“Here, have this.” Aunt Margaret’s voice brought Jean out of her memory and back to the present, and she could see that on the tray her aunt had set before her were chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk.
Jean smiled up at her aunt.
This had been her favorite thing to eat when she was little.
And for a while, she let herself wonder what must’ve gone through her aunt’s mind when she arrived from the shop that day to find Pete lying in his own blood.
Jean had known that Pete survived after she got to Jeff’s place.
She had read on the internet a report of the incident and that Pete had been rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Later, they said he had survived.
Jean picked up a cookie and took a bite before sipping from the glass of milk.
At her side, Michael conversed with Aunt Margaret, and he could see him handing her the paper and telling her where to sign.
“You’ll get an invite to the wedding in a few days.
We can have it delivered in person, or mailed to you.” “The mail would be fine.” Aunt Margaret answered too quickly, and Michael’s brow drew together a bit.
Aunt Margaret read the paper for a bit.
“This is… you’re the Michael Marquez?
CEO of ‘M Corp’?” Aunt Margaret asked, her eyes widening a bit.
Michael gave her a charming smile.
“Indeed I am.” He responded.
Aunt Margaret looked to me once more for confirmation, and I gave her the same nod and an almost sheepish smile.
“How fortunate you are, my dear.” Aunt Margaret said before taking the pen Michael offered her and signing.
“I always knew you were meant for great things.” It did not surprise Jean that her aunt knew exactly who Michael was.
Aunt Margaret was an educated woman who had graduated from business school with a degree, and she was a sucker for the news and the stock market.
She had once told Jean of companies she had bought stocks in and how well they would do in a few years.
Jean wanted to spend a bit more time with her aunt, to ask her questions, but as Michael took the paper and rose to his feet, she knew she would not get that opportunity.
“I’m afraid we must be leaving now.
We’ve come all the way from New York…” Michael looked to Jean, and the look forced her into setting the half-empty glass of milk back on the tray and rising to her feet.
Jean watched as Aunt Margaret’s face fell a little and she felt sorry for the woman.
She was still so young, despite her appearance.
Jean half expected Aunt Margaret to offer them the spare room in the house, the one that had been Jean’s room, but she only gave a small smile and said: “I understand.” Noticing her sadness, though, Michael pulled out a black card from the pocket of his suit and handed it to Aunt Margaret.
“I can’t promise that we’ll stop by again anytime soon, but should you have any desire to see your niece, you may leave a call so that you can be directed to the house.
She’ll be available whenever.” Michael said, with a sudden softness in his eyes.
“I’ll leave you two for a bit.” He added, then pressed a kiss to Jean’s cheek before making his way out of the house.
For a moment, neither woman moved; they just stared at each other, and in the next second, they were hugging and crying into each other’s shoulders.
“You have no idea how glad I am to see that you’re doing fine, my dear girl.” Aunt Margaret said.
“I am so… so sorry for everything, Jean.” She said amidst tears.
“It’s alright, Aunt.
Everything’s fine.” Jean whispered, patting the older woman gently on the back.
Aunt Margaret pulled back a little to study her niece with eyes that were so brown, they almost looked gold.
“Do you love him?” “No,” Jean answered truthfully.
“But… he’s been very kind to me.” She added, not wanting to add to her aunt’s troubles.
She had enough to deal with already.
Aunt Margaret sniffled, wiped her eyes, and then grabbed Jean by the shoulders.
“I want you to swear to me that you won’t end up like me, alright?
No matter what the reason for this marriage is, promise!” She gave Jean a light shake.
“I… I promise, Aunt.” Jean responded weakly.
“I never told you, but I married Pete because my mother owed him and she could not pay it back.
It’s why I could never leave; he’d go after her.” Aunt Margaret said, and Jean’s whole world changed.
It all made sense to Jean now.
It explained why Aunt Margaret couldn’t leave.
It explained why that very one time when Jean had snapped at her and called her useless and weak for still staying after they had both been beaten by Pete, Aunt Margaret had simply held her and cried bitterly.
Aunt Margaret and Jean’s mother had the same father but different mothers.
And after Jean’s mother had died, their father brought in another wife who was already pregnant for him with Margaret.
Jean’s mother hadn’t stuck around for long.
She finished college, got a job, and married Jean’s father within a few years.
While Aunt Margaret grew up with her own mother and lived with her even after her father passed.
“You can still leave, Aunt.
It kills me to see you like this…” Jean spoke, tears spilling from her eyes once again.
“I… I can talk to Michael; we can leave now.” Even as she said the words, Jean did not believe them.
Aunt Margaret shook her head.
“Don’t worry about me.
My mother’s dead.
I’ll leave soon enough.
Go on now, I’ll keep in touch.” Aunt Margaret pressed a kiss to Jean’s forehead, just like she used to do.
“You look so much like your mother.” She whispered and then gave Jean one last kiss to the temple before leading her to the door and outside towards Michael, who stood leaning against his car, looking every bit like the handsome devil that he was.
Jean got inside the car and waved at her aunt, who stood just outside the door, waving until the car was out of sight.