Mavis.
"Are you okay?"
She rolled her eyes at me and rather remained quiet. "Let me help you up." If I had known, I would have asked her to wear a flat shoe instead. I had no idea that she intended to wear a six-inch stiletto on a marble floor; she wasn't even a regular user.
I barely found her on heels during parties at high school. She was mostly on fancy sandals and wedges.
"I'm no longer interested in coming with you," she said lightly and I felt a part of my heart break.
"Please, Isabel, don't say this, I already have the car in the driveway."
I turned to the door and found the twins staring at us. "Is she okay?" Roland asked and Isabel nodded gently.
"She's an adult, adults don't feel pain." She added and got up abruptly. "Shall we?"
A smile illuminated my face. I was happy that things were working out as planned.
I guarded her into the car and got in the driver's seat. She took out a pair of glasses from her purse and wore it over her eyes.
I went closer and gave her a peck on the cheek before speeding off. Just then, Dad called.
"Son."
"Hello, Dad."
"Hi, how is Los Angeles and the rest of the family?"
"It's sunny here and we are all doing great. I'm here with Isabel, I will be showing her around Los Angeles. Would you like to speak with her?"
"Sure," I imagined a smile on Dad's face after he said that.
"Hi, Dad."
"Hi, Isabel. Mavis said he wants to show you around our hometown."
"That's true, Dad, we are already away from home. How are you and Mom?"
"We are good, say something to her," Dad said and Isabel waited for a while before she suddenly laughed. "Of course, I'm blessed with a sweet brother."
Oh wow, she said that? Her mother should have said so and she concurred with her. "We good, Mom. Alright, take care." She dropped the phone in the car compartment and concentrated on the street.
Soon, we were approaching a park. As we got to the gate, I made some payments and we were given tickets.
I drove straight to the car park and helped Isabel out. "Don't hold my waist," she made a face at me. "We are step-siblings."
"I know, I just thought I should,"
"Shush, Mavis. Eyes are watching." She looked around before giving me a wink. We were given a suitable reception at the park. A waiter took us to a comfortable place in the VIP section after the negotiation.
After we had eaten, we walked around the park and utilized each of their services before proceeding to the stadium in Inglewood.
There, we had the photographer take pictures of us. When I demanded that the photos should be made larger and framed, Isabel didn't like the idea.
She noted that the photos were not presentable due to the poses we were making. She suggested that we should retake the photos with more natural poses and fewer smiles. She also suggested that we should experiment with different angles and backgrounds to make the photos more interesting.
I insisted that I liked the photos the way they were and that I would prefer to keep them in my room without any changes. I acknowledged Isabel's suggestions, but I felt that the photos represented us in a way that we liked, and we were happy with the way they turned out.
I thanked Isabel for her feedback and suggested that we could try different poses and settings in future photo shoots.
Isabel feared that our parents might get to see them in my room. Contrarily, Dad and Matilda were unaware of the photos that Isabel had taken of me, as they never entered my room for any length of time. My room was always considered a private space, and they respected my privacy by not entering or looking around without my permission.
Isabel said with a smirk, "Be sure to keep those photos away from prying eyes!" I knew she was only teasing, but I smiled and nodded my head anyway.
"And if I don't keep them away?"
"We will be in trouble unless you are ready for it."
I just smiled and shrugged, knowing that there was no way I was going to keep those photos hidden. Isabel might have been teasing, but I wasn't about to let her dictate what I did with our photos. They were a reminder of a fun day, and I would keep them where I could easily see them.
Once we had finished our time at the stadium, we got back into the car and began the drive to the museum. The anticipation of seeing the exhibits and learning about the history of the area made the drive seem shorter than it actually was. The scenery along the way was beautiful.
So, as we approached the museum, we could see the large, imposing building in the distance. It was an impressive sight, and we couldn't wait to explore it. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw other visitors milling about, excited to learn and discover.
After several hours of exploring the exhibits and learning about the history of the area, we decided to check into a nearby hotel.
"Why a hotel, Mavis?" She still had her eyes on the busy road.
"I have a surprise for you,"
I drove at a high speed which made Isabel tremble in fear. "Do you always drive this way or, do you want to impress me?"
I gave her a little smile and reduced the speed of the car. I asked Isabel to remain in the car as I stopped by to buy a pack of condoms and chains without her awareness.
"Are those for me? Why don't I start eating them up?"
I smiled briefly. "They are for you, you'll have them in no time."
The hotel was a modern, comfortable place to rest our heads after a long day of sightseeing. As we checked into the hotel, the receptionist informed us that we had been upgraded to one of the best rooms in the building. We were both surprised and delighted by this turn of events, and we couldn't wait to see what the room had in store for us.
When we finally got to our room, we were amazed by the luxury furniture and compartments in it. It had everything we wanted and more.
"Are we spending a night here?"
"What if we do?"
"No, you can't, we can't."
I opened the bag and emptied the contents on the bed, Isabel suddenly began to smile.
We were both exhausted, but in a good way, and we were looking forward to a good night's sleep.