Birth From The Waist

Chapter 26

I gazed into the mirror as a distant yet familiar person stared back. Who was this beautiful yet unidentifiable girl? Why was she unknown to me? How did she become unknown to me? The girl that gazed back at me as she wore her Chanel lip gloss and pouted her lips was none other than me. Melissa. I looked the same in the mirror, felt the same, but somehow did not know myself, I did not identify myself. Why? Was it because I was in love, the contemplations and ruminations of me being single forever all those years created this effect on me, that I’ll never find someone to love. Or was it the fact that I didn’t recognise the person in the mirror based on their choices, choices that they would have never selected in the beginning because I was too smart. This wasn’t about love; it was simply my mere choice in love, the type of person I had selected as my soul mate. Andrew!

Was I having regrets? Andrew had met my parents and they simply loved him. My father had given me a few headaches in terms of his education and his somewhat relaxed personality, but that quickly changed after they met him and stopped stereotyping him. He’s human for God sake! No one is perfect. But did I classify myself as that. As a perfect being who only accepted the best and refuted the squashed swabs of the buffet. Or did I let my sophistication down and settle for something so much less? Who was I kidding? Andrew isn’t my standard nor will he ever be, but I’m in love with him and that justifies my stupidity. Then again Andrew was a respectful guy who came immediately to my house and my family, doesn’t like calling me his girlfriend but a fiancé, and does what I want and need. And that to me overwhelms the educational notion, we don’t live in age of educational snobs anymore, everyone is different and I am absolutely proud to uphold that view even though I was hardly a reformist but mainly old school.

I exit the room hurrying to my handbag on the kitchen counter; the microwave clock read 14:06. Mum and Dad nowhere to be seen on this glorious Sunday afternoon. Where were this people? Oh yeah! Mum mentioned something about old family friends who came back from overseas. My stomach rumbled, I was hungry but simultaneously nervous. Today was the day I would meet Andrew’s parents, they’re having a family BBQ and his mother insisted on meeting her future ‘daughter in-law’.

The sound of Andrew’s Lexus pulls up into the driveway, the sound of the door closing and the infamous ping of the doors locking is heard throughout the living room. He was making his way inside. Without notice, the screen door opens and in walks a rugged Andrew. His biceps were peaking through his pink Ralph Lauren Polo shirt, his legs mildly hairy after I told him to stop shaving his body hair, his haircut was neat and fresh, his face was stubbly, clearly not shaven in a few days and his eyes looked sharp. He threw me a cheeky side smile as he came to a halt. He gazed at me for what seemed minutes. “What?” I questioned breaking the awkward tension.

“You just so beautiful, the most beautiful women in this world!” he exclaims.

“Girl!” I refute.

He looks down, “sorry”.

I place my body weight on my right legs and my left arm straddling the right one, stepping on my right toes and moving them in a left to right motion almost as I was squishing something beneath my foot. “Thank You anyways for the compliment,” I speak, my face turning red, blushing.

He looks up and quickly walks directly to me, moving so fast almost as if he was a vampire. “Never! Never be embarrassed around me, ok? We are together and there is nothing we should be embarrassed about”.

It clicks in! He was in the house, with me! Alone! My parents were not here! I break the tension between us. “Get out, quickly get out,” I yell pushing him to the door, where he stumbles outside. An inquisitive expression present on his face.

His face becomes saddened, gloominess present on his handsome face. “Why did you do that?” he questioned softly. My heart shattered into pieces. Maybe I was a little too harsh.