Chapter 2
Henry Pearson
'Sarah'! My mother said, I looked up quickly to see her stern face but also to see a man about father's age maybe older who stood in front of me, his arm out stretched, I took it quickly. He didn't seem one bit mad at all. He smiled letting my hand go, turns to mother and father and asks if we'd like to join him and his wife at a table. As we followed I noticed that I wasn't the only younger one there, there was plenty of young children, some younger then myself some a little older then me. I sat as my mother told the waitress what I'd be having, and looked at the children who were younger then me, who were being taught table manners, how to talk politely how to walk with your head held high and your feet straight. Oh, I remember mother teaching me all those things, and having her call me ignorant for not wanting to learn the basics of "a lady soon to be". I looked away from a girl about eight whose mother was not letting her finish not even one small tart, instead I looked out the window to the chilly night, it was dark but light enough so you could still see the people outside, walking, talking, laughing as they watched the sun slowly disappear from view. "I wish I was out there too. Instead I'm sitting in here, I'm too trapped, I feel like I'm in a cage unable to break out and fly freely." As I ate in silence, listening to the adults and watching the children.
The clock read 5:30am but I didn't care, mother was so happy when Henry Pearson asked of we'd like to have breakfast with him and his wife tomorrow morning at 6:30am that she said yes with out really thinking anything of it until we came back from super that is. But she did let me have a lemon tart, a full lemon goodness tart, which I finished in 20 seconds at least. Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt and their sons Kevin and Max were standing beside Mr. and Mrs. Pearson as we entered the luxurious dining room. We were settled in near the fine fireplace and Mother just told me to put my napkin on my lap when Max started a conversation with me.
'Kevin, will be taking over his Father's company when he comes back from collage. He's smart and very good looking and will marry and have a family of his own, soon enough.' I over heard Mrs. Dewitt tell Mother, every mother's dream, that their children marry young enough. I shook my head and bit into my lemon tart; out of the corner of my eye I saw Max's puzzled look and expression. Instead of looking at him and explaining, I looked at Kevin instead, he seemed to have gone bright red at what his mother had said and desperately tried to look like he couldn't hear.
Kevin and Jack became good friends, they'd go down to the pool area and watch the girls sunbathing, swimming and sit with them. Sometimes Max and I would follow to have something to do, and every time all the girls would get "taken in" and be flirting with them. It was funny to watch, but Mother had said extremely irresponsible of them, Mrs. Dewitt had not thought this funny at all. Max and I had been standing right there when Mrs. Dewitt had told Kevin she better not find him doing that again, Kevin did not look to happy.
'So Sarah?' My Mother said in an odd tone of voice, 'Max and you are sure getting along all right, now aren't you?' Oh no, not this, please don't talk about this.
'What do you mean?' I tried my best to sound confused and not at all the bit scared. But at last it failed. She saw straight in, my eyes of terror, she probably knew, if not hear my rapidly pounding of my, once steady heart.
'Sarah May Lovett! Don't pretend with me!' She scolded; she took my hand and led me to the pale lavender sofa. 'Sit!' She said all too quickly. I sat down my legs folded, hands on my lap, very "lady-like" of me.
'I know you have feelings for him Sarah', she said, I looked up to see her smiling, a rather teasing smile, my Mother looked like a teenager again. But that wasn't saying much, she was already beautiful she looked in her twenties, though she really was thirty-four.