Teaghan
SUNDAY
The weekend was ending and had went down with a big bang.
Heading to my parents for an impromptu brunch was sure to end it but there was no way I could turn down the invitation.
So my trusty sidekick Missy and I got snazzy and prepared to drink with our pinkies up like the rich folk.
I prayed she would be on her best behavior.
Missy was older than me and the shit I let slide she wouldn’t dare.
“Girl I hope they got some meat on the damn menu. I won’t make it off cucumber sandwiches chile,” she commented as we pulled into the circular driveway.
Cars were parked on the street for miles.
My mother neglected to say that this was a party.
Brunch was intimate and by the number of cars, this was nothing close.
“If not, we eat once we leave like always,” I laughed as we exited the car. It always went this way. Missy would accompany
me so we could talk some good shit and drink way past our limit. Leave with giggles and stop at a hole in the wall spot for lunch. I would discuss how much I despised my important parents and she would go on about Lewis. I already couldn’t wait for this to be over.
“Teaghan I never understand how you show up to your parents’ parties last,” my mother said as we entered the house.
Kissing each check I ignored her, looking for the tray of mimosas.
Today she would not work my nerves after the weekend I had.
The embers burning in my belly matched my burnt-orange palazzo pants.
Houston was all that and then some, and there was no way I was coming down from that high.
The next morning, I slept in his t-shirt and bed until I couldn’t lie around anymore.
It felt like high school all over again with us sneaking around.
He made me breakfast in bed. It wasn’t anything to brag about, but the thought itself was enough for me.
After he got Malone situated we stayed stuck in the bed exploring pressure and pleasure points.
I didn’t crawl home until four p.m. As I showered, I felt his hands all over, massaging and kneading spots that had gone untended to. It was absolutely blissful.
“I’m here and I would hope that’s enough. And I brought a guest.”
“Missy is not a guest. She always comes to our functions, even when you don’t,” my mother mentioned. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the champagne flute. Turning to her I smiled and shrugged. Walking into the kitchen me and Missy started sampling from the trays. This shit was almost too fancy to eat.
“Tea, I swear to God I don’t know how you did this shit for eighteen years.
My mom would never feed her guests lettuce with relish and shit,” she said with a laugh that caught the attention of my mom's favorite chef.
I winked at him because he hated this shit as much as we did.
Rico was a chef that thrived off carbs and hearty meals.
We would both sell our souls for my mother to choose real food to serve.
“Follow me,” he motioned. Following him into the pantry we laughed and shared the best Italian submarine sandwich in Coupeville. The meat was sliced and stacked to perfection. The Italian dressing that he crafted was tart but filled with herbs. I moaned between chews.
“Now I can go out and play nice.”
Grabbing my clutch I opened the door and ran right into my father.
I smiled and kept it moving. Until he said he was releasing the dogs we had nothing to speak about.
I was still going through that shit and it wasn’t going away.
My business was still shut down with no date in mind for reopening.
That put me in such a bad situation. My employees were laid off with pay for now, but I didn’t know how long that would last.
“Let’s go politic,” Missy announced. Just then, my mom came requesting my attendance for what she called a beautiful introduction.
Following her into the grand room where most of the guests were, she stopped behind a tall man with a strong back.
I knew what this was, and I wasn’t here for it. I didn’t need to or want to be set up.
“Bobby, I’m pleased to introduce you to my daughter, Teaghan,” she smiled like I was meeting the prince of Zamunda.
He turned and I couldn’t front or fake - he was a gorgeous man.
He wasn’t grungy and undefined like Houston but in our circle, he would be considered the most eligible bachelor.
His smile was bright with the whitest teeth. They were perfectly in line with no
food or stains. A good indication that they were fake.
His suit cost more than my entire outfit.
His watch was minimal, but it wasn’t cheap either.
Italian loafers, the cool blue suit wouldn’t normally work for someone with our skin tone, but he was comfortable and confident in it, so it made all the difference.
His short-tapered cut gave him a clean smooth feel.
I would have remembered him, but I didn’t.
However, from the look on his face, he knew me.
“Teaghan, it’s a true pleasure to meet you again. Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked eloquently.
“Again?” I questioned.
“We’ve met but it was a while ago. I would never forget a smile as beautiful and captivating as yours.”
“Well, I’ll leave you two to catch up. Announcement in thirty minutes.”
Mother left me to the wolf in a nice suit.
I shifted because under his glare I was feeling a little uncomfortable.
It was way too intense for me. Like he had a plan that I wasn’t in on.
I started to play with the left-out pieces of my goddess braid out of nervous habit.
I was completely anxious. The fact that I didn’t know if I was interested or not was unsettling.
I kind of had someone. The conversation of yours and mine hadn’t taken place, but after I shared myself with him in my mind, we were in a relationship.
“You look uncomfortable. Please don’t be nervous around me. I’m nobody,” he joked flashing his big smile before sipping something dark. His cologne made me want to fall at his feet. It was a big contrast from the paint smell I had become accustomed to.
“You have to be someone to be here. So what’s your story and how do you fit in?
” I asked also sipping from my own flute.
I felt flirty and like a cheater. I needed to remove myself from this situation and quickly.
I turned slightly to scan the area. I hoped I would find someone to pull me away and save the day.
But currently, the room was fairly empty.
No one I knew was in sight. It was me and Bobby in a corner playing a dangerous game.
“Well, actually I guess I should leave that to your mom. It’s the whole purpose of the party. Promise you’ll stick around,” he grinned again. I grinned back and remembered my mother and her obsolete party planning business that never moved past a title. Raising my glass, I took off to find Missy.
Searching the wing of the party, I found her slumped over in a chair, snoring like the toddler she was known to be. Kicking her leg, she woke up looking around. “We need to leave like right now. I have a bad feeling, and I really can’t explain it.”
“Alright, girl, shit, this party dun put me to sleep anyway.”
Before I could turn the doorknob, I heard the glass clink and knew my time for a speedy and anticlimactic exit had dwindled tremendously. Grabbing Missy, I found a spot out of my mother’s line of vision and waited.
“Today we are gathered for a wonderful announcement. I hope you are all enjoying the party. It was many years ago before I had my Teaghan,” she started but stopped to look for me.
I felt a nudge to the front of the crowd.
“There she is, before I had my Teaghan I had all these wonderful dreams a party planner, a nurse, oh the list was endless. But nothing gave me more pleasure than raising my only child and standing beside my husband as he claimed his spot in this universe. It’s been almost thirty years being Mrs. LeJune, we’ve had fun, but we’ve been busy.
It saddens me to know that all things have to end because ole Frank will be bored, but me, I’m glad to get my husband back. ”
I was lost as I listened to her speech. I was doing my best to decipher exactly what was going on around me.
People were smiling and clinking glasses.
Bobby and what I assumed were his parents were by the mantle with picture perfect smiles and joy in their heart.
He spotted me and winked. Without much effort, I smiled back.
“Frank and I are excited to announce that this will be his last term as governor. This next election will be all about the endorsement of Bobby Harlow for governor. Bobby is bright and reminds me so much of my Frank. It almost scares me sometimes when we speak about the plans he has for his people. Today is not only a brunch for his accomplishments but the start of fundraising. We will take the time to auction off items to help kickstart his career and running. First, we have a date with my daughter Teaghan,” she clapped as I stood stone still from mortification.
I knew something was about to go down, and so did sneaky slithering Bobby.
I wasn’t some prized cow that you could just purchase.
This was not explained, and I was so damn tired of being attacked and played by my own damn parents.
“Come on up, baby girl,” I heard my father say, holding out his hand.
The way I looked at his hand you would have thought he had shit covering them.
This was too much. I couldn’t remember when my life became such a damn joke or game to them.
It was all for show and to please them. They still weren’t getting it.
But as I placed my hand in his hand I felt like a little girl again that had to suck it up and toss a wide smile on my face.
It was the only way I could miss the conversation of being a big disappointment.
“$10,000 for the lady,” Bobby yelled before I had the chance to get settled at the front of the room.
Out of my peripheral, I could see my father and my mother grinning like this was the plan.
Missy was damn near blue in the face from choking on her drink.
My smile was so forced that I knew I would chip my tooth from gritting so much.
“Anyone else? Be careful, it seems like someone’s got their eye on the prize,” she joked as the crowd went up in an uproar of laughter.
Bobby had his hand on the small of my back, rubbing in a circular motion.
I did my best to keep my cool. “Well going once, going twice, sold to the man with the plan Bobby Harlow.”
Stepping down, I grabbed Missy and left without saying goodbye or even entertaining what the hell just happened.
In the car, I broke down as I started to back out.
We rode silently, she knew the drill. When I was ready to come to terms with the actions of my parents, I would spill my guts and create a mantra to move on.
However, it was time to take a stand and claim my own life.
I was so embarrassed and just someone they could use and flaunt.