Chapter 18: New Life
Her bags fell with a heavy thump as I finished explaining.
“Oh my god; I’m so sorry Marshall.” Amber said as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” I half smiled back at her. My glance turned to Toby who was slowly pacing in a circle with his head down, listening silently to my recent experience.
“Dammit…” He muttered quietly. “I knew that bitch was-”
“Toby…” I nodded over to Lea who was sitting just a couple of inches away.
“Sorry; I knew that… girl was no good!” He retorted.
I looked at him in understanding of the anger in his voice.
“Look, let’s try to forget I even said anything.” I assured to the both of them.
“We still have the rest of the day to do whatever we want.” Amber and Toby reluctantly nodded and shrugged.
I checked to see just how late in the day it was since the nap I took earlier made me lose all track of time. The digital clock placed under the television showed only about an hour had passed since I had gone to sleep.
“I have an idea.” I announced as I pulled my phone. To make it a surprise, I knew it would be better to not let them in on my secret to treating all three of them to one of the best restaurants New York had to offer, so I rushed into my room and prepared to make my call. Just as my phone flipped open, a different call came in; I answered hastily.
“Hello?”
“Ay, Marsh what da hell happened, buddy?!” Frank’s voice yelled through the phone.
I felt my fist clench as the memories of what he had just done come back to me, but I quietly sighed and relaxed myself before answering.
“Ohh Frank!” I answered back.
“What happened wit you an’ Stephanie Marshall?!” He exclaimed.
I chuckled slightly. “Yeah sorry Frank, I couldn’t stick to your plan there buddy. Stephanie spilled the beans on your little ‘scandalous magazine cover’ idea so I decided to break it off with her.” I shrugged happily as the other line went silent for a moment.
“Oh… Marsh, about that-”
“Don’t even worry about it! But listen, if you ever try to exploit my personal life again for your own gain, I will kill you.” I interrupted sweetly.
“L-listen; let me make it up to ya buddy! I know a couple of agencies have been lookin’ around for kid models and I’m sure they would love to meet your little gal Marsh!” Frank replied nervously.
“Oh no, you don’t have to worry about it… pal.” I muttered angrily.
“No, really! You don’t gotta do nothin’ Marsh! These guys wouldn’t mind headin’ to where you’re at! I’ll just fax ’em your directions-”
“I said no! You really think you can make this up for me?! Nothing you can do will make me forgive you for betraying me like this! For selling me out and my private information to some lousy tabloids! Go fuck yourself, dude. Stay out of my life, we’re done.” I snarled at the now-quiet Frank.
“Marshall, come on… After all we’ve been through? W-what are you saying; are you firing me?” Frank replied desperately.
“Exactly.” I slammed my phone down on the desk in front of me. After all this time of receiving and replying to frustrating phone calls and text messages, I’m actually impressed my cell phone had not broken yet. I chuckled quietly at the thought as I returned it to my pocket.
“Oops, almost forgot…” I pulled the phone back out and quickly connected to the owner of Le Chaud Nourriture, a very exclusive restaurant in New York City. After some casual chatter, he happily agreed to reserve a table for us. I walked back out to see Amber, Toby, and even Lea all disappear from their original spots. Fortunately, they had only moved into Lea’s room as Amber and Toby quietly watched the child playing with her stuffed animals.
“Alright, get ready guys; we’ll be leaving in half an hour.” I told them from outside the doorway.
“What for?” Toby countered.
“It’s a surprise!” I yelled back as I made my way into my room and prepared myself for some fine dining. Something that the owner always noted was his strict formal dress code inside his restaurant, which I did not mind doing whatsoever. Wearing a well-matched suit or dress when eating out showed elegance in my opinion, and in a way it only fueled my excitement toward such events.
I heard a faint running of water accompanied by the squealing laughter of little Lea. I smiled knowing that in Amber’s hands she was safe.
Toby knocked on my door just as I reached for the handle to take a shower.
“Hey.” He said shyly.
“Hey… is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, nothing; uh… you’re alright though?” Toby replied back cautiously.
I sighed and smiled at the sudden compassion Toby was showing toward an old friend. My feet stepped closer to him and even though his own height carried about half a foot on my own, it actually felt like we were staring at each other face to face.
“I’m fine Toby, really. Don’t stress yourself out over my problems. How long have you known me?” I asked warmly.
He chuckled heartily at the question. “A long time man…”
“That’s right; and when during our time knowing each other had I needed help with my own life from other people?” I raised my eyebrow questionably.
“You’re right;” He admitted. “I don’t know; it just felt wrong what those two did to ya, Marsh…” Toby had a look of uncertainty and doubt on his face.
“Look, if it’ll make you feel any better, I made sure Frank and Stephanie were out of my personal life for good.” I nodded slyly back at his shocked expression.
“Y-you did?!”
“Yup.”
“Oh dude! Finally, I gotta be honest bro; I was never really felt alright with that Frank guy! Man, that’s awesome how he’s finally gone!” His wild laughs assured me that the stress of the situation had at last vanished.
I made my way into the third master bathroom inside the condo, and luckily the closest as well. Its black marble floors matched perfectly to the sink’s white marble contrast. I hung my towel on a nearby towel rack and entered the awaiting shower. The warm water shooting fiercely from the showerhead brought great relief to my worn out body. Even after all the necessary cleaning was complete, I stayed and allowed the water to pour over me.
I closed my eyes and saw a future. I saw Lea growing, learning, advancing in every way she possibly could. Her first day of school, she was waving me goodbye as a soft and caring teacher brought her into her classroom. I saw her laughing along with other children as I went to pick her up from a friend’s house. I saw her in a purple, sparkled dress for her middle school graduation ceremony as I took a picture of her smiling face. I saw another camera flash but this time it was her high school graduation, and Lea donned a white gown, complete with the ceremonial hat. She gave me a warm hug followed by a soft kiss to my cheek. I saw Lea greet her first boyfriend to me, and I looked sternly into his eyes, only to find a similar compassion and love for her that I felt when I still took care of her as a child. I saw a multitude of other flashes blinking in all directions as I walked Lea down a red aisle. She was in a beautiful, pearl white dress, her hair curled to perfection and adorned with a thin, crystalline headband. I had never seen her look so amazing in all my life. She smiled at me warmly while gently rubbing my hand to hers and just before letting go of me, she mouthed a silent “I love you” and was brought up on a platform to face her husband to-be. I had never felt so proud, and I slowly began to feel tears lining my eyes. I saw her opening her car door and waving to me as her husband slowly turned the ignition off. Everything felt… warm. Her hug felt honest and at long last after so many years, I had finally felt like I had a family. Our embrace didn’t last nearly as long as I had hoped, and once she began to pull back, I saw the adult face of little Lea whisper to me an “I’m sorry daddy…” Before I could even respond, the scenery changed completely and I was staring at a young girl weeping under a dying light. Only she shone under the dim bulb still emitting as everything else around her was deathly black. I could hear her quiet sobbing as she dropped to her knees over a dark figure laid across the ground. Once more, I heard the similar “I’m sorry” accompanied by a terrible crying. I struggled to turn away from this scene as it continued progressing in my mind. With one final blast of effort, I opened my eyes and returned to my warm shower.
“What was that…?” I questioned silently.
I pulled my towel off of the rack and quickly dried my hair off, followed by the rest of my body. The voice faintly echoed in my ear, but I simply shrugged it off and headed back up to my room.
A jet black suit that happened to be sticking out ever so slightly from my closet caught my eye. I laid it across my bed and contemplated on what color shirt and tie to go along with it. With a shrug, I laid one of my white button downs accompanied by a deep blue and silver tie on top of the suit. Suddenly, I heard my door opening.
“Yo, Marsh when we leavin’ again?”
“Uh… you know; knocking is never a bad thing.” I replied, smiling. Toby chuckled at the sight of me only in my boxers.
“I do hope you’ll get ready soon actually.” I added. “There’s no way you’ll be able to get inside wearing what you have on.” With the top button of my shirt secured, I pulled my pants from my bed.
“W-what do you mean? What’s wrong with my outfit?” Toby countered as he gazed down on his clearly dirty t-shirt and shorts.
“I think you know the answer to that buddy.” I chuckled back at him.
“Just put on a decent shirt or suit that you bought while you guys were out shopping.”
“Oh… right… See, funny story about that…” Toby replied nervously.
I looked back suspiciously at him as I finally managed to tuck my shirt in and zip up my pants.
“You didn’t buy anything decent to wear for the restaurant did you?” I sighed heavily as my hand waved Toby to come closer.
“Well, if I had known we needed somethin’ like that to wear, I would’ve bought for sure!” He countered.
After rummaging wildly throughout my closet, I slowly pulled out a suit fairly larger than my regular ones. It had actually belonged to another friend awhile back who was surprisingly, about the same size as Toby. I handed him the suit for him to try on.
After an agonizing ten minutes of waiting outside of his room I opened the door to see just how the suit looked on the giant lug.
“I feel stupid…” Toby muttered. His blonde hair was turned slightly back and the suit actually ended up fitting like a glove! After borrowing one of my ties and securing it in place, his transformation was complete. I hastily rubbed a smudge off of the nose of his shoe just before grinning back at my work well done.
“You look good!” I reassured. He shrugged unenthusiastically as we both made our way back into the living room.
The distinct clicking of high heels made its way into my ears as I turned and saw Amber in a gorgeous, strapless, aqua dress with frills intricately designed on its top, and adorned with a small blue jewel in the middle of it all. Her hair was brought down in a waterfall of shining brown waves that complimented her blue earrings. She took Lea by the hand as she shyly walked behind her in a white, yellowish-orange sun dress with pink stitching across the middle and adorned with a small flower over its top. The buttons on the sides gave it a childish, yet fashionable look to the entire outfit, and all was perfectly matched with a light orange bow parted on the side of her hair. The child’s white shoes squeaked every couple of steps she took. I heard her quietly groan as the two of them made their way closer to me. I picked little Lea up to face her.
“You look so pretty baby girl; don’t be upset.” I softly told her. Lea responded by resting her head on my shoulder as I slowly rocked her. While still in my arms, I remembered about her diaper bag in case she might need a change while at the restaurant.
“You prepare her bag?” I whispered to Amber, who silently nodded. I passed the child over to her as I rushed to grab my jacket and shoes. With a brief number of sprays of my cologne, I followed the group out the condo. Amber seemed to have already adjusted to the hallway and elevator as she walked at the front, with me behind her and Toby behind me. Lea smiled through the curls of hair that continued dropping past her face as we made our way out of the building and into our limo.
The ride was quite short to the restaurant with us only a few minutes late on our original reservation time. The owner greeted me with an open hug.
“So ghreat to see you Marshall!” Philippe said with his ever present French accent.
“It’s great to see you too Philippe!” I returned his hug with a few pats to his back.
“Ah, friends! Please to be taking your seats!” Philippe told my group as he led us to our table.
“Marshall, yorh daughter is absolutely belle! You are trulhy blessed my friend.” He softly told me as I began to sit down.
“Thank you Philippe, I really appreciate that.” I replied graciously.
“If zhere is anything else needed to make yorh stay mohre comfort-ti-bull, please do not hesitate to ask.” He said, smiling widely.
With a warm nod, he smiled back at us and walked away.
“Marshall, this-”
“Don’t even think about saying it.” I interrupted her.
“I-I know, I know.” She chuckled nervously.
I smiled back reassuringly as my attention was turned to the waiter who was handing us our menu’s. After careful deliberation towards what to eat, I ended up choosing their 12 oz. steak. Having dined here before, I had already tried it beforehand and became quite fond of the meat’s soft texture and great taste! My vision changed over to Toby who was fiddling with his glass of water while Amber studied the menu intently. A smiled lined around her mouth as she seemed to find a dish to her liking. Lea was slumping on her seat, looking bored as ever. I gently nudged her with my arm, to which her response was an annoyed glance back at me.
“Something wrong, sweetie?” I softly asked her.
She sighed heavily as her hands made their way to her shoes that wiggled wildly underneath the table cloth. The booster seat she was in provided me with an easy ability to turn her toward my direction.
“Let me get that for you.” My hands quickly loosened the tight grip the shoes had on the child’s toes. The secure smile now on her face indicated that her shoes were comfortable once again.
The waiter came around a moment after, asking us if we had decided on what food to have. We all stated what we wanted to eat; Toby took an interest in the Lime zest shrimp salad and some unusual looking beef stew as an appetizer, Amber asked for a grilled chicken sandwich and a small Caesar salad, I stood on my decision for the steak and only that, and Lea was going to have a children’s hamburger. The waiter smiled kindly back at us as we all handed him our menus.
The rest of our evening was spent talking and laughing along at one another’s life stories. I really got to learn a lot about Amber and her reasons for applying to the orphanage years back. Our biggest disruption was when Lea began to show clear signs of needing a diaper change. I excused myself and with the little girl in my arms and her diaper bag swung over my shoulder, we both strolled straight to the restrooms. I opened the door to the spotless bathroom ahead and looked for the changing table. For a second, a quiver of doubt for finding one came to my mind, but was immediately erased once my eyes spotted the familiar koala print logo on the middle of the gray plastic table. The center of it, where the child’s back was placed, had a soft cushioning running over it. I gently laid her down and pulled her dress up. Lea’s quiet babbling made me smile as I began to undo the soaked diaper. I pulled out a number of baby wipes, to which Lea giggled as I passed them over her diaper area, ridding her skin of any urine that may have stuck. Next, with a brief shaking of the smaller, more portable sized container of powder, I produced a white, layer of talc all over Lea’s bottom. One hand took the child’s legs up while the other slid the diaper underneath. Once I readjusted the tapes to properly secure around Lea, I dropped her down on her feet.
“Feel better now?” I asked, looking down at the smiling toddler.
She hopped excitedly just before giving my leg a hug.
I lifted her back up and prepared my hand to viciously tickle her. After all that had happened today, I was extremely relieved that she still seemed like her old self. With a happy squeal, she continued fighting my ticklish fingers. After a couple of minutes of playing, I wrapped her around my arms, her head resting on my chest. Her soft breathing and spontaneous giggles were all that echoed the room.
“I love you so much Lea.” I whispered. When I first learned about all of her “unique” traits that made her less than likely to be picked among other children in the orphanage, I did feel somewhat at odds with it. I was not sure if I could handle everything that came with adopting her, but now I was finally beginning to see it. As long as our bond continued growing, I knew anything was possible. I wanted to stick with this child through the good and bad, no matter what; she brought me so much joy and made me understand already so much about myself.
“Daddy” Lea whispered back.
I lifted her up to face me.
“Is something wrong, honey?”
She shook her head and smiled warmly; her eyes looked glossy under the powerful lights. Before another thought could cross my mind, I felt her lean toward me and proceed to give me kiss on the cheek. The moment felt like the dream I had months ago, especially since she truly sounded the way I heard her voice that very day.
I smiled at little Lea as she pulled herself back from me. We both walked back to the table of friends and continued chatting casually until it was time to go.