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As expected and as it should be, I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. An ex-
pression of shock fleetingly coursed through Mark’s face, betraying the calm de- meanor he had since been portraying.
Rose’s shock was loud; she couldn’t contain it so she flared up. “What the actu- al hell!” She erupted, jerking up from her sitting position. “Are you seriously giv- ing her shares?”
Doris sized her up before calmly replying, “Yes, Rose, I am seriously giving her shares.”
“Why?! Doris? Why?” Then she turned to me, her face was already red with. anger, “You b**ch!” She glared and even as each of those curse words tumbled out of her m*uth, her voice trembled, “How dare you take my son’s share! What did you say to grandma to make her give you the shares that belong to my son?”
I just stared at her indifferently, my eyes lingered, perusing the contours of her hard
angry gaze. This woman never gets tired, does she? Even a demented fool will be able to tell that no one could ever influence any decision that Doris takes.
Doris was a strong and confident woman and she looked it. She is always very confident in whatever decision she has chosen.
I tuned back in the conversation in time to see Rose’s arm flung my way and I was able to miss it.
“Rose!” Doris‘ voice sounded like steel as she reprimanded Rose.
“Grandma, you don’t know this b**ch! She’s just a money–grubbing woman. If she takes our shares, she will only harm us.”
Doris feigned looking around the room and I almost couldn’t hold my laugh, “I wonder where the woman you just described is.”
“Doris! Don’t you see this? This has been her plan all along.” Then she abruptly
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臨 +30 Vouchers turned to Grandma Doris, “Do you know she is keeping a lover outside? I saw her in the hospital with some buff guy that looked Italian. They were being intimate and when I confronted her about it, this b**ch didn’t even have the decency to de-
ny it!”
“Enough, Rose!” Doris looked sternly at Rose and shut her up sharply. Then she perfectly arched her eyebrows, “Have you forgotten your young days when you
left Mark to the nanny?”
Rose gulped but didn’t say anything. Grandma continued and she brought her fingers to her face, pretending to inspect them as she spoke, “You don’t? Then let me remind you. You had left Mark,my sweet youngling with the nanny and went out. I remember that you didn’t come home even after shamelessly get- ting drunk, instead hung out hung out with strippers every day till…” she trailed off, turned to her; her face a depiction of feigned innocence, and shrugged?”
Her voice cut like a knife as she gritted out her last words, “Sydney is a thou-
sand times better than you, she has dignity,” she leaned forward and whispered in a hissing tone, “And she has class!”
Rose was literally shaking with anger and her fists were tightly clenched by her side and for the briefest moment, my muscles bunched, my heart lodged in my throat as I considered the possibility of Rose hitting Doris.
Instead, she erupted as usual, whining. “Those were mistakes I made when I
was young, why do you have to bring it up before this outsider?!” Right then, the hate in her eyes as she glowered at Grandma was unmistakable.
“Young, huh?” Doris looked coldly at Rose, “If I remember correctly,” she slant- ed an authoritative brow, “and I do, you were several years older than Sydney is now, have you forgotten?”
Rose looked at Rebecca, speechless, gnashing her teeth in anger. The highest she could do was shoot daggers at the woman with her eyes. 2
As I watched her, I mentally shook my head. Why does she have to always dis- play her madness thus ending up embarrassing herself? She could have quietly remained seated like her son was doing right now and let me talk my way out of
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Mark, who had been quiet all this while, scolded his mother. “Mom!” His voice was firm and commanding, “Get back to your seat, please.” I was surprised
when she stomped back to her seat.
I turned back to Doris, “Grandma, I really just want a divorce, I don’t want to cov-
et shares that don’t belong to me.”
“You’re not,” she made air quotes with her fingers, “coveting them. I’m giving
them to you.”
“But Doris, I-” I broke off, thinking of how best I could put it but there wasn’t a
better way, I have to be blunt and direct. “I don’t want them.”
She only shrugged, “Well, that’s too bad. They belong to you now and you have
to want them.”
My shoulders fell, “Grandma please.” My eyes fleeted to Rose, “I don’t want any
trouble. I just want to leave in peace.”
I
But Doris was unyielding, “If you don’t want these shares then I won’t agree to your divorce.”
And that did it. Won’t it be crazy if I preferred to stay in a marriage I didn’t want
just because I didn’t want to covet shares? It was laughable.
“Alright, Grandma, if you insist, I’ll accept these shares,” a resigned sigh es- caped my l*ps as I agreed. It was a good thing she hadn’t mentioned anything about not selling the shares. I could easily find an opportunity to transfer the shares to Mark after the divorce has been finalized. Then I would be rid of them
in every part of my life. Then I’d know that whatever way I choose to get in- volved again would be my choice.
Doris smiled triumphantly then called onto one 9f the maids, “Go to my room, there’s a brown file on the desk. Bring it.”
I raise my brows, did she have this planned all along? Perhaps, she had intend- ed to give me the shares whether or not I stay with her grandson. That made
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more sense because Doris was not one to take decisions in the heat of the mo-
ment.
The maid came back with the file. Grandma asked the maid to place the file be-
fore her then she beckoned on me. “Here, you will have to sign here,” she point-
ed to a spot and then another, “And here then the shares are yours.”
I scuttled closer and took the pen she stretched out to me. I glanced through
the terms then I signed on the share transfer documents. As I signed them, I could feel the drill of Rose’s gaze atop my head.
When all was done, Doris put the documents beside her and smiled. “Thank
you.”
I shook my head, “No, Doris. I should be the one thanking you.” Then I took her
frail hands with a surprisingly firm grip in mine, “Thank you so much.”
She nodded with a smile. I released her hand and got on my feet. I turned to
Mark, “By 9:00 AM tomorrow, I’ll be at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau,
be there or be square.” I made sure to sound firm. I didn’t want my time to be wasted again.
He remained seated, his right ankle resting on his left knee. He nodded and replied with that aloof expression still plastered on his face, “See you tomor-
row.”
Grandma Doris walked me to the entrance of the living room. Then she pulled me into a hug. “Till we see again.”
“I already promised you, I’d make time to come visit.”
“Please do.”
We hugged one more time and I walked out of their living room. I made my way to the garage to get my car. As my hand gripped the car’s doorknob and was about to pull the door open, I almost screamed in fright when Rose appeared out of nowhere from behind me.
“And where did you get those keys?”
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I closed my eyes and took a deep calming breath. Then I swirled on my heels
and turned to her. “Excuse me?”
“You b**ch!” She started, bitter as always, “You took my son’s shares, and now
you want to steal his car?” She glared at me viciously.
I scoffed. Seriously?! Is this how easy it was to steal a car? I spared her at bored glance, my tine as relaxed as I could make it, “This is my car, not your
son’s, you go ask your son.”
Just then, Mark appeared, his hands lodged in his pockets, from deep in the
shadows of the garage same direction his mother had come from. I squinted my eyes behind him, was there some door there that was linked inside the house or something?
I nodded toward Mark’s for Rose to see that he was behind her. “There is he,
ask him.”
Rose turned sharply, the words immediately tumbling down her m*uth. “Why
would you give her the key to such an expensive car? What for? Some kind of farewell gift?”
Mark regarded his mother for a while then his gaze traveled to the car and
back to Rose’s face. “It’s hers, not mine.” He answered simply.
Rose turned and gaped at the car, open–m*uthed. Then she erupted, “How’s
that even possible? How can you afford such an expensive car?”
“I am no longer your daughter in law, why should I tell you how I came to own
the car? It’s my business.”
Though we were yet to be officially divorced, since Grandma Doris has ap- proved it and Mark has also agreed then it was done. In my head and to all of them, I was no longer a Torres. Damn, the sheer joy the thought brought me.
“You bought it with my son’s money, didn’t you?” Rose accused as she walked up to the car door and pressed her palm on the keyhole, refusing to give up.
I rolled my eyes, she was so blinded by their family’s fortune that she thinks.
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everyone hungers to beg or steal from them. “As I’ve said, it’s my business how
I got to own the car. Now, please, move!”
I moved past her, slightly pushing her, got into the car and slammed the door shut on her. All the while, Mark just stood there, silently observing.
I pressed hard on the horn button and the honk sounded loudly. From the rearview mirror, I could see Rose standing there, glowering as she watched me
drive off.
As I drove out of the Torres compound, the joy I felt was immeasurable. Finally!
I wind down the window, letting the fresh air blow through my hair. Then I turned on music on my player and increased the volume and happily sang
along.
