CHAPTER 4: I am done advising you.

"Look who decided to come back home, and what was that you both were talking about financial differences?" Joann asked her daughter as soon as she got into the house.

"Mum come on, will you please give me some breathing space, you heard that too?" Eleanor asked getting agitated.

"Why wouldn't I? I am not deaf you know. So are you going to say something or would you rather, I asked Sam." Joann said.

"Mum, Sam is in love with me okay? The sooner you understand that the better for both of us." Eleanor said almost yelling.

"Whoa!! Look who got some nerve talking to me like that. Well, I have no business as to whether he loves you or not. And I don't care if his entire family accepts you. Keep in mind that we are middle class and we can't entangle ourselves with the high and mighty, okay? We are poor people we can't even afford a better life for ourselves I know that, but what I will not accept is if anyone who claims to love you does that out of pity, Eleanor James." Joann blurted out.

"Mum, Sam intends to marry me immediately we are done with college. This shows how much he loves me deeply." Eleanor uttered.

"Foolishness on your part to actually believe that, you both are still kids and you are talking about marriage? Are you kidding me?" Joann asked, surprise visible in her face.

"Mom in case you have forgotten I am twenty one (21) years old now, and I will be graduating at the age of twenty two. And it won't be bad if I got married at an early age." Eleanor retorted.

"And also get divorced at an early age because of some childish crush, or because you fell out of love?" Joann asked.

"But mum, I love Sam and you are not making any sense, why would the one who loves me fall out of love with me?" Eleanor said.

"Wow!! So because of a guy your mum turns out to be someone not making any sense, isn't it?" Joann asked to process what she just heard from her very own daughter.

She couldn't believe what was going on.

"Mum I didn't mean that the wrong way, I just... I just wanted you to know that I love him and he loves me just as much." Eleanor said mildly.

"Enough, you have no idea what you are talking about you have no freaking idea what those words mean. You are still too young to understand what love really is, but you know what? I will no longer interfere in your love life, but I am one hundred percent sure, sooner or later you will come to realize just how much your mum was actually right and was making sense." Joann said.

"Mum I am so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Eleanor said apologetically.

"Hurt my feelings? As if I have any. Well its all good, I am done advising you, like you said you are an adult now even a future bride to be... ha!! Good for you and oh good luck with that. Good luck with being his wife and all." Joann said leaving her daughter Eleanor standing there and hurt.

She didn't mean to say those words out to her mum, she raced upstairs to her room, changed her outfit and was lost in thoughts when her phone beeped, it was Sam, the love of her life.

Immediately she looked at her phone and saw he was the one calling, she smiled and picked up.

"Hey beautiful, are you still up?" Sam asked over the phone.

"Yeah I am, what about you, what were you up to? Tell me why are you still up handsome?" Eleanor asked inquisitively.

"Well I couldn't sleep knowing fully well I didn't hear the voice of my angel." Sam replied.

"Stop being so cheesy and sneaky will you?" Eleanor said blushing.

"What? I am being sincere here and you know it, are you perhaps in any way blushing?" Sam asked teasingly.

"Silly you, so when will you be coming to school tomorrow? Will you be skipping our morning class as usual? You know you hate music." Eleanor said.

"Haha, I plan on doing that because our music teacher can be so boring, you know?" Sam said.

"Well I don't know, I kind of like him and the way he teaches, makes his classes interesting." Eleanor said.

"Ha..ha..ha... well, I can't focus whenever he is with those funny glasses of his you see." Sam said teasingly.

"Stop it." Eleanor uttered.

"Fine, I will stop teasing him for you okay? So tell me, what's wrong?" Sam inquired.

"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked because the question took her by surprise.

"I know you are not okay, something is troubling you isn't it?" Sam asked.

"Come on, Sam, I am okay I promise. It's nothing."

"Okay fine... so, beautiful, its getting pretty late for you to be awake, and a beauty like your cute self needs her beauty sleep, so go on, close your eyes and sweet dreams, my love." Sam said.

"Alright sweet dreams, see you tomorrow, good night handsome." Eleanor said

"Good night love" Sam said

"I love you..." Eleanor said.

"I love you more, my sweetheart." Sam replied making Eleanor smile.

She hung up and her mood totally changed from being sad to happy just after one phone call. She drifted to sleep with a calm heart.

*****

"Good morning Mr Carlos, how are your family?" Magdalene greeted the older man.

"They are very fine Ma'am Magdalene, what can I do for you ma'am?" Mr Carlos asked.

"There is something fishy going on with my daughter recently, she seems so out of it lately. So I need you to watch Natalie today, while you take her to school, keep a close eye on her and call me if you notice anything out of the ordinary. Can you do that for me?" Magdalene said.

"Sure ma'am." Mr Carlos retorted.

"Good, do have a nice day, Mr Carlos." She said.

"You too ma'am Magdalene." Mr Carlos said and left.

'This is the first time my daughter has openly lied to me. I need to find out what's going on with her.' Magdalene thought.

Just then Natalie came and said,

"Mom, I am off to school see you later, I love you."

"I love you too my darling." Magdalene replied and pecked her on her cheek.

Natalie then entered into the car and Mr Carlos her driver drove her to school.