Chapter 8 This Is Me

IRIS'S POV: “IRIS LUCIA FLETCHER!” I heard my mother call me from the staircase by my full name, and footsteps approaching after. It was currently 11 a.m on a Saturday and my mother had sent about three maids to come get me but I just laid on my bed under the duvet, with the curtains still closed and just pictured various events since I had decided to KEEP THE BABY after Mariana had gone to the hospital to ensure that I was truly pregnant and to get doctor's approval. I pictured my baby's first steps, first time I was going to get called ‘mama’, I imagined how hard pushing out a child would be, especially after my Crazy friend, Mariana, had sent me a video of a woman pushing out twins, she had been out of state for the past two weeks, traveling to Simia, the country I had just came back from for a new case she was working on. Yeah…I know it's shocking that someone as unserious as my best friend was a Criminal defense lawyer. I watched the video in horror and disbelief, searching through the Internet on how it even stretched so open and I was curious to see the father's head because those kids the lady pushed out were huge. That gigolo's head wasn't big, was it? Based on what I could recall from that drunken, passionate night which stayed glued to my memory, he was perfect….almost too perfect. But I guess it comes with his job. At least I knew for sure with both our traits, we were going to make beautiful children. Just a child.. “IRIS…WAKE UP!” My mum snapped, opening the curtains in my room and my father joined her to take off the duvet covered over me. “What's going on?” I inquired in confusion and my mother raised her eyebrow up in questioning and disbelief written over her face. “What's going on? We are meant to be asking you that.” She retorted and I sat up, carrying with me my duritos. I have been consuming a lot of snacks lately, especially Chocolates. I'm going to be so fat. “Honey, we understand you've been dealing with going through a rough breakup but we honestly thought you were doing better though I know the pain doesn't just go away. But going back to just laying in your bed and talking to no one. We are worried.” My mother explained, and I chewed my snacks slowly, looking from the eyes of both my father and mother seeing worry which made me start crying. “I'm sorry.” I apologized, crying and they instantly took a seat next to me and embraced. “Talk to us, Pumpkin. You know you have nothing to apologize for.” My father spoke softly, and I sniffled, building up the courage to just let them know I was pregnant. I mean I couldn't hide it forever. “Mum…Dad…I have something to tell you.” I called out like a sixteen year old girl about to break her mother's heart but I was twenty-one. Not much difference there, was there? They gave me their full attention so I stood up from my bed and stood before them, “I'm pregnant for a man who I don't know his name but I suspect is nothing but handsome….I'm sorry and I'm willing to accept anything mean and unkind you say or do.” After speaking, I noticed they looked at each other with an expression I couldn't read and my father then sat up and brought out his black card and handed it to my mother, “You win.” My mother then chuckled while I stood there confused. “Pumpkin, this is never what a father or even a mother desires for their only daughter but you're all we have and you're going to make us GRANDPARENTS! Do you know how excited we are and how proud of you that we are taking up responsibility for your actions?” My father smiled warmly and I blinked my eyes repeatedly as he spoke to me. “Yes, and we are going to support and love you and our grandchildren all the way! You have nothing to worry about love! And to be quite honest, we saw the pregnancy test in the bin and while I said they were most likely yours, your father believed they belonged to Mariana, so we made a bet and now we are going out shopping for ourselves and grandkids!” My mother spoke excitedly, rubbing the black card in my dad's face and I laughed through my tears. “Oh honey, come here.” They hugged me and I had always grown up with so much love, and I just prayed I would never disappoint them, though I felt like I finally did. “We love you and we are proud of you, okay?” They chorused in unison and I took a deep breath. “I love you two so much.” I coughed out and we stayed together, all hugged up for about two minutes. Each with various thoughts. “Now, go get dressed. We are going shopping!” She spoke excitedly leaving my room and my father shook his head laughing, watching her waist and I loved the love they shared. And the craziest part was she had also gone shopping just yesterday. As they closed the doors, I heaved out a deep sigh, feeling like a little burden had been let up on my chest. *********** TWO HOURS LATER: “This is the lifestyle.” My mother and I sang as she was driving my dad's Ferrari sport's car for the first time and because of who we were, a security car was following behind us and another one was in front of us. My mother and I were used to it, and we didn't mind especially after what happened when I was four. I had no memories of it but my parents had said that I was almost kidnapped at school at just four years and I was giving a private tutor till middle school where they enrolled me in the best, most exquisite school with security around. My mother, Mrs Karen Fletcher, was an artist🎨 and her work was displayed in various galleries all around the world and it generated millions, but no one knew who she was, she kept her identity anonymous which made her even more special and intriguing. I admired her so much, she was a goddess with gold hair like Rapunzel's and she was the sweetest woman I had ever come across but when it was time to lash out on people for playing with her for being so sweet, she was ready and it was the perfect balance. My father, West Fletcher, was her muse and he got her to paint after she had painted him a few times and he also got her to even start displaying them. When her first piece sold for a million, it served as confidence for her. He, on the other hand, owned a multimillion company technology company, the first company to create solar-powered generators, and anything solar generated such as lights, and they had been working on cars as well which drew millions of people to the company. Making my father the most wealthy man in the entire world! My grandfather started it and my father continued and he believed one day, I would take over and to be honest, I was interested which is why I took robotics and mechanical engineering seriously. But it was hard for a woman. I wondered, if my grandfather and father could create solar power generated lights and generators, exporting to various countries and earning millions, what was something new and great I could also create? “You okay, Sweetie?” My mother questioned and I hummed, singing right back with her. We finally arrived at the mall and each store we stepped into, we were the only ones in it as the normal proceeding. We stopped at fashion brands, and I got new diamond earrings, a Birkin bag, new dark shades, big and free clothes as recommended by my mother and so many others. We had been going from store to store for two hours and my mother was still agile but as a pregnant woman, I was tired and famished. “Can we store at Hurger for a milkshake and burger?” I loved Hurger with everything in me, my eyes literally lit up in excitement every time I passed by their store. “Sure, sweetie. But woman to woman, in order for you to have an easier birth giving for my grandkids…” I had to cut her off in between. “Mum, why did you keep on saying grandkids?” I questioned dramatically as she laughed while the security had already stepped into Hurger to clear the room for us. “I'm guessing you're going to have twins! So as I was saying before the rude interruption. You need to start exercising and hitting the home gym with me.” She explained and I was just stunned by the first sentence. “Twins?” I kept thinking to myself as she ushered me into the store. “Why would you think that?” She just laughed and escorted me into the store and I ended up getting distracted by the sight of the menu in front of us. I got my usual Strawberry Milkshake but I felt the need to switch my burger order requesting my usual but with chicken stuffed into it and my mother coughed out looking at her phone, “You need the gym.” As we sat down there, and I played Candy Crush on my phone because I had refrained from social media because I didn't need to see anything heartbreaking on there and people making fun of me. So I only texted with Mariana, watched movies and videos of building AI, and played games. That was it. The waiter finally served our food and I smiled in delight taking a bite out of my burger but my mother's face turned pale as she stared at something behind me. “What's going on, Mum?” I questioned in worry and turned around to see a news report on the television. “When was Mariana supposed to arrive?” My mother asked and my heartbeat raced rapidly and the staff increased the volume seeing the looks on our faces. “She didn't…she didn't say. She said it will be a…surprise.” I stammered out and my heart raced as the reporter read out the most heart shattering words. Two were reportedly shot two hours ago as they stood outside the airport. One of the victims had been identified as Defence Attorney, Mariana Willem, who was currently working on a high profile case. No report of their health condition has been reported yet. “No….No…No…Mariana isn't dead….right?” I shook my head and my mum stood up to embrace me. “No, she's not. She's not…she's not.” She chanted to me and I covered my mouth praying my best friend was okay.