Page 142 of Lau Ahi
“You have a mother hurt as well?”
“That’s putting it lightly.” I huffed and sat back wishing that I already had my drink so I could calm my nerves. Instead, I glanced out of the large windows at the front of the restaurant watching the lunch traffic go by.
“I think… I hope that I’m right and that you and Ori are exactly what the other needs in this world. The way you looked at him in the medical facility made me think that you all will find your footing.” When I looked back at her I noticed how hopeful she looked. Like she truly meant each word she said.
“I’m not sure about all of that. Besides, neither of us really knows him well, do we?”
I knew my words struck a chord with her because of how she pressed her lips together. Instead of lashing out or biting back at me, she smiled.
“You’re proving my desires are closer to reality than I think.” Her water and my drink were set down at the table before the server disappeared silently. After another sip, I picked up the conversation.
“How so?”
“Because you aren’t giving me an inch in any of this. I could’ve come here with ill-intentions and anyone who didn’tactually care about my son would’ve been happy if I had nefarious intentions. That meant that they would’ve had a way out of this situation. But not you. You’re not sitting here meekly taking anything, you’re unapologetically being yourself.” Faith folded her arms on the table careful to keep her elbows off like etiquette demanded.
“Is that a bother?”
She was silent her eyes intently studying my face the same way her sons did before she smiled. Her smile was broad and natural, which is where she differed from her offspring.
“No. I adore that, actually. If I had been you thirty-five years ago, Ori wouldn’t be here. So I guess something good came out of that misery.”
A glimpse into her past that she didn’t seem bothered to discuss. I hoped she’d be willing to elaborate on it.
“This story sounds painful.”
The server came back with our champagne and set the bucket down on the table. She poured Faith’s drink with a flourish and then looked between the two of us, seeing if we needed anything. I took a sip of my drink and gave her a nod that it was well made. She glanced at Faith who also nodded.
When the server left Faith turned to me and she looked more nervous than before.
“What do you know?”
“Very little, honestly. About any of this. It’s never been something that I’ve been involved in. My father’s affairs. Business or otherwise. My focus has always been on my education and now my career. I’ve lent time as a consultant in case he ever needed help with the business but the need for this is still beyond me.”
“There’s always a reason, Asha.”
I kept my glass in my hand swirling the blue liquid against the crystal walls feeling uneasy with her words. “What does thatmean? And are you purposefully trying to sound ominous or are you simply doing it for the effect?”
“I’m giving you the warning that no one gave me all those years ago. You might think it’s something as simple as an agreement, but it’s not.” She leaned back in her seat her face tight and I knew it was more the memory of her past than her concerns for my future. If nothing else, I was sure she knew her son would protect me but she couldn’t help but worry because of what she’d been through.
“Now, which party do you think is being less than altruistic?”
“I don’t think it’s a lack of altruism on anyone’s part. I think it’s more complex than anyone is letting on.”
“Again, doesn’t bode well for this union.”
Her smile was soft, almost wistful and I wondered if I’d offended her. “With Ori, there’s never any guise. He’s always straightforward. I know nothing of your father but I know about your mother.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re one of her social media followers.”
My mother had gotten it into her head that she wanted to be an influencer. Sasha always laughed at that idea. She said that my mother’s only desire in the world was to make other people jealous of her and I could tell that’s exactly why she was doing it. My father told her that if she got robbed he wasn’t replacing any of her stuff or allowing her to claim it on their insurance and run up the premiums.
“Your mother has a social media following? Do they know that?” I knew thetheybefore she needed to elaborate and I could only assume they’d done an extensive background check on our whole family. It made me wonder what they thought of her. And if they thought I was anything like her.
“I’m assuming that you mean this collective of interests that governs everything.”
She smiled at my description but seemed happy that I wasn’t putting a name to the collective. “Yes. Them.”
I shrugged unsure of what they knew because I hadn’t bothered to ask. “I’m sure they do. I can’t imagine that we haven’t been thoroughly vetted back several generations to ensure we weren’t doing anything nefarious. Well, nefarious dealings that are counterproductive to whatever end they need.” We shared a smirk and it was a silent unspoken acknowledgment of what we were involved in.
