mom but as soon as she sighted me, she knew that I would take her place for the time being.

“Hey, mom,” I called, hurrying to the old woman smiling at me from where she was. “Hey, Thelma.”

“You darling,” Rachel said and then sighted Lisa. “And this must be the bride.”

Lisa took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Nice meeting you, Miss. Parker.”

It was beautiful seeing my mother beam. As I gazed at her, remembering that her heroic act had kept me alive all those years ago, I tried hard not to cry. My mom wasn’t that old but she was over sixty and her grey hair had no trace of the black hair that had once been there.

My mother’s hair had once been beautiful until a fire outbreak had taken half of it. The left side of her face bore an everlasting burn from the fire, reaching down her waist and turning her left hand immobile. It’s been thirty years since she ever walked on her own without the aid of a wheelchair, having been crushed in the legs by a fallen plank in our little home that had been affected by the fire.

It was impossible to forget that night, how my mother had pulled me out of my burning room and dropped me down the window to a firefighter downstairs. Then she had tried to escape, only to be scorched by the flames and paralyzed by the wood. I thought she was going to die that night.

“I have to admit that you’re beautiful,” my mom was saying. “Ethan really made a good choice.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” I said and went behind her, grabbing the handles of her chair. “Come on, mom. Let’s discuss in your room.”

“I’ve got a lot to tell you,” she said as I wheeled her out of the dining room. “There is this guy two rooms from mine who might be hitting on me.”

I chuckled. “Aren’t you too old to be seeing someone?”

“Girl, I have been a single mother all my life. I think I should try getting into a relationship, or what do you think, Lisa?”

Lisa, who had kept quiet all this while, said. “You should, Miss. Parker. It’s a good thing.”

She took Lisa’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I am happy for you. Maybe when you get married, you can convince my daughter to say yes to Raymond. He is such a good guy for her.”

I forced a smile. Maybe he was. Maybe.