Chapter thirty nine

Chapter thirty nine
When Marianne and Mark left, I took out my phone and called my parents. My mother answered, the excitement in her voice contagious. I was happy Drew didn’t pay them a little visit.

"Leon! I’m so happy to hear your voice. How have you been?"

"I’m doing well, Mom. Where's Dad?" I asked, rubbing my temples. I could feel a headache coming. It’s been a long day.

"He’s out in the garden tending to his plants. You know how he is," she said, making me chuckle.

"He’ll get bitten by snakes. Won't you tell him I called?"

I heard her sigh, but she relented. "Alright. Hold on."

It was silent for a while. I was able to gather my thoughts, preparing to ask them anything about Drew.

"He’s here. You’re on loudspeaker," she informed.

"Hello, Dad. How are you?"

"I’m good, Leon. How have you been, my son?" Dad asked, his voice hoarse. He was a heavy smoker.

"I've been good. The both of you, don’t freak out. I have some news for you," I said, suddenly nervous. I had forgotten to tell them Drew and I divorced. They knew about the separation. They supported me because they trusted my judgement.

"Go on," Mom prompted.

"Drew and I finalized the divorce," I told them, waiting for their reaction even though I knew they would always be on my side.

"I’m sorry, Leon. We know how much you loved him," Dad said, Mom agreeing too.

"I know. And I’m sorry for disappointing you both. I really thought I found the one, like you two found each other," I confided, feeling glum. Being a divorcee in a family of strong marriages felt disappointing. My family prided itself in their love and commitment.

It's hard to believe, but no one in my family, extended family included, never got a divorce. They were blessed with strong marriages. Healthy even. There were arguments here and there, but nothing to warrant a divorce.

With Drew, I thought I found the one like everyone in my family, only to find out I was living a lie. I was married to a stranger.

"Don't be sorry, Leon. You've made the right decision. We trust you. And you could never disappoint us," Mom said, getting a smile out of me.

"I know, Mom. Thank you. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Leon," Dad replied. "And just to let you know, Drew did come up here three months ago. We didn’t know you two had divorced."

"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, scared. "He didn’t hurt you, did he?"

I could hear the confusion in Dad's voice when he asked, "Why would he, Leon? Did he get violent with you?"

I hesitated, but it was enough to enrage my parents. "Did he hit you, Leon?" Mom shouted.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, but placed it back when I replied, "No. He didn’t."

"Then why did you hesitate?" Dad asked, the anger still in his voice.

"I don’t know. I don’t remember. I’m not sure if it ever happened. He didn’t hit me, but I saw him throw a plate at me. It didn’t hit me. I’m not sure if it even happened." It was a bad idea to confide in my parents. They were my parents after all. They were bound to be protective.

"I knew he was a bastard the moment I met him!" Dad shouted, surprising me with his words.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "We didn’t want to rain on your parade because you were so happy when you introduced him to us. Your mother and I, we felt as if he was not being genuine. He gave us weird feelings. We didn’t say anything because you were happy."

I didn't know how to feel about that. I know I would have felt sad at the time to know that my parents didn’t approve of Drew. Knowing what I know now, it was further confirmation that Drew was and still is bad news. I trusted my parents’ judgement.

"What did he want when he came by you?" I asked, standing from the couch and going to my bed.

I laid down, my feet dangling since I still had my shoes on. I didn’t want to get them on the bed.

"He had just come to say hi since he was passing. We asked if you knew he was here and he said no. We didn’t want to worry you. We knew about your separation and we assumed you two were not on good terms. He didn’t stay for long though," Mom replied.

"He didn’t say where he was off to?"

"We didn’t ask. We didn’t think it was important," she replied.

"No, no. It's not important." I yawned, realising how tired I was. "We will talk tomorrow, okay? I've had a long day."

"We love you," Dad said, making me smile.

"I love you too," I replied. They hung up the phone after.

I sat up, taking my shoes off. I grabbed my bag and looked for loose clothes I could sleep in. I took out my old t-shirt and shorts, then changed into them. I tried to go to sleep, but my mind was fully awake.

I thought about the cars that pulled up when we were leaving. What would have happened if they found me? Marianne did say they would torture me, but would they kill me? I was valuable goods, I know. Drew needed me to be alive and ready for the sacrifice, but won’t they torture me to death?

I stayed up almost the whole night. I only managed to go to sleep at four in the morning. I hoped to wake up early to meet everyone. I didn’t want them to think I was a lazy guest. I did want to pull my weight.

Even though I was terrified, I was a bit excited to meet vampires. To meet a Coven, not ones I read about in novels.