Our Lives Entwined

by Lilliana Anderson

  “Oh, I see. So, you’re definitely staying?”

  “Yeah Mi, I feel like I need this. Are you ok with it?”

  “Yeah. It’s time to let it all go. She doesn’t need to hurt anymore and neither do you.”

  “Thanks,” he said, leaning forward and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

  As she closed the door, she turned around to see Cayd looking at her from the doorway.

  “You’d better make that shower quick. Hair and makeup are on their way up.”

  “So much for you and me time.”

  “We’ll make up for it later,” he said, giving her a light tap on the behind as she walked past him. Grinning when she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, dropping her robe on the floor behind her in a tease.

  While Mia and Cayd got ready for their night out, Eric drove the short distance from the city to Mosman where Natalie and her adoptive parents lived. He was feeling incredibly nervous because he’d only met Sandra briefly at the hospital and spoken to Tom over the phone. So an evening with them alone was a little worrying as he didn’t know what they’d all talk about.

  When he arrived, Sandra greeted him warmly with a hug, as did Tom with a firm shake of the hand. “It’s great to finally meet you, mate,” he said.

  “Same.”

  A light veil of perspiration settled upon Eric’s brow as he suddenly felt a little out of his depth. He’d never really done the whole ‘meet and get along with the parents’ thing. He’d only been with Mia, and her parents passed away when they were nineteen and things weren’t very serious between them.

  “I hope you like roast lamb,” Sandra said, as she led Eric down the hall toward the family kitchen and dining area.

  He couldn’t help but take in all the framed photographs that hung on the wall, capturing Natalie’s life from baby to adult. While months ago, he would have looked at these photos and immediately thought of Mia, now he looked at them and thought only of Natalie as he wondered what went wrong. At what point did her mind start to poison? He understood that when she returned from Melbourne the guilt of what she had done had tormented her. But he wanted to know what happened before that? What got her to the point where she felt the need to try and take over someone else’s life?

  Looking away from the photos, he noticed that Sandra and Tom were both looking at him as if they expected an answer. He quickly replayed their interactions in his mind to try and find what they were waiting for. “Oh, lamb. Yeah. Lamb is fantastic.”

  “Can I offer you a drink Eric? Beer, water, fruit juice, wine?” Tom asked.

  “Um, will you think less of me if I ask for a beer?” Eric smiled, trying to somehow alleviate the tension in the room.

  “It would make me relieved. I could definitely do with one too.”

  “And please, pour me a giant wine,” Sandra added, as she carried the already prepared tray of food to the table.

  When they all sat down to eat, all the conversation stayed very polite. They wanted to know a bit about Eric and seemed pleased with the fact that he was a plumber by trade as there was always a lot of work for a tradesman.

  Eventually though, the topic of Natalie couldn’t be avoided any longer. “Before we take you to see the flat, we just want to make sure you understand what it is you’re getting into. We, of course, know what happened in Melbourne, and we’ll be forever grateful to both you and Mia for understanding that Natalie just lost her way a little,” Sandra said. “But what you may not know, is that Natalie has always been quite troubled. She’s been in and out of therapy for most of her late teen and adult life. She’s just always been dreadfully down and lonely.

  “For a while, we thought she was going to lose control, but when she found out about Mia, she seemed to calm down. She was angry at us, but she seemed to have a purpose – something to focus on.

  “But ever since she returned, she’s been on a downward spiral, and her self-worth has obviously plummeted to an all-time low.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say here, Eric, is that if you are going to stay, please only stay if you have the best of intentions. If you think that helping her through her recovery is going to be too hard on you, then it’s better you leave so she can work on a life without you in it.

  “You seem like a lovely man, and we’d be more than happy if you and Natalie could work things out. But you have to understand that our main focus is on her. She wants you around, so we will help if you want to stay. But if there comes a time that we feel your presence is unhealthy for her, then we’ll have to step in.”

  Tom nodded his head as his wife drew her final conclusion. “I think the point is, we don’t want you hurting our daughter unnecessarily. Are you willing to move past everything that happened in Melbourne? Are you willing to give her a clean slate?”

  Eric ran his hand over the top of his head and sat back in his seat as he blew out his breath. “Listen, this whole situation is really intense for the lot of us, so I’m just going to lay my cards on the table here. I’ve just spent the last year trying to forget your daughter. I’ve been punishing myself daily for knowing something wasn’t right, but going along with it anyway. But the fact of the matter is, I care about Natalie. I can’t just forget her. We connected somehow and despite everything, I need to give this a chance. I need to forget what anyone else thinks of me and just go with what my heart wants. Because honestly, I’ve been miserable without her.”

  “What about your friends and family? Are you willing to risk any backlash from them?”

  “Yes. Yes I am.”

  After Mia and Cayd had finished getting ready for the benefit, they’d been picked up in a limousine and informed that they were to also pick up Cayd’s father, Howard Donnelly, on the way.

  “Now, I just have to warn you that sometimes the women can be a little…”

  “Bitchy?” Mia interrupted before Cayd could find the right word.

  “For want of a better word – yes.” He reached over and took her hand between his. “Just…be a little guarded around them.”

  “Are they anything like the people on Gossip Girl?”

  “I have never seen an episode in my life, so I have no idea,” he replied, with a chuckle as he lifted Mia’s hand and kissed her palm. “I know you’ll be fine though. Those women have nothing on you.”

  “I would hope not. Otherwise you would be with one of them, instead of me,” she told him as a matter of fact.

  “That’s very true. Just keep that in mind, ok. They can be very unkind while smiling sweetly.”

  Taking a deep breath to calm her sudden nerves, Mia nodded.

  He kissed her hand again. “Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?”

  “Several times. But I do like hearing your compliments.”

  As she held onto Cayd’s hand while they drove, Mia’s stomach was a swirling mess of butterflies. She had never had reason to get this dressed up before in her life. Not only was she nervous about meeting Cayd’s father, but she was also nervous about doing something to ruin her outfit. She had seen the credit card receipt when she took out her shoes and noticed that her whole outfit cost more than four thousand dollars – not to mention the fact that she was also wearing borrowed jewellery that were probably worth more than she could make in five years at her teaching position.

  While she knew Cayd had full access to his family’s funds, she did feel a little guilty about having so much spent on her and quietly told herself that this would be the dress she wore to every occasion possible from now on. She didn’t want to waste money for the sake of having a different frock every time she was seen. Just because Cayd could afford it – didn’t make it right.

  “That’s my father there,” Cayd said, as the limousine came to a stop next to a man who was immediately recognisable to Mia after seeing him regularly on the news and in the papers.

  Howard Donnelly had thick coiffed greying hair and quite a rotund belly. His build was thick and besides a slig
ht similarity in facial features, you’d have trouble picking him and Cayd as father and son. Cayd’s lean build, hazel eyes and dark hair were all from his mother’s side (which is why his father had so much trouble looking at him once his dear wife took her own life).

  Mia inhaled slowly as the driver opened the door and Howard finished up his conversation with another man who seemed to be a business associate. They shook hands and clapped shoulders before Howard bustled into his seat as if he was the only person in the cabin.

  Cayd was used to his father being so dismissive, but Mia found his entrance a little rude as it wasn’t until he had sat down, checked a few messages on his phone and the limo had started driving again that he actually found time to look up, and greet his son.

  “Cayd,” he nodded.

  “Father.”

  “And who’s this,” he asked, nodding toward Mia without actually looking at her. It made her feel as though she wasn’t even supposed to be there.

  “You know very well who she is, father. I’ve told you about her more than once. Notably, just this morning, when you informed me we were attending this thing.”

  “I’m Mia,” she said, holding out her hand to shake his in greeting.

  He took it loosely and said a very unemotional, “Nice to meet you.”

  “Still playing headshrinker, I hear,” he directed at Cayd, as he fiddled with his cufflinks and jacket sleeves. Mia could tell he wasn’t really paying much attention and was really just trying to make Cayd feel small.

  It bothered her that someone would purposely try and upset the man she loved. So she was unable to keep her mouth closed on the subject.

  “He’s actually very well respected in his field, Mr Donnelly. He has a thriving practice and on top of that, he gets invited to speak at various universities. You should be very proud.”

  “Should I now? And what is it that you do, Teá?” Howard asked, his eyes narrowed slightly as he tested what this woman his son had taken up with was made of.

  “Father. Back off,” Cayd warned.

  “It’s fine, Cayd,” Mia said, placing her hand on Cayd’s thigh reassuringly. “Mr Donnelly, you and I both know you’re aware of my name, so let’s not bother with the slips of memory or mispronunciation bullshit, ok? I’m going to be with your son for a very long time, so I suggest you get used to having me around. For your information, I’m a teacher. I can’t imagine my chosen vocation will be good enough for you, considering you’re looking down on your son for being a doctor. So, I’d appreciate it if you kept your grunts to yourself and started to behave like the man of class the media portrays you to be.”

  A grin played at the corner of Cayd’s mouth as he listened to Mia lay down the law with his father. He had never seen someone have enough gall to do that (besides his mother of course) and in that moment, it only made him love Mia more.

  Howard Donnelly kept a straight face as he assessed both his son and the girl who was with him before he broke into a smile. “You know, son, I like her. I like her a lot. Mia, you can call me Howard.”

  The benefit was being held in the ballroom of one of the most opulent looking hotels Mia had ever been in. She thought the one she and Cayd were staying in was nice, but this was something else. Everything was grand, from the overly large reception area to marbled elevator bay and finally - the giant crystal chandelier that was suspended in the centre of the ballroom.

  Round tables with golden table cloths and rose coloured centrepieces, surrounded a wooden dance floor where a string quartet was set up to the side of a long straight table, playing Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.

  It was too early in the night for anyone to be dancing, but there was a distinct hum in the room as everyone mingled and chatted amiably.

  With her hand holding the crook of Cayd’s arm, Mia held her head high and tried to look as though she belonged. Although, her nerves must have been more apparent than she thought they were, as Howard leaned toward her and quietly said, “You seem tougher than every one of these women. Relax. You’ll be fine.”

  Mia’s cheeks deepened in a blush, as she smiled at the compliment. She felt quite sure that it wasn’t often that Howard Donnelly was encouraging to anyone.

  “All right. Let’s do these rounds and then we can eat, present a cheque and get the hell out of here,” Howard said quietly, to both Mia and Cayd, just before the first of many couples they were all required to talk pleasantly to, arrived to say hello and make small talk.

  As Howard stepped forward to greet them by shaking the balding man with a moustache’s hand briskly, before politely hugging and cheek kissing the wife, Cayd leaned into whisper in Mia’s ear.

  “Take a deep breath, love. The sharks are coming.” With that, he kissed her lightly on the side of the head and moved forward with a smile as his father turned to introduce them both.

  By the time they had all lapped the room, Mia’s face hurt from smiling so much and she felt like her face needed cleaning after all the kisses from strange men that she’d had to endure for politeness’s sake.

  So when it was time to take their seats for the dinner, Mia excused herself to go and freshen up.

  “Do you want me to walk you?” Cayd asked, concerned about her venturing off on her own.

  “I think I can manage. I won’t be long,” she laughed, kissing him lightly on the cheek before heading to the ladies room.

  When she had finished relieving herself, she was at the mirrors, checking her hair and makeup when a very tall, very leggy blonde walked in.

  “So you’re the reason Cayd has been staying away,” she drawled, as she looked down her thin nose at Mia.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Well, we haven’t seen him for over a year. We thought he ran scared when he got one of the girls pregnant. Turns out, he was just busy re-living his teenage years with you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh dear. Don’t you know? Your man has been with nearly every available woman out there.” She placed her hand beside her mouth and loudly whispered the next part. “And quite a few unavailable.” Before returning to normal speech. “He’s fairly well known in our circle. There was a big scandal over him getting one of the girls pregnant and taking off. No one knows what happened, he just vanished all of a sudden. Then here he is, popping up again with you – a girl who is practically a baby herself. I guess that explains why he never settled down with one of us. He only likes them young.”

  Even though she was furious, Mia didn’t dignify her with a response, she simply focused on reapplying some lipstick in the mirror.

  “Don’t put too much make up on. You don’t want to spoil your youthful looks. You know you’ll end up like one of us in the end – in your thirties and rejected by Cayd Donnelly. Actually, come to think of it, what are you going to do when you’re out of his age range? Eventually, you’ll be cast aside.” She looked over her shoulder as someone else entered the bathroom and leaned in closer to only Mia could hear her. “He’ll fuck you senseless. He’ll make you scream his name, and then he’ll get bored, and you’ll be left all alone, wondering how the hell you’re ever going to find a man who gets you off like he could.”

  “Fuck off,” Mia growled, suddenly shaking with rage.

  “There you go. That’s the spirit. When you go out there, take a look around. Every time one of them smiles at you, they’re all feeling sorry for you. No one keeps Cayd Donnelly. Not even a pretty little thing like you.”

  With that last piece of advice, the blonde spun on her heel and sashayed out, leaving the door to swing shut after her.

  Breathing slowly in an effort to calm herself down as she returned her cosmetics to her clutch, she coached herself mentally, telling herself that that woman was just jealous. Those things she was saying can’t be true. Cayd wasn’t like that.

  She wasn’t naïve enough to think that he hadn’t been with women before her. But she couldn’t believe that he’d slept with that many – or that he�
�d gotten one pregnant and ran off. He just wasn’t that type of man. Was he?

  When the other lady who had entered left the bathrooms without washing her hands, Mia decided that these ‘society’ women may look nice because of all their money, but they were severely lacking in manners.

  “Is everything ok?” Cayd asked, when she returned to the table, her face obviously showed her distaste for the events that had just passed and he had always been able to successfully read her.

  “It’s fine. I just ran into someone who claims to be an old friend of yours.”

  “I see.”

  “What’s the story with the leggy blonde over there? She seems to have a bit of an issue with our age difference.”

  Cayd looked over at the woman Mia was speaking of and caught her eye. She gave him a wink and tilted her wine glass at him, letting him know that she hadn’t given up her old ways.

  “Her name is Belle Fleming. And she takes issue with any woman who is younger than her. Ever since she turned forty she’s been exceptionally pissed off with the world,” Howard put in from Mia’s other side.

  Mia’s head pivoted toward Howard. “She’s forty?”

  “Forty-one now, I believe.”

  She swung her head back to Cayd. “Is she an ex of yours?”

  “Mia, I…” Cayd paused, glancing at his father who was still listening in. He really didn’t want to confirm what had happened between him and Belle in public.

  Mia leaned in and lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. “She is, isn’t she? Jesus Christ, Cayd. You said to be careful of the women, but you didn’t say to be careful because you’d fucked most of them.” Sitting back, Mia pushed her chair away from the table. “Excuse me. I’m not hungry anymore. It was nice to meet you Howard, but I’m sorry. I just can’t stay.”

  Mia stood and collected her clutch, planning to head straight back to the hotel. But Cayd wasn’t going to let her take off on him angry. He hadn’t done anything wrong. What had happened in the past was in the past. Now, the only person he cared about was Mia.

  As he watched his son leave in pursuit of Mia, Howard couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “He’s got his hands full with that one,” he said to the lady on his right.