Loving You Too Long

Mrs. Monica shook her head. ‘When a man still clings to his partner and looks for other women out there, it’s not because he has a reason to stay. They use the word ‘bored’ as a substitute for ‘going to come back.’ Because in the end, when his boredom disappears, he will return to where he truly belongs.

‘And honestly, he doesn’t want to leave. He wants to gain benefits for himself. Never mind that he hurts the woman accompanying him. Because why? Because he’s a bastard. And in the end, the woman who becomes his outlet is often called cheap.

‘And even cheaper, if the woman who becomes the mistress begs to hold on. Even now, the homewrecker is worse than the official wife. They act as if they are queens and the official wives are parasites. But in reality, it’s the opposite.

‘So Haisley, if a man hurts you, leave! Don’t be a cheap woman begging for his love. Out there, there will be a superhero waiting for you. A man riding his white horse, waiting for the princess to return to her senses. Before you respect and worship your partner, you better worship and respect yourself first.

‘You’re a beautiful girl, you’re a good girl. Many mothers would want you as their daughter-in-law, and many men would want you as their life partner,’ Mrs. Monica said, making Haisley smile and nod her head.”

“Alright, let’s eat before it gets cold,” Mr. Samuel intervened. “Besides, why are we discussing such disgusting things during dinner?” he asked, puzzled.

Mrs. Monica shrugged. “I don’t know either. Mommy also doesn’t know how our conversation ended up on such distasteful topics,” she replied, confused.

The conversation shifted to lighter topics. Mrs. Monica engaged Haisley in conversation more, Gilbert was busy with his phone, Nathan was discussing business with his father. And Loretta, the girl, remained silent, only answering when asked. Haisley herself felt confused and guilty towards the girl. If only she hadn’t joined Gilbert earlier, maybe Mrs. Monica would be talking to Loretta instead of her now.

At ten o’clock, they were on their way back to the Chayton residence. This time, Mr. Samuel accompanied Gilbert in his car because Nathan was going to drop Loretta off at her home.

“Auntie is really tired and sleepy. Yet she still wants to talk to you a lot,” Mrs. Monica said, yawning widely. “You’ve become quite quiet, Haisley. Is something wrong?” she asked sharply.

“Nothing’s wrong, Tan. Auntie, just rest,” she replied, met with Mrs. Monica’s snort. But inevitably, the woman nodded her head.

“See you at breakfast tomorrow,” she said.

Haisley just nodded along with Gilbert, who came out of his parents’ room after delivering the suitcase inside. Mrs. Monica walked in, patting Gilbert’s shoulder briefly.

“Want something to drink?” Gilbert offered Haisley. Haisley shook her head. “Come on, your room upstairs hasn’t been touched yet.” Gilbert then patted Haisley’s head. “See you tomorrow morning,” he said. Haisley nodded and stepped upstairs.

Haisley sat in the bedroom that used to be hers. She sat in silence for who knows how long in the dim light. Haisley took a deep breath, glancing at the wall clock showing eleven o’clock. It was time for her to sleep.

Haisley got up, planning to freshen up before going to her bed. But then she realized her bag was still in Gilbert’s car’s trunk. How could she forget like that?

Haisley then walked to Gilbert’s room, knocking softly. “G, are you still awake?” she inquired.

“Not yet. Come in, H,” Gilbert replied from inside. He was sitting in front of his computer desk. He seemed to be examining the screen displaying his photo results. “Why?” he asked, then turned to Haisley.

“Can I borrow the car keys? My spare clothes are in the bag in the trunk,” she said, feeling embarrassed.

Gilbert chuckled. “The car keys are on the key holder near the door, Haisley. Sorry, I forgot to take them down when I put the banged-up suitcase down earlier,” he said apologetically. Haisley just smiled and then left Gilbert’s room.

Haisley walked slowly towards the first floor. She didn’t want to disturb the homeowners, as they must be too tired. She took the key from the key holder Gilbert had mentioned and walked towards the garage. How surprised Haisley was to see Nathan already there, seemingly just getting out of his car. Why didn’t she hear his arrival? Or was it his arrival that snapped her out of her reverie?

The man stared at Haisley sharply, but not a word came out of his mouth. Haisley chose to ignore him and walked towards Gilbert’s car. She pressed the button on the key in her hand, and the car’s trunk popped open. She then opened the back of the car and retrieved her bag from there. Afterward, Haisley closed it again slowly, so as not to make any noise that might disturb the people inside the house. When she was about to step inside, she was quite surprised because Nathan was still standing in his original place, leaning on his car door.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” he asked, accusingly and coldly.

Haisley, who was about to step in, had to stop and look at Nathan in confusion. “Doing what?” she asked.

“Dominating the conversation with my mother,” Nathan accused, sharply. “So much so that Loretta didn’t have a chance to talk and introduce herself.”

Haisley furrowed her brow, becoming even more puzzled. Her? Dominating the conversation? Wasn’t the man accusing the wrong person? Clearly, she knew that his mother had been the one engaging her in conversation, not the other way around.

“You know I didn’t do that,” she said, clearly disliking Nathan’s accusation.

But the man shook his head. “You deliberately stayed silent and replied to my mother’s remarks only half-heartedly because you knew that way, she would talk more. You gave her a chance to talk. And that made Mommy not notice Loretta at all.”

“I, whether I talk or stay silent, will always look wrong in your eyes, Nath. I don’t need to respond to your nonsense,” she said, then turned around. But Nathan moved faster; he pulled Haisley’s arm, causing her grip on her bag to loosen, and the bag fell to the floor with a soft thud.

“I’m not talking nonsense, Haisley. And what about your hair? Did you cut it? What’s your purpose? Seeking people’s attention?” he accused again.